California Counties
Learn California's 58 counties and their county seats, one map at a time.
California Counties teaches the state's 58 counties on a real map of California. A county is highlighted and the child names it, or a county name is given and the child taps it. Early levels use large, well known counties such as Los Angeles, San Diego, Kern and Humboldt, so children build confidence before the crowded parts of the map.
One whole level zooms in on the nine Bay Area counties, which are too small to tap on the full state map. Later levels ask for county seats, including the well known city that is not the seat, and for going from a county seat back to its county. The game is specific to California.
What children practice
- Name a highlighted California county from a map
- Tap a named county on the state map
- Tell neighboring California counties apart on the map
- Find the nine Bay Area counties on a zoomed map
- Match county seats to their counties
- Avoid mixing up a county seat with a bigger city
Levels
- Level 1: Big counties
- Level 2: Tap the county
- Level 3: More counties
- Level 4: Bay Area
- Level 5: County seats
- Level 6: Mixed review
How it works
- Level 1 starts with large counties, and level 2 asks the child to tap the named county.
- Level 4 switches to a zoomed picture of the Bay Area so the small counties are easy to tap.
- A wrong tap does not reveal the answer, so the child can look again and try once more.
- Each right answer names the county and its county seat, and the speaker button reads questions aloud.
Best for: A good fit for grades 4 to 8 when a child is learning where California's counties are and what a county seat is.
Tip for parents: Find your own county in the game first, then talk about what your county seat is and why people go there. Children remember the places they have a personal link to, and the rest follow.
Questions parents ask
Are all 58 counties in the game?
California has 58 counties and the map shows all of them. Very small counties are asked about only when a child can see them clearly, either on the full state map or in the zoomed Bay Area picture.
What is a county seat?
A county seat is the city where a county's government is based. It is often not the biggest city, so the game includes questions where a well known city, such as Anaheim in Orange County, is not the county seat.
Can younger children play it?
The game is listed for grades 4 to 8. A younger child can try level 1, which uses large counties and only three or four answer choices, and can use the speaker button to hear each question read aloud.
Ready to try it?
California Counties is free with a parent account. A parent adds a child profile, and the child's progress is saved.