"Who needs map skills? It's the 21st century. We have GPS!" Chances are you've heard this, or something like it since the smartphone has become a common accessory in our society. But, teaching map skills in the primary classroom is more than just learning how to read a map or give directions. Map skills help our students develop spatial reasoning skills that are needed for more than just maps. Spatial reasoning is how our brains connect math to the real world. It's how we imagine and visualize objects in our mind and it plays a part in helping us make the abstract concrete. I'm excited to share these tips and ideas for teaching map skills in the primary classroom.
Engage with a Book
Starting a unit or lesson with a read-aloud is an excellent way of engaging students in a new topic.
There are many wonderful picture books that you can use when teaching maps in your primary classroom. Some of my favorites include Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney, There's a Map on my Lap by Tish Rabe, Mapping Penny's World by Loreen Leedy, and Follow that Map by Scot Ritchie.
Read one or read them all. Your students will really love these books as a starting place for kicking off your map unit!
Explore Maps
Give students opportunities to explore maps. In this day and age, there is a real likelihood that some of your students have never seen or held a paper map.
Keep these maps handy throughout your map skills unit. As you teach about maps and map elements, have students see if they can find them on the maps too! It's so much fun to watch them learn about a map key or the compass rose and then find it on a real-world map.
More Ways to Explore Maps
In addition to letting the children take a look at some real maps, there are many other ways you can add map skills to the classroom. Consider adding a city map rug with some cars, toy figurines, and a couple of students, and watch as they begin using their map knowledge and vocabulary in their play. Or. add map puzzles to your centers. Finally, let kids explore with an interactive globe. These are all fun options to introduce maps and get kids excited to learn more!
Make Maps Fun for Students
Speaking of fun ways to explore maps, consider how you will make your lessons on this topic more engaging. In my room, I focus on using a variety of activities to fill my lesson plan with engaging map skills practice. We use many of the different lessons and activities from my Map Skills Unit.
Map Skills Emergent Reader
We start out with an emergent reader. In this reader, students will be introduced to maps, their forms, the map key, the compass rose, and how maps help us. All of the key vocabulary words are also introduced in the reader, which is so great for laying a strong foundation in map skills.
Map Skills Lapbook
Then we use a Map Skills lapbook to give students a special place to document their learning. Inside this lapbook, students will complete a variety of activities related to maps. I love this activity because it serves as a visual record of everything we have covered. It also helps promote independence and allows students to exercise fine motor skills and practice following directions.
Inside, students will add key vocabulary and important map parts. They will also compare maps and globes, build their own map key, and even create their own map. This is a favorite activity among all my students and one that we work on over the course of a few days. As we learn, we add a little bit to the lapbook. When they are done, they will have a map "book" they are really proud of!
Extra Practice Pages
In addition to the lapbook, I like to give students lots of practice with using and understanding different map features. This unit includes several no-prep activities that will have your students using maps in a fun, easy-to-implement way.
Using these pages, students will learn about the compass rose and how to use it as a tool for identifying direction.
They will also work on using cardinal directions. Students will also have multiple opportunities to work with a map key. There are many more no-prep printable activities to give your students practice with important map skills.
3D Map Craftivity
The map skills unit doesn't stop there! One of my favorite activities every year is creating a 3D city map! Students love designing their own cities. They can use their creativity to design their town, or they can use it as a directed map building and follow instructions activity by telling students where to place the buildings. Either way is a great option to finish out your map skills unit in a fun and engaging way!
Simplify Your Map Skills Lessons
Teaching map skills with a variety of engaging activities is the best way that I have found to truly make the material "stick". Different activities appeal to different learners, so variety is key! If you're looking to simplify your map skills lessons, be sure to check out my Map Skills Unit on TPT.
Inside you get the emergent reader, map skills lapbook, no-prep practice pages, and the 3D map creativity! There's even some bonus writing paper and graphic organizers to enhance your learning. I know that you and your students will have so much fun exploring maps together with these fun activities!
Looking for More Ways to Teach Map Skills?
Check out these posts next for more fun ways to explore maps with your students.
Pin these Fun Map Skills Activities
Want to keep these great ideas to use later? Pin this to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so you can come back when you are ready to prepare your map skills unit.
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