The Route We Draw on the Map

A route between stops is drawn on a simple classroom map, and children walk it for real. They practice reading a route on a map and organizing a path through space.

How to play

1. We review the classroom map and place a hoop at three real spots as stops (the door, the window, the shelf); the teacher draws them as circles on the map (3 min).
2. The teacher draws a route on the map with a marker, linking the stops in order; we all follow it for real, walking and stepping inside each hoop (4 min).
3. A child traces a new route on the map with a finger, and the group walks it; at the end there's a star sticker for everyone (5 min).
4. We change how we travel: crawling under the tables, tiptoeing by the window, wherever the map route goes (3 min).
5. Sitting around the map, each child says which stop was their favorite and points to it (2 min).

Rules

• I follow the map route in order.
• I step inside each stop.
• I wait until my friend leaves the hoop.
• We look at the map with our eyes and touch it with one finger.

Variations

Adaptations

• Visual impairment: mark the map route with glued yarn to trace with a finger, and give each stop a different sound.
• Limited mobility: put the stops in clear areas and adapt how to travel (rolling, pushing the wheelchair).
• Autism: always use the same first stop and show the map before starting.

Learning goals

• Follow a route marked on a map.
• Put stops in order along a path.
• Coordinate different ways of moving depending on the place.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Drawn classroom map: 1
• Thick markers: 3
• Hoops: 4
• Large star stickers: 25

Teacher tip

Reuse a map from an earlier session or make a big one on butcher paper. Use a different marker color for each route so they don't get confused.

More activities like this

More main activities for Elementary