Which way is up? Learning about direction and locations

Serious question: where are you? Maybe you’re cozied up on your couch in the northern hemisphere. Perhaps you’re precisely 3,333 miles from the Eiffel tower. Or maybe you’re to the left of your bookcase and to the right of your desk lamp.

When someone asks us, ‘Where are you?’, we use positional language. We use directional words and position words and phrases like in front of and above to describe where we are in space. And when we move from one point to another, we use spatial concepts to explain how our movement affects our location.

It sounds a little complex, we know. But our location video for kids makes learning about distance and direction and describing relative locations fun, easy, and interactive.

Plus, in the process of learning about position and motion, young learners get to feed the tiny, albeit hungry, robot a great, big plate of spaghetti.

What is spatial awareness?

Before we help our tiny robot friend find his spaghetti, let’s cover the basics. Spatial awareness means knowing where we are in space in relation to other people, places, and things. It’s knowing that if you run at a wall, you’ll eventually hit it, or if you throw a ball to your left, your friend will (at least try to) catch it.

Teaching kids about location, directions, positions, and movements helps young learners develop their spatial awareness.

And the best way to help kids develop a skill? With games, of course!

Our location and directions lesson for kids is interactive. Yes, there are volcanoes and monsters. But no, no one is in harm’s way. 

Describing location with kids

To describe a location, we need the right language and positioning words (no directional pun intended). We can talk about things behind us and in front of us. We can talk about things to the left of and to the right of us – both of which mean that something is beside us. People and things and monsters can also be above and below us.

All of these are fantastic words to use when describing where something is. That is, describing its location!

Location and movement

Learning about location is one side of the story. Next comes movement. When exploring these spatial concepts with kids, we’re trying to figure out the relationship between the position of an object and its movement.

Directional words help. A whole lot.

That object (see: tiny robot) can move up and down. It can also move to the left and to the right. Each time it moves, its location changes. Sometimes it gets closer to its destination (see: a plate of spaghetti), and sometimes it runs into a fiery volcano, or worse yet, a pair of stinky socks!

To help kids learn position and movement, once again, we start a game. Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to move the tiny robot across the grid map toward the spaghetti using four directions – up, down, left, and right.

This game makes learning directions fun for kids (and adults)!

Describing relative locations with kids

Hey! There’s nothing wrong with asking for directions. But developing our own superhuman sense of direction and spatial awareness is even better. Our video lesson teaches positional words and the relationship between location and movement using interactive games and really, really funny jokes. Like, your face will hurt from smiling.

So, what do you say? Sit down, move a little to the left, no right, no to the left, so you are exactly in front of your screen, and let’s learn about directions and locations. Young learners will adore our quirky cast of characters!