Skip to content
Their First

For grown-ups ·

Questions about Their First Maps

Their First Maps is a painted world map that opens in your browser. Children of any age can zoom in, tap a drawing of a city or landmark, and read a short story about the place with you. Here is how it works.

The map

What is on the map?

The whole world on one painted map, with more than 260 cities and landmarks across 126 countries. Each place is a small painting with its name beside it and a short story behind it. Every place is included for free.

What is in a story card?

Tap a drawing and its card opens: the painting, one opening sentence, What makes it special, a few Quick facts, and the Sources behind them. Some cards also name the landmark in the drawing. More about… opens a longer story with more facts, and Copy link gives you a link straight to that place.

Is it a game?

No. There are no points, levels, timers or prizes. It is a map to wander: zoom in, tap a drawing, read, and wander on. Search for a place you have in mind, or press Surprise me to open a place at random.

How do we find a particular place?

Type into Find a place at the top. It finds countries, cities and landmarks, and a landmark’s name finds its city, so “Eiffel Tower” finds Paris. It forgives small spelling slips. All places, at the bottom of the map, lists every place with a filter.

How do zooming and tapping work?

On the whole world, tap a country and the map zooms in to it. Once the drawings are big enough, tap one to open its story. Pinch or use the + and − buttons to zoom, and Whole world brings the full map back. On a computer, the arrow keys move the map, + and − zoom, and Home shows the whole world.

Is our town on the map?

Perhaps not as a drawing. The map paints major cities and famous landmarks, so many countries have only a few drawings and some have none. Every country is there, though. Search for your country, then look for the drawing nearest your home.

How accurate is it?

Country shapes and place locations come from public geographic data, named on the sources and credits page. The paintings over them are illustrations: their sizes and positions are approximate and exaggerated for discovery. It is a map for exploring, not for directions. Each story lists its own sources at the bottom of its card.

Practical questions

What age is it for?

Any age. A young child can point and listen while you read the cards aloud; an older child can search, read the longer stories, and look up the sources on their own. There is no sound, so a grown-up’s voice does the reading for children who cannot read yet.

Which languages can we use, and how do we switch?

Eleven: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese (simplified) and Tagalog. Choose one from the language menu at the top of the map. The buttons, country and ocean names, and stories all change together. A first visit follows your browser’s language when it is one of the eleven, and the browser remembers your choice. Each language also has its own address, such as theirfirstwords.org/maps/korean/.

Does it work on a phone or tablet?

Yes, in any up-to-date browser, with nothing to install. Pinch to zoom and tap a drawing to read. A phone held upright opens on your part of the world, guessed from its time zone; a computer opens on the whole world. Whole world is always one tap away.

Does it need an internet connection?

Yes. The map loads its paintings as you move and zoom. If the connection drops, pictures that did not load try again when it returns. To read without the map, every place and its story is also on one plain page.

Is it free? Do we need an account?

It is free, with every place included, and there is no account, sign-in or advertising. A small Leave a tip link at the bottom of the map opens an optional one-time tip through Stripe. It never opens on its own, and every place stays free whether or not you tip.

Does it collect anything about my child?

No. There is no account and no tracking. The map saves only your language choice, in this browser. The website privacy notice explains what our hosting sees when any page loads.