Map Your Route

What You Need:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Crayons or markers

What You Do:

1. Have your child describe the route that they take to school. Can they tell you which way they turn onto each street? Do they remember all the street names? Explain to them that they are going to make a map – a picture of the route they take to school.
2. Give them paper and pencil and have them draw a square for your house. Next, have them add your street. Help them create the rest of the route, carefully adding in each turn. It would be helpful to take a drive along their school route to jog their memory. If not, you can fill in the details for them that they may not remember. Continue until they have drawn all the streets leading to their school.
3. Now its time to label the map. Have your child label the streets. Encourage them to add buildings and structures that stand out to them. These can be anything from fire stations to ice cream shops. It's up to your mapmaker!
4. Color in the map. Your child can even add red stop signs and red, yellow and green stop lights. As they work, help them make a legend that shows what each of these colors and shapes represent.
5. Does your child sometimes take a different route home? Maybe they walk to a friend's house from school. Reinforce the lesson with additional maps.