KidsKonnect

MENUMENU

Christopher Columbus Facts & Worksheets

Worksheets /People /Christopher Columbus Facts & Worksheets
Premium
Christopher Columbus Worksheets
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version  Download sample

Christopher Columbus was a famous explorer known for his voyages across the Atlantic Ocean and his establishment of America. ‘In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue’ is a poem that most American school children learn to understand more about the history of this great navigator. See the fact file below for more fun facts about Christopher Columbus or download the comprehensive 11 page study pack which includes a number of worksheets suitable for the classroom or home environment.

  • Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer born in Genoa in 1451. His exact date of birth is unknown.
  • Columbus was born during the Renaissance period. During this time people were making new discoveries every day and wanted to learn more about what the future would hold.
  • Many people believe that Christopher Columbus discovered America but this isn’t completely true! Before Columbus arrived there had already been colonies of Europeans – like the Vikings – who had landed there but Columbus was unaware of this.
  • Columbus learnt to navigate the seas with his father. As a child he would accompany his dad on trade missions and they would navigate using the sun and the stars.
  • The people living in Europe wanted to set up a new trade route with China. Columbus thought the best way to do this was to sail west from Spain until he reached China. The King and Queen of Spain liked his idea and gave him the ships he needed in exchange for any land, gold and spices he discovered on his voyage.
  • In 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail for China with 90 men and a fleet of 3 wooden sailing boats called the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.
  • Rather than using the stars, on this voyage Columbus had a compass and a traverse board to track where the fleet was going.
  • On October 12 1492, Columbus’ fleet came across a small island that he named San Salvador. This island is now part of the Bahamas. He then sailed on and discovered Cuba and an island called Hispaniola. These islands were nicknamed ‘The New World’.
  • Despite being near America, Columbus believed his fleet was in Asia and so named the Native American people he came across ‘Indians’. He gave them gifts but they weren’t happy that Columbus wanted to claim the islands on behalf of Spain.
  • On Christmas Day in 1492, Columbus’ ship the Santa Maria was shipwrecked on a reef. Columbus and his sailors built a new settlement using salvage from the ship and called it Villa de la Navidad, or ‘Christmas Town’.
  • The Niña and the Pinta sailed back to Spain, leaving 40 men behind in the new settlement, arriving in 1493. Columbus had brought some captive Native Americans with him.
  • Christopher Columbus was named ‘admiral of the Seven Seas’ due to his triumphs.
  • On his second voyage, Columbus took 17 ships back to the Bahamas to collect the men he had left behind. He found that the settlement had been destroyed and all his men had been killed.
  • Columbus went against the Spanish Queen’s wishes and requested that the Native Americans acted as slaves and rebuilt the settlement for him.
  • On his third voyage, Christopher Columbus discovered South America and explored the Orinoco River in Venezuela.
  • After the third voyage, the Queen of Spain heard about how Columbus had made the Native Americans his slaves and had him arrested, but Columbus managed to convince the King that one more voyage to the New World would bring him many riches.
  • On his fourth voyage, Christopher Columbus discovered more of Central America, although he was still hoping that his ship would reach China!
  • On the fourth voyage, Columbus’ ship was wrecked and he and his crew were stranded on Cuba with the Native Americans. The Natives treated him badly and refused to feed him. Columbus was eventually rescued and taken back to Spain in 1504.
  • Christopher Columbus died in 1506, aged around 54, after falling ill.

Christopher Columbus Worksheets

This bundle includes 14 ready-to-use Christopher Columbus worksheets that are perfect for students to learn about Christopher Columbus who was a famous explorer known for his voyages across the Atlantic Ocean and his establishment of America.

This download includes the following worksheets:

  • Christopher Columbus Facts
  • The Admiral of the Seven Seas
  • The Voyage
  • Wreck the Ship
  • Modified TRUE or FALSE
  • Treasure Hunt
  • Connect the Islands
  • The Explorer Word Search
  • The Monarchs
  • Let’s Explore
  • Sing Sailing

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Christopher Columbus Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 22, 2017

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources