The Touchable Playground Map

Groups use a playground map made of textures (sand, felt, sandpaper, cork) to find the real places with the same texture and do a movement there. It builds orientation in the playground and safe use of its spaces, with a map that works for looking and for touching.

How to play

1. Sitting with the map, touch it and look: each playground spot (slide, tree, water fountain, gate) has its own texture (2 min).
2. The teacher takes us to each spot, where there's a big piece of the same texture and a movement card, and we touch it (3 min).
3. In groups with a map, choose a texture, find it in the playground, do the move on the card when we get there and put a sticker on the map (6 min).
4. All groups get together and find the last spot as one big group (2 min).
5. Walk back to the meeting point, tracing our route on the map (2 min).

Rules

• My group always stays together.
• We walk around the playground, no running to the spots.
• Each spot has a move: we do it before the sticker.
• We're careful near the slide and the fountain.

Variations

Adaptations

• Blind or low vision: the map is tactile, so the child can guide their group; let them carry the map and choose the destination.
• Limited mobility: chosen spots are wheelchair accessible and textures are mounted at hand height.
• Autism: preview the route and the cards beforehand; a "finished" card on the map helps.

Learning goals

• Find their way around the playground with a simple map.
• Recognize spaces in their surroundings and move through them safely.
• Make group decisions about the route.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cardboard maps: 4
• texture pieces: 24
• movement cards: 6
• stickers: 100

Teacher tip

Build the maps on thick cardboard with white glue and durable textures (coarse sandpaper, felt, cork, glued sand). Tape the large texture at each spot with duct tape, at the height of a seated child.

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