Giving Children a Sense of Geography

Get a Glimpse of the Big Picture

   “Where do I live? Can you show me?”  

Map activities give young children a glimpse into the big picture of the world and where they live. It introduces maps and how to use them to find areas we find interesting or want to visit. 
You’ll need Google Maps Apps or paper maps from the local Chamber of Commerce or tourist center.

   Using maps of your local area locate children’s streets and some familiar sites like the library, grocery stores, parks, and museums. 

   Explain to children that that they live on this street, in their city. The next time they travel by car or walk to the park, show them their address number on their house, follow the map and route. You can program Google Maps to help you walk the route. Just follow the dots.  You can also compare the paper map with the Google Maps App. 

Google Maps or Any Maps Show WHERE

Another day bring out the state map or App and show children their area on that map. Using the state map, look for some sites they may have visited like lakes, rivers, and homes of relatives.  Children can help follow the paper map or App travel route on the next trip. They’ll have fun listening to the phone voice giving directions.

  Families can practice memorizing their street address, city, and state and talk about using Google Maps and finding different views.  The bird’s eye view is really fun for kids.  They can zoom in closer and closer on

 the App until they can see their roof top and even cars in the driveway.

   What does their favorite park look like from high above the trees? How does Google make these maps? Ask Google or You Tube the question.  There are great map explanations on line.

  Using a US map or Google Earth App point out a few places children may be curious about like Disney World, Washington D.C., mountain areas, rivers, and Great Lakes.  They can go to these sites and zoom in.

Get a Bird's Eye View

  Libraries have globes to show children that the earth is not flat like a map. Cheap blow up beach ball globes are also available on-line.

  Show children where Santa lives and the route he must take to their house. The North Pole can help children hold the globe correctly to find and name continents and countries.

  Interesting geography reading books for young children include David Scillian’s books, “P is for Passport: A World Alphabet” and “A is for America: An American Alphabet”; alphabet books for every state and for some countries. 

  The next time you’re playing in the sandbox with the kids  make a map of geographic features like mountains, rivers. islands, and peninsulas. For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live and pod casts, Facebook, and You Tube.
Photo: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
Maps: Google

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