Classroom Map Hide-and-Seek: Draw, Hide, Find

In pairs, students draw a bird's-eye map of the classroom, hide stickers and mark their spots, and another pair has to find them using only that map. It works on top-down view, symbols and accuracy in map drawing.

How to play

1. The teacher draws the classroom from above on the board: a desk is a rectangle, the door is a gap in the wall; how to set the map (5 min).
2. In pairs, draw the classroom map with desks, door, windows, board and cabinets (10 min).
3. Each pair hides three stickers in visible spots and marks each with a numbered X on their map (4 min).
4. Swap maps with another pair and search, walking (7 min).
5. Review: which map worked best and what was missing from the hardest one (4 min).

Rules

• Stickers go in plain sight: nothing inside backpacks, drawers or personal items.
• Walk in the classroom and move chairs carefully.
• Leave found stickers in place and circle the spot on the map.
• Respect the other pair's map: critique the map, not the person who drew it.

Variations

Adaptations

• Students with low vision: 11x17 map with thick markers and large, bright stickers.
• Wheelchair users: clear an aisle and place stickers at a reachable height.
• Fine-motor difficulties: use precut desk shapes to place on the paper.

Learning goals

• Represent a familiar space on a map.
• Use someone else's map to find an exact spot.
• Value clarity and accuracy in a map.

Equipment for a class of 25

• sheets of paper: 30
• pencils: 30
• colored stickers: 45

Teacher tip

Great for rainy days. Common mistake: drawing desks in perspective; remind them it's a bird's view from the ceiling.

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