Map Your Neighborhood
Map-making pulls together a lot of skills: observation, spatial reasoning, drawing, and writing. Help your child strengthen their sense of place by making a map of your street or neighborhood.
Materials
Look at some simple maps together – ones that you can find online, in books, or on your phone or computer. What do maps do?
Talk a walk down the street. As you walk, talk about what you see — houses, buildings, trees, lamps, street signs, etc. Is your road straight or curvy? How many houses or buildings are on it?
When you get home, draw a map of the neighborhood together. Start by drawing and labeling a square to represent your house or building. Then draw and label the street. Finally, add and label shapes to represent the homes or buildings around you.
Encourage your child to add further color and decoration – a favorite tree, animals, streetlamps, etc.
Explore Further
Picture books are a great way to introduce the concept of mapping and help kids develop spatial language. Here are six to get you going:
- Lucy in the City: A Story about Developing Spatial Thinking Skills, by Julie Dillemuth
- As the Crow Flies: A First Book of Maps, by Gail Hartman
- There’s a Map on My Lap!: All about Maps, by Tish Rabe
- Kat’s Maps, by Jon Scieszka
- Henry’s Map, by David Elliot
- Follow That Map!: A First Book of Mapping Skills, by Scot Ritchie
Science