Census Bureau Data + Kahoot!: Learning Resources for Your History Students

Times have changed.

For example, the first nonmilitary computer used after the 1950 Census weighed 16,000 pounds and used 5,000 vacuum tubes. Today, we can carry computers in the palm of our hand. Computer usage and Internet access have become increasingly vital to student success in our data-driven world. Now history teachers can add another digital resource to their teaching toolkit: a variety of challenging online Kahoot! games from the Statistics in Schools (SIS) program designed to inspire students to explore the historical makeup of our country through real-life data!

These educational games highlight student-friendly statistics about America’s history, people, businesses, and more. Each was designed to help boost the statistical literacy of K-12 students while introducing them to working with and understanding Census Bureau data. Educators can use these challenges and other free SIS resources to supplement what they are teaching in their history and social studies lessons and help students examine trends over time, historical records, and other sources of evidence.

Many of these data-driven games even align with common student learning objectives such as analyzing and comparing data in graphs, interpreting data visualizations, identifying trends over time, and using data to draw conclusions.

For example, our Visualizing Census Bureau Data game helps students identify demographic and socioeconomic trends in Census Bureau statistics. The game reveals the quiz answers alongside visual information depicted in charts, graphs, and maps to help students visualize the big picture.

Teaching a unit on the U.S. Constitution? Our Exploring American History With Census Bureau Data game may be a fun icebreaker, answering questions like how many founders of the U.S. Constitution also served as U.S. presidents and which state was the most populous in 1790 and 2020.

This assortment of educational games gives students the chance to test their knowledge of different topics while evaluating different sources of information presented in ways that help drive compelling engagement.

Introducing students to census data can give them a deeper understanding of historic events like the 1950 Census and what life was like back then. For example, in 1950, about 34 percent of people 25 years and over completed four years of high school or more, compared to about 91 percent in 2020. Our Then and Now: A Look Back at the 1950 Census game gives students the chance to compare life then and today and use our accompanying fun facts for answer clues.

Educators looking for innovative ways to teach about statistics are encouraged to explore our suite of free, K-12 history/social studies resources on the U.S. Census Bureau’s Statistics in Schools website to use alongside history lessons. SIS materials use real-life Census Bureau data, and our activities include corresponding teachers' guides with ideas on ways to use them. New to the Kahoot! platform? Learn how to play your first Kahoot! game here.