Thirteen Colonies
Find the thirteen colonies, sort them into regions and meet their founders.
Thirteen Colonies is a U.S. history map game about the British colonies along the Atlantic coast that later became the United States. It starts with a yes or no question on a highlighted state: was it one of the thirteen? Then children name and tap each colony, with a zoomed view for the crowded Northeast.
The second half explains how the colonies differed. Children sort them into New England, Middle and Southern regions and learn what each region farmed or traded. They also meet founders and firsts, from William Penn and Roger Williams to Jamestown, Plymouth and Georgia. The map uses today's state shapes in place of the old colonies.
What children practice
- Identify which states were among the thirteen colonies
- Name and tap each colony on the map
- Sort colonies into New England, Middle and Southern regions
- Match each region to its climate, farming and trade
- Connect founders like William Penn and Roger Williams to their colonies
- Match events such as Jamestown and Plymouth to their years
Levels
- Level 1: Find the 13
- Level 2: Name the colony
- Level 3: Tap the colony
- Level 4: Three regions
- Level 5: Founders and firsts
- Level 6: Mixed review
How it works
- Level 1 asks yes or no about a highlighted state, and levels 2 and 3 are naming and tapping.
- Level 4 covers the three regions, and level 5 covers founders and firsts.
- Level 6 mixes everything, and a note on the map reminds children that it shows today's state shapes.
- Wrong answers can be retried, and every question has a speaker button that reads it aloud.
Best for: A good fit for grades 4 to 8 when a class is studying colonial America and a child needs a map to go with the names.
Tip for parents: Ask which region your child would have chosen to live in, and why, using the farming, shipbuilding and trade facts from the game. Making a choice helps children remember the differences.
Questions parents ask
Does the game talk about slavery in the Southern Colonies?
Yes, briefly and plainly. It says that large plantations grew tobacco, rice and indigo and that plantation owners forced enslaved Africans to do the work. Parents of younger children may want to talk it through together.
Why is Maryland not placed in a region?
Sources do not all agree on whether Maryland belongs with the Middle or the Southern Colonies. The game never gives it a region, so every region question has one clear right answer.
Are the colony borders accurate?
No. Colony borders were not the same as today's state lines, so the game uses current state shapes as stand-ins and says so. It teaches which places were colonies, not exact old boundaries.
Ready to try it?
Thirteen Colonies is free with a parent account. A parent adds a child profile, and the child's progress is saved.