Maps & Globes

What this covers

• Reading a map key or legend: matching a small symbol (tree, road, house, water) to the real thing it stands for
• Using north, south, east and west with a compass rose to describe where something is on a map
• Telling the difference between a map and a globe, and understanding that a globe shows the whole round Earth
• Finding and naming land and water on a globe or world map, including the seven continents and the child's own country
• Making a simple bird's-eye-view map of a familiar space, such as a desk, a bedroom or the classroom
• Following a route on a picture map and describing it out loud: 'go north past the park, then east to the library'

Where learners get stuck

Thinking the map shows the place from the side, the way you normally see it

Young children draw houses front-on with a door and windows. A map asks them to imagine looking straight down from above, which is a viewpoint they have rarely had. Until this clicks, their maps show fronts of buildings rather than shapes on the ground.

Believing the colours and symbols on a map are the real colours of the place

A blue river and a green park look convincing, so children assume the ground is actually those colours, then get confused when a map uses brown for mountains or a red line for a road. Working through a key one symbol at a time makes clear that these are agreed-on codes, not photographs.

Treating north as 'up' in the room rather than a direction on Earth

Maps are almost always shown with north at the top, so children conclude north means up towards the ceiling or sky. Standing up and turning to face each direction, then laying the map flat, separates 'top of the paper' from 'north'.

What a session looks like

A typical session lasts 20-30 minutes and is spoken aloud. Evelyn names a place the child knows and asks them to describe what it would look like from above, then builds a map of it together step by step, checking what goes where. She asks the child to say directions out loud, gives short find-it challenges ('point to a continent that touches the ocean'), and repeats key words like legend, compass rose, continent and ocean across the session. Having a paper map, a globe or a drawing the child made nearby helps, but is not required.

Helpful to know first

• Can name familiar places such as home, school, park and store
• Knows left and right, and can follow a two-step spoken direction
• Recognises basic shapes and colours
• Can count and name a few numbers up to ten (useful for counting continents and oceans)

Questions

What should a kindergartener know about maps?

By the end of kindergarten most children can say that a map is a picture of a real place, point to land and water on a globe, and describe where something is using words like near, next to, above and below. Cardinal directions and map keys usually come in first and second grade.

How do I teach my child the difference between a map and a globe?

Start with the shape: a globe is round like Earth, a map is flat like paper. Then compare what each is good for — a globe shows the whole Earth at once and how the continents sit on a ball, while a flat map can be folded, hung on a wall, and zoomed in on one town. Sessions do this comparison out loud with examples rather than definitions.

Do we need a printed map or globe for the lessons?

No. Evelyn works through spoken description and asks the child to picture or draw places. If you do have a globe, a world map, or even a map from a theme park or zoo visit, mention it and it can be used in the session.

My child draws houses from the front instead of from above. Is that normal?

Yes, it is the most common stage at this age. The bird's-eye view is a learned skill. Sessions build it by starting with flat objects seen from above — a plate, a book on a table, a rug — before asking the child to map a whole room.