Our Classroom Drawn as a Map

Together we draw a simple picture map of the classroom and use it to find a hidden stuffed animal. Children practice representing a familiar space and connecting the drawing to the real place.

How to play

1. Sitting on the rug, the teacher draws the classroom on butcher paper as a bird would see it from above: the door, the window, the rug, the tables, and the shelf, each with a simple picture (3 min).
2. We walk the real room touching each thing, then point to it on the map: "Here's the door, and on the map it's right here" (3 min).
3. While the children cover their eyes, the teacher hides the teddy and clips the clothespin onto that spot on the map (1 min).
4. In groups of four, children look at the map, say where they think it is, and walk to find it; the others cheer from the rug (5 min).
5. Switch roles: a child hides the teddy and clips the pin on the map for the next group to search (3 min).

Rules

• First I look at the map, then I search.
• I search walking; the classroom isn't a racetrack.
• If I find it, I leave it there and tell my group.
• Eyes really covered while it's being hidden.

Variations

Adaptations

• Visual impairment: make a tactile map by gluing cardboard or yarn on each piece of furniture.
• Autism: use real photos of the furniture on the map instead of drawings.
• Limited mobility: hide the teddy at wheelchair height and keep wide aisles.

Learning goals

• Connect a bird's-eye drawing to the real space.
• Find objects using a simple map.
• Use position words to explain where something is.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Butcher paper: 1
• Thick markers: 6
• Small stuffed animal: 1
• Large clothespin: 1

Teacher tip

Draw the map facing the same way the kids see the room from the rug, and lay it on the floor lined up with the room so they don't get turned around. Keep the map; you'll use it again.

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