Learning about Algeria for Kids

Our next stop on our nations of the world tour is Algeria. The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria is located in northern Africa.

Algeria Basics

Albania is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea and the nations of Tunisia, Libya, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Western Sahara and Morocco. It is the largest nation in Africa and the tenth largest in the world by area, covering 919,595 square miles, or 2,381,741 square kilometers. It is more than 200 times larger than the smallest country in Africa! (Which is Gambia, by the way.)

At 44 million residents it is only the tenth most populous nation in Africa. The capitol is Algiers, and the languages spoken there are mostly Algerian Arabic and Berber. The country has 58 provinces.

Algeria was a colony of France from 1830 until it gained independence in 1962. Read more about Algerian history at Britannica Kids. Because of the French influence, that language is still spoken a lot in Algeria, but it is not an official language of the country.

National Symbols

The Algerian flag is half green and half white, with a red crescent and star in the middle. These represent Islam, which is the religion of most people in the country. Green is also a symbol of Islam, and red represents the blood spilled in the struggle for independence, while white is for purity and peace gained through independence.

The national motto is “By the people and for the people,” and the national anthem is called “We Pledge.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-CBPYBA_Qc?si=CN_2ZDMc3ywm64Dq]

The national currency is the dinar.

Algeria Activities for Kids

Learn more about Algeria and download the worksheets from KidsKonnect to test your knowledge.

Algeria has seven UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the kasbah (ancient walled city) in Algiers. You can learn more about the site and check out photos and videos at the UNESCO site.

Another heritage site is Tassili N’Ajjer National Park, which features amazing prehistoric rock art. Read more at National Geographic.

Other than this Reddit post I couldn’t find much on traditional games in Algeria, so if you know about them let me know in the comments!

Couscous is a popular dish in Algeria, which I saw referred to as the unofficial national dish. This recipe from Halal Home Cooking uses lamb, but you can use other meats if you prefer, or just try it with vegetables. And check out this post from Very Hungry Nomads to learn about other popular dishes from Algeria.

Read more about Algeria with the book My First Book: Algeria, or check out this Algeria coloring book that also includes facts about the nation.

[Algeria map via Encyclopaedia Britannica]

Next Plan Idea:

Learning About Albania for Kids

I’m in deep denial about the fact that new year is almost upon us again! It’s been the fastest and the longest year at the same time, and I can look back and see some good things as well as some things I wish had gone differently.

Doing a year in review with your kids — whether in the classroom or at home — is a good way to capture some of their memories and the things they really liked about the year gone by.

There are a lot of different printable year in review worksheets you can use if you want to make this super easy. Here are links to a few (often part of larger posts about NYE celebrations with kids that are worth a read, too):

Teach Beside Me has lots of fun printables fro the end of the year, including a year in review that covers favorite memory, funniest memory and the best book they read, among other topics.
NurtureStore‘s version has space for a self-portrait and prompts like favorite toy, best day out this year and future dream job.
Remember favorites, their “best idea” of the year and have room for setting goals for next year with this one from The Keele Deal.
The year in review from Yes We Made This has room for drawing or writing and includes things like something they learned, a memory they made and a place they visited.

Of course you could pretty easily make your own year in review for the whole family to do that asks questions based on what you most want to remember. (Favorite video game? Best friend? Favorite family memory?)

And if after the year in review you’re ready to look ahead a bit, Mrs. Merry has new year’s resolution printables to inspired kids to look ahead and set goals for things they want to try. You can totally fill this one out as a grownup, too.

[Photo: Mrs. Merry]

Algeria Basics

National Symbols

Algeria Activities for Kids

Next Plan Idea:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply