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10

1. The Do It Yourself

The perfect map for families who move around a lot and don’t like to mess up too many walls (like us), these are sticker decals. They will take some work to arrange to make sure everything is in just the right place, but they are easy to apply and remove. They can be stuck to not just walls but also to the fridge, table, desk, cabinets and drawers. Buy it: amazon.com

2. The Time Traveler

A unique addition to any wall, this map is fun for kids learning to tell time as it shows the different time zones. Easily applied as stickers, it won’t harm your walls and can be stuck to anything and easily removed. The colors are customizable. Buy it: etsy.com/shop/babaaiyiran

3. La Moderna

Using a rainbow of colors in subtler hues, the countries pop against a crisp, white background. The colors are gentle enough that they will easily match any room color or design, while announcing a bold presence on the wall. This map can also be customized by size. Buy it: http://www.etsy.com/people/englishmuffinshop

4. Map Decontructed

These maps put a little swagger into the traditional world map by deconstructing a global map into any place you wish. Mix and match maps of places that have meaning to you. Get a map of each continent and put your own panel art together. Have a child with parents from different countries? Buy her a map of each place for her room. The possibilities are endless! Buy it: http://www.etsy.com/people/Mapity

5. La Sophistiquée

Original, sleek and could go well in a living room that doubles as a playroom, these maps are more for art than education as you can’t see the country names (but art in itself is an education right?). Each panel is printed by hand using acrylic paint and silk screen techniques on a wood frame and they come in a variety of customizable colors. Buy it: http://www.etsy.com/people/CallaghanArtGallery

6. The School Map

A country map customized with kid eyes in mind, this map features all the countries with animals, landmark, relevant commodities like agriculture and oil and more. Additionally, the four corners of the map offer children an added opportunity to learn about the solar system, the seven wonders of the world, types of clouds and biomes (ecosystems). Buy it:uncommongoods.com

7. The Environmentalist

Not only beautiful and original, this map is also eco-friendly using soy ink, recycled paper, recycled scrap paper and eco-friendly packaging. It’s one of those purchases that makes you feel not only good to look at, but happy to have made an environmentally-conscious choice as well. Buy it: www.childreninspiredesign.com

8. The Explorer

Another map that doubles as art for the kid’s room, this map is in earth tones with depictions of notable architectural wonders like the Blue Mosque in Turkey and the Taj Mahal in India as well as animals. This is another that is better for just the continents and not the specific countries. Buy it: lanofnod.com

9. The Fluorescent

Bright and fun, this map is great for countries and also has a few animals and flags thrown on it. However, it is a bit haphazard with the animal choices as the former Soviet Union, China, India and Europe don’t have a single animal while Africa is animal laden. Buy it:allposters.com

10. The Plain Jane with Benefits

And finally, do you just want a standard map with no extra frills or designs? Then you should at least go with this one because it not only sticks and unsticks to the wall without destroying it and without tape, but it’s a dry erase board as well! Perfect for a low-hanging area that the kids can doodle on to their heart’s content. Buy it: Amazon.com

© 2011 – 2013, Stephanie Meade. All rights reserved.

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1. Ana Lomba   |  Tuesday, 26 July 2011 at 8:48 am

   Have you checked “upside-down” world maps? They provide a very different view of the world I have seen maps in many different formats. Really fun!

2. Sara Headley   |  Tuesday, 26 July 2011 at 12:19 pm

   I’m so glad to see educational (and artistic) maps that have wonderful images to them! A nice departure from the old ones I remember with children that “represent” their country of origin (you remember the “Heidi” and the “Geisha”?)!

3. world maps - ALL MAPS – ALL MAPS   |  Wednesday, 10 August 2011 at 4:35 pm

   [...] 10 Best World Maps for Your Children's Room | InCultureParent 10 of the best world maps for kid's rooms.http://www.incultureparent.com .. [...]

4. Melissa Ferrin   |  Friday, 28 October 2011 at 7:33 am

   You really ought to include a Peters Projection map in the mix as it accurately shows the size of the continents in relationship to each other. http://www.petersmap.com/

5. Becky   |  Wednesday, 21 December 2011 at 5:23 am

   LOVE the maps! The only one I don’t appreciate is #3- Greenland looks as big as South America. I hate when maps give a Northern-Hemisphere-centric view (my pet peeve:). Check out a Peters Projection map- it too can be controversial, but it’s basis of equal area provides another perspective.

6. Our Top 10 Articles in 2011 | InCultureParent   |  Sunday, 01 January 2012 at 11:25 pm

   [...] land of Ghengis Khan 3. Reunited Outside the Orphanage Walls 4. Falling off the Opol Wagon 5. Best World Maps for Your Child’s Room 6. Diwali Craft: Make a Lantern 7. Mothers to Be: Pregnancy around the World 8. Burqas, [...]

7. Laura Barta   |  Tuesday, 24 April 2012 at 3:35 am

   Geotoys also has a couple of great world map puzzles. So you get the double benefit of putting it together before you study it.

8. Dianne   |  Tuesday, 24 April 2012 at 7:05 am

   GREAT article! Thank you. Definitely, yes, adding some Equal-Area-Projection maps, and some education that maps form kids’ views about the world as well as awareness of/knowledge about it. One book review on this subject that may be of interest: http://blog.culturaldetective.com/2012/03/05/book-review-how-maps-change-things/

9. Mazaa LLC | Making Worldly Connections   |  Tuesday, 14 August 2012 at 2:53 pm

   [...] We love the suggestions made by Stephanie Meade, Founder of the InCultureParent blog. Check out 10 Best World Maps for Your Children’s Room for some ideas if you don’t already have a world map or globe at home. InCultureParent is also a [...]

10. Martin Pietrzak   |  Thursday, 31 January 2013 at 7:52 am

    These are all great suggestions. We recently came up with a new angle how to present wall maps for kids. We developed wall maps that also work with augmented reality technology to display interactive and educational information on the mobile device. I would love your and your audience option on it as we have just introduced it to the market. All the best. Martin http://interactive.funmapsforkids.com/world_map_for_kids/