Making Maps with Plastic Eggs

Young Children Construct Maps With Blocks

Children are naturally eager for knowledge. With a little preparation, families can have fun together providing a learning environment and inviting discovery. Map making activities are fun and help develop a sense of order.
   When young children play with snap together blocks on the floor, they can construct rooms and furniture for their tiny play figures. Explain that they can also look down on the room and draw a picture map of all the furniture, doors, and windows with lines, rectangles, and squares. They can make circles to represent their play figures.
  You don’t need to do this every time they construct, just when they are in the mood. Making maps may become a habit when they build.
Treasure Maps
  Another time help them draw a simple paper treasure map of their bedroom. Draw some ovals where you plan to place plastic eggs. Explain that if they were Spiderman stuck to the ceiling, this is what they would see.
  Then walk around the room while

Learn and Explore Through Mapping

following the map and place the eggs. Use words like ”turn right and walk around the chair” to practice directions. Add a map key and  a title “My Bedroom Treasure Map”
  Together you can make more treasure maps and include eggs for others to find.  Place the plastic eggs under and behind objects around the bedroom so the seeker must follow the map.
  When young children feel like playing map games again, help them draw a treasure map of more rooms. Keep the maps very simple and hide eggs where others will need to follow the map instead of taking one look and spotting the eggs.
Fun with Maps
   Together make treasure maps of their room’s

See Your Neighborhood in Google Street View

location in the house and their house on the street.  Introduce other kinds of maps of places they visit. Show them where Santa lives on a world map or globe and draw a line to their house. Children might also like to see locations on Google Maps.
  Other helpful places include: ”Follow That Map” by Richie, “Me on the Map" by Sweeney.
Photo by Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
Sketch by Mark Nowicki;
Street View, Google Maps
More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio, 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest