3D printing is revolutionizing the classroom across all the entire curriculum. Many educators mistakenly believe that this technology should be limited to math and science courses, but they are missing out on some of the richest purposes. Even social studies classes can benefit from the use of a 3D printer in the classroom. Fortunately, teachers are starting to latch on to this new technology and are finding creative ways to spark interest in their students.

If you want to learn more about how to incorporate 3D printing into your social studies course, this short guide will give you a great starting point.

Encourage children to build monuments.

Learning about the great monuments and landmarks around the world is an important part of a robust social studies curriculum. You can encourage children to consider what a particular community contributed to the world by asking them to design a monument to that town. The act of creating a memorial with their own two hands will make them feel deeply involved in the subject matter. History suddenly becomes much more real and personal to them.

Let them design flags and other political items.

After learning about the flag system, why not allow your students to design their own flag using a 3D printer? This same concept can apply to any other political item that your class could be studying. You may prompt them to design their own coin, country symbol, or capitol building. Based on their age and the content of their lessons, these design projects can get them thinking on a deeper level about what elements go into these political items. It also gives them an opportunity to exercise their creativity in the classroom.

Craft a board game from social studies trivia.

Do you want to find a great way to allow your student to learn and have fun at the same time? Instruct your class to design a board game using the trivia from your latest unit. The content that the game must contain can be as detailed or specific as you would like. They can use the 3D printer to create obstacles, tokens, and characters that allow them to bring the game to life. Spend a class day allowing groups to swap games so they can all reinforce their knowledge and have a good time doing so.

Social studies can be a lot more fun for students when you bring the stories to life using 3D printing. This hands-on approach to history can have a major impact on how much information students retain and their level of engagement. These simple ideas are just the starting point for the endless projects your class can do to solidify their lessons.