Westward Expansion
Follow the United States as it grew west and added new land.
Westward Expansion is a U.S. history map game about how the country grew in the 1800s. Children learn where each addition came from: the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803, Texas in 1845, the Oregon Treaty in 1846, the Mexican Cession in 1848 and Alaska from Russia in 1867. Twelve states stand in for these areas on the map.
The game also covers how people moved: the Oregon Trail, the Gold Rush, the Homestead Act and the Transcontinental Railroad of 1869. It includes the Trail of Tears and asks what happened to Native nations as settlers moved west. Levels ask for years, order, and who and why.
What children practice
- Match each land addition to the country it came from
- Place the Louisiana Purchase, Texas, Oregon and Alaska on the map
- Put the main additions in order by year
- Describe the Oregon Trail, the Gold Rush and the Homestead Act
- Explain how the Transcontinental Railroad changed travel across the country
- Learn what the Trail of Tears was and who it affected
Levels
- Level 1: Where from?
- Level 2: Tap the land
- Level 3: Years and order
- Level 4: Trails and rails
- Level 5: Who and why
- Level 6: Mixed review
How it works
- Level 1 asks where land came from, and level 2 asks the child to tap the land on the map.
- Level 3 is years and order, level 4 is trails and rails, and level 5 is who and why.
- Level 6 is a mixed review of all of it.
- Children can retry after a wrong answer, and the speaker button reads the questions aloud.
Best for: A good fit for grades 5 to 8 when a child is studying the 1800s and needs the map and the timeline to fit together.
Tip for parents: Ask your child to pick one story, like the Oregon Trail or the Gold Rush, and describe a day in the life of someone who was there. Telling the story turns a list of dates into history.
Questions parents ask
Why does the map only use twelve states?
The land additions did not follow today's state lines, so the game uses twelve clear stand-in states and leaves the others pale gray and unasked. That keeps each answer correct and avoids partly included states.
Does the game discuss Native peoples?
Yes. It includes the Trail of Tears and asks what happened to Native nations as settlers moved west. The questions are factual and short, so parents may want to add context for younger or more sensitive children.
Is the Louisiana Purchase also its own game?
Yes. Louisiana Purchase goes deeper into that one 1803 deal, including rivers, Lewis and Clark, and which states were in it. Westward Expansion treats it as the first of several additions.
Ready to try it?
Westward Expansion is free with a parent account. A parent adds a child profile, and the child's progress is saved.