6 Fun And Engaging Activities For Teaching Colorado Symbols

I’ve always been fascinated with state symbols! Growing up, I loved discovering there’s a symbol for just about everything. Trees, flowers, birds, you name it. Now that I’m older, I’ve realized how little most people know about their own state symbols. Sure, they might know one or two, but it’s surprising just how many are out there! This interest has made teaching Colorado symbols one of my favorite parts of diving into Colorado history with my students. They get a kick out of uncovering the unique symbols and their meanings, making some pretty cool discoveries along the way. Today, I’m sharing some of the activities I use to teach Colorado symbols in a way that really sticks with my students.

Activities for Teaching Colorado Symbols

In my Colorado State Symbols lessons, I’ve packed in a variety of engaging activities to help you introduce the 28 unique state symbols of Colorado. These lessons are designed to make learning memorable, with activities available in both print (in black and white or color) and digital (in color) formats. I wanted to make sure you have options that fit your classroom needs. So, whether you prefer print or digital, there’s a resource ready to go! Teaching Colorado symbols comes alive in these lessons, helping your students connect with the rich history of our state in a hands-on way.

Colorado Symbols Flipbook

This flipbook is a favorite activity for teaching Colorado state symbols.

One of my favorite activities to use while teaching Colorado symbols is the flipbook, which brings these symbols to life creatively! The flipbook starts with a beautifully designed coloring page cover. This adds a personal touch right from the beginning. Each page inside highlights three symbols. There is room for our students to color the symbol and write their explanation for each one. I encourage my students to dig into why each symbol represents Colorado and uncover the story behind how it became an official state symbol.

Fifteen of the 28 symbols have images included so that students can color directly on those pages. For the remaining 13 symbols, I have students find images or draw them themselves, which adds that extra challenge! You can also choose to focus on the more common symbols if time is tight. Once the pages are complete, we staple them together to create a flipbook that’s a visual and informative exploration of Colorado’s rich history.

Teaching Colorado Symbols Through a Mix and Match Activity

This mix and match activity is perfect for helping students review what they learned about Colorado state symbols.

Next up in my Colorado symbols lesson is the mix-and-match activity. This activity is perfect for helping our students review what they’ve just learned! In this hands-on exercise, our students get to test their memory by matching each symbol with its correct description of the symbol. It’s a fun and interactive way to reinforce their learning while encouraging them to think about each symbol’s significance to Colorado. This activity helps our students connect names with images, all while solidifying what each symbol stands for in our state’s history.

Create a New State Symbol

Creating a new state symbol will keep your students engaged when learning about Colorado state symbols.

Once my students have a handle on Colorado symbols, I challenge them to think creatively about a potential new symbol for the state. Together, we dive into a research proposal activity that puts their critical thinking skills to work! They start by brainstorming symbols that represent Colorado but haven’t been officially recognized yet. Then, they research their chosen symbol, gather supporting information, and build a case for why it should be a state symbol. The grand finale has students presenting their proposals to the class. They even draft a formal proposal they could submit to the state for consideration. It’s a fun, empowering way for them to engage with Colorado symbols in a meaningful way!

Teaching Colorado Symbols By Building a Landscape Diorama

Next up is a creative and fun landscape diorama activity where our students get to build their own mini Colorado scene, complete with our beautiful Colorado symbols! For this project, I have my students grab a shoebox or any sturdy base. I make sure to have on hand construction paper, glue, and all sorts of craft supplies. They can use real-life elements like grass, twigs, and rocks to capture the natural Colorado landscape, along with markers, pipe cleaners, and fabric to bring it all to life.

Teaching Colorado state symbols by building a landscape diorama really shows off student's creativity.

The goal is for them to include animals and plants that represent Colorado symbols, showing each symbol in its natural habitat. They can build their diorama in various formats, whether it’s a box, a triangular tent, a tetrahedron, or even a simple cardboard piece. Throughout the project, they can take pictures to document their progress and final creations, which they can submit for assessment.

To keep everything clear, a choice of rubrics is available. This way, our students know exactly how they’ll be assessed based on their creativity, accuracy, and effort. Teaching Colorado symbols through a diorama lets our students show off their creativity in a hands-on way!

Colorado Symbols Card Games

Teaching Colorado symbols through an interactive card game helps to bring the symbols to life in a playful way! These games use symbol cards that students can color themselves, or you can print in color, laminate, and reuse. The card games are a fantastic way for our students to review Colorado symbols while having fun, building memory skills, and engaging with each other!

A card game will always make the lesson more enjoyable. This image shows teaching Colorado state symbols through card games.

The first game is a twist on the classic game “Go Fish.” It’s great for groups of 2-4 students. Each player gets five cards, while the rest are placed in a central “draw pile.” The students in the group take turns asking others if they have a particular card to make a match. If the student asked has the card, they hand it over; if not, the asking student draws from the pile. The first player to match all the cards in their hand wins!

The second game is perfect for pairs (or groups of three if needed) and plays like a memory game. All the cards are laid out face down in rows. Students take turns flipping two cards, trying to find a match by either matching two symbols or a name with its corresponding symbol. If they make a match, they keep the pair in their “Match Pile.” If not, the cards are turned back over. The game continues until all matches are made, and the student with the most pairs wins.

Digital Quiz and BOOM Cards

I love wrapping up teaching Colorado symbols by using digital quizzes to reinforce what my students have learned. There are two options, which are a Google Forms quiz and a BOOM Learning quiz. Both quizzes have 25 questions that challenge our students to identify Colorado symbols, statehood details, and neighboring states. They’re also asked to recognize symbols in both written and picture formats, which helps reinforce their knowledge.

Teaching Colorado state symbols using Boom Cards or Google Forms can help reinforce your student's knowledge.

The best part for us teachers? Both quizzes are self-grading, which saves so much time! The Google Forms quiz is perfect for quick, straightforward assessments. The BOOM Cards add an interactive touch that keeps our students engaged. These digital tools provide a fun, efficient way to wrap up our unit on teaching Colorado symbols, ensuring our students feel confident in their new knowledge.

Additional Resources

Looking for more resources on all things Colorado and its history? Make sure to explore some of the resources below to help our students learn about their home state!

Discover Colorado Symbols With Your Students

There are multiple activities to choose from when teaching Colorado state symbols.

Teaching Colorado symbols is such a rewarding experience! Not only do our students get to explore the unique symbols that make our state special, but they also dive into Colorado’s history in a hands-on, engaging way. From creating flipbooks and designing landscape dioramas to testing their knowledge with card games and digital quizzes, each activity brings engagement to learning the symbols of Colorado. I hope these ideas inspire you to make teaching Colorado symbols an exciting part of your teaching. Here’s to many discoveries, meaningful connections, and a deeper appreciation for all the things that make Colorado truly one-of-a-kind!

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