Social Studies Vocabulary for Kindergarten
30 terms
JamWise Education TeamยทUpdated March 2026
In kindergarten, students in the kindergarten band encounter 30 essential social studies vocabulary terms. These words form the foundation for classroom discussions, reading comprehension, written assignments, and standardized assessments. Mastering this vocabulary gives students the language they need to express their understanding with clarity and confidence.
Below you will find every social studies term for kindergarten, organized by topic where applicable. Each term links to a detailed definition page with grade-level explanations, related vocabulary, and connections to JamWise learning resources.
civics
View topic hubCitizen
A person who belongs to a community or country.
Community
A group of people who live and work together in the same place.
Family
A group of people who are related to each other and take care of one another.
Flag
A piece of cloth with colors and shapes that stands for a country or group.
Leader
A person who helps a group by making decisions and showing the way.
Responsibility
Something you are supposed to take care of or do.
Right
Something you are allowed to do, like go to school or speak your mind.
Rule
Something that tells us what we should or should not do to keep everyone safe and happy.
School
A place where children go to learn new things from teachers.
Vote
A way to choose something by letting everyone pick what they want.
economics
View topic hubJob
Work that a person does to help others and earn money.
Money
Coins and bills that people use to buy things.
Needs
Things people must have to live, like food, water, and a home.
Shelter
A place that protects people from weather and keeps them safe, like a house or building.
Transportation
Ways to move people and things from one place to another, like cars, buses, and trains.
Wants
Things people would like to have but do not need to live, like toys or candy.
geography
View topic hubGlobe
A round model of the Earth that shows land and water.
Lake
A body of water with land all around it.
Map
A drawing that shows where things are, like streets, buildings, and water.
Mountain
A very tall piece of land that rises high above everything around it.
Ocean
A very large body of salt water that covers much of the Earth.
River
A long, moving body of water that flows across the land.
Season
One of the four times of year: spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Weather
What it is like outside right now, such as sunny, rainy, or snowy.
history
View topic hubFuture
A time that has not happened yet, what will come next.
Holiday
A special day when people celebrate something important.
Past
A time before now, things that already happened.
Present
Right now, the time we are living in today.
Tradition
Something special that a family or group does the same way every year.
Yesterday
The day before today, a time in the very recent past.
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Social Studies subject page
All social studies resources on JamWise
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Browse all 1,700+ vocabulary terms
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