City Map Reading Activities

Being able to read a map can save you time and reduce your reliance on technology.

Reliance on GPS devices that have turn-by-turn directions has reduced the need for map reading skills, but you won't always have access to a GPS device. When children are in school, they should learn how to read maps so they can read a map within their city or to get from one city to another. Being able to read the scale on a map and make turns at the correct locations in a sequence can make a significant difference in two different ending points on your journey.

Find The Shortest Route

Start your class by announcing that you are going on a field trip, and you need to get to your destination as quickly as possible. Give each student or group a map, and tell them the starting and ending cities on the map. Allow the students five to 10 minutes to choose their route in an attempt to get to the destination the fastest. Students should use the scale to determine how many miles they will be on each road to reach the destination, including that information in the driving directions. The winner is the shortest trip in mileage, not taking speed limits on the roads into consideration.

Draw a Picture

Give each student a map and a highlighter marker to trace a route that you describe on the map. Plan this route in advance so it will draw a picture such as a hat or another object. Direct the children in which direction to go, instructing them to change direction either at specific cities or after drawing a line for a certain amount of miles based on the scale legend at the bottom of the map.

Scavenger Hunt

Print out a set of directions and give a copy of it to each of the students in the class. The directions can include distances and streets as references when making changes in direction. Each student should write down on his paper what businesses on the map the directions took him to based on the path he drew on the map. The student that gets the most businesses correct wins. If there is a tie, the first student involved in the tie that turned in his answer wins.

Treasure Hunt

Create a map of your city for each of the children to draw a path on. Give the students a starting point and then directions in miles to go in certain directions before changing direction. The path should end at a business or tourist destination in your state. Ask the students to turn in their maps when they finish their path. The first student to turn in the map with the correct path drawn wins the game.

References

• Owen, KY Schools: Internet Activities

Resources

• Maps Of World: Map GAmes, Online World Map Games