Key Stage 1 geography · Locational knowledge

KS1 geography: the 7 continents and 5 oceans

In Key Stage 1, children are taught to name and find the world’s 7 continents and 5 oceans, and to use world maps, atlases and globes to show where the United Kingdom sits among them. It is the first big picture of the planet that they build, and later geography, from the countries of Europe to latitude and longitude, hangs on it. At this age the aim is confident naming and locating, not memorising facts about every place.

7 continents and 5 oceans, explained

A continent is a very large area of land, and an ocean is a very large area of salt water. The seven continents are Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. The five oceans are the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian, the Southern and the Arctic. Children learn these as names to say, spot and point to, usually with a song, a chant or a jigsaw-style floor map to help the words stick.

Most of the learning happens on a globe or a map. A globe shows the real shape and relative size of the land and water, so teachers often start there and then move to a flat world map and an atlas. Children practise finding the United Kingdom first, then working out which continent it is part of (Europe) and which ocean lies to its west (the Atlantic). From that starting point they find their way outwards: “Which continent is furthest south?” or “Which ocean is between Europe and North America?”

You will hear a few small variations. Some schools say Oceania or Australasia for the continent that includes Australia, and some older atlases and songs still list four oceans, because the Southern Ocean, which surrounds Antarctica, has only been shown as a separate ocean on many maps in recent years. The National Curriculum asks for five oceans, so that is what children are taught. Using a word like “continent” correctly matters here: a continent is not the same as a country, and Africa and Asia each contain many countries.

Children are also taught to describe where things are using simple position words: north, south, east and west, near and far, top and bottom of the map. They do not yet need latitude, longitude or hemispheres, which come in Key Stage 2. At this stage the aim is for your child to name the seven continents and five oceans, find each one on a globe or world map, and point to where they live.

Words your child will hear

Continent: One of the seven very large areas of land on Earth, such as Europe or Africa.
Ocean: One of the five very large areas of salt water that cover most of the Earth.
Globe: A model of the Earth in the shape of a ball, showing land and water.
Atlas: A book of maps of different parts of the world. Children learn to find a world map and a map of the UK in it.
Map: A flat drawing of a place from above. A world map shows all the continents and oceans.
North, south, east, west: The four compass directions used to say where one place is from another.
Equator: An imaginary line around the middle of the Earth, halfway between the North and South Poles.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 1 says:

Pupils should be taught to name and locate the world’s 7 continents and 5 oceans
Pupils should be taught to use world maps, atlases and globes to identify the United Kingdom and its countries, as well as the countries, continents and oceans studied at this key stage
Pupils should develop knowledge about the world, the United Kingdom and their locality.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: finding the way by globe

Using a globe, how would you explain a sea journey from the United Kingdom to North America?

Find the United Kingdom on the globe. It is a group of islands in the top half of the globe. Say its continent: the United Kingdom is in Europe.
Find North America. Turn the globe so that you can see both places. North America is on the other side of a large stretch of water, to the west of the United Kingdom.
Name the water in between. The ocean between Europe and North America is the Atlantic Ocean.
Use direction words. Sailing from the United Kingdom, you would travel west across the Atlantic Ocean until you reach the coast of North America.
Check on a flat map or in an atlas. The same journey should show the same place names, even though the shapes look a little different on a flat page.

The United Kingdom is in the continent of Europe. To reach North America by sea you would sail west across the Atlantic Ocean.

Common mistakes and how to help

Thinking a continent is the same as a country

Children first meet “Australia” and “Africa” in stories, and Australia is both a country and (as the main land of the continent) a continent, so the two ideas blur.

What helps: Say “country” for the places with borders and a capital city, and “continent” for the huge areas that hold lots of countries. Ask: “Which continent is France in? Which is Kenya in?”

Mixing up oceans and seas

Both are salt water and both are blue on a map. Children also hear “the sea” used for anything from a paddle at the beach to the whole Atlantic.

What helps: Explain that oceans are the five biggest areas of water and seas are smaller parts of them, often partly surrounded by land. Practise only the five ocean names first.

Believing the size of places on a flat map is exact

A flat world map has to stretch parts of the round Earth, so some places look larger than they are. Greenland can look nearly as big as Africa on some maps, when Africa is many times bigger.

What helps: Compare the same places on a globe and a flat map and let your child spot the differences. It is a first, gentle step towards understanding what a map is.

Forgetting where they live in the bigger picture

The UK is small on a world map and easy to miss, and children sometimes say they live in “the UK, not in Europe”. Some have heard that the UK left the European Union, which is a group of countries, not the continent.

What helps: Start every map session by finding home: the UK, then Europe, then the Atlantic Ocean. The UK is still part of the continent of Europe. Zoom out from the street, to the town, to the country, to the continent.

How to help at home

Keep a globe or world map where you can see it. A cheap globe or a poster in the kitchen turns into a conversation starter. When you hear a place on the news or in a story, spend ten seconds finding it and naming its continent.
Where in the world are our family and friends? Find the places where grandparents, cousins, holidays or the food in your cupboard come from. Say the continent each time and which ocean or sea you would have to cross, if any.
Make a continent puzzle. Draw a rough world map on paper, cut it into the seven continents yourself and let your child put it back together on a blue sheet. Add the five ocean names on paper labels.
Play “I spy” with an atlas. Take turns to give a clue such as “I’m the biggest ocean” or “I’m the continent at the very bottom of the map” and find the answer together. Say the direction words as you go.
Sing or chant it. Seven continents and five oceans fit well into a rhythm or a tune. A silly rhyme your child makes up themselves is often remembered better than one they are taught.

Leads on to

Key Stage 2: Countries of Europe and Russia
Key Stage 2: North America: countries and features
Key Stage 2: South America: countries and features
Key Stage 2: Counties and cities of the UK
Key Stage 2: UK regions, mountains and rivers
Key Stage 2: UK land use and change
Key Stage 2: Latitude, longitude and hemispheres
Key Stage 2: Tropics and polar circles
Key Stage 2: Prime Meridian and time zones