How to Teach a Child to Read a Map
Navigation and map reading are essential life skills. Teaching children how to use a map to locate their current position and find their destination provides them with confidence and gives them a powerful tool that can prevent them from becoming disoriented or lost. Most often, children associate maps with treasure hunts and grand storybook adventures. Teaching this skill in a similar game format will instill a lifelong love of map reading in children of all ages.
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Things You'll Need
- Introducing Maps:
- Map of your house
- Treasure
- Navigation:
- City map
- Addresses
- Car
Instructions
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Introducing Maps
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Discuss the importance of maps and what they are for. Discuss features such as symbols and directions.
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2
Hide a treasure, such as a small toy or candy, somewhere in the house.
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3
Provide the child with a map of the residence. Proportions do not have to be entirely accurate. Use a sticker, brightly colored dot or other marker to indicate the location of the hidden treasure.
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4
Ask the child to identify what room you are in. Help them show you the location of that room on the map.
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Have the child trace the route from their current position to the treasure on the map.
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Ask the child to follow that path through the house to find the treasure.
City Navigation
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Provide a more advanced child with a map of the city.
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Provide the child with the address of the post office. Ask the child to identify the location of the post office on the map. Help the child find the location if necessary. Have the child mark this location.
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Provide the child with another address in the city, such as a local retailer or fast food restaurant. Have the child place a marker on this location.
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Ask the child to trace the route from the post office to the second location with their finger. Ask them to verbally explain to you how they arrived at the location from the post office. Write down the directions. Encourage the use of directional terms, such as "North" or "East," and distances.
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Bring the child, the map and the written instructions in the car. Allow the child to review the map while you drive the course instructed by the child. Congratulate the child on a successful journey or advise corrections as needed, depending on the outcome of the journey. Review with the child how they determined what course to take.
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Tips & Warnings
Start with maps of familiar areas, such as a home floor plan, community park layout, or city map. This will help the child understand where they are in relation to other places.
Regularly incorporate maps into play to encourage their use. Have children bury treasure and create a map of their backyard to mark its location. Children are more likely to learn and practice something that they believe is fun.
Never let a young child travel alone, even if they are familiar with how to navigate with a map. Young children should always have adult supervision.
