Map My Route

Your child draws a map of a route they know well, from home to a familiar spot, marking the turns and landmarks they remember along the way.

How to do it

1. Pick a short familiar route together, such as from home to a shop, a park, or a relative's place.
2. Talk through the trip from memory first, naming the turns and things you pass.
3. Give your child paper and let them draw the route as a line with landmarks along it, in any style they like.
4. If you can, walk or ride the route together so your child can check and add anything they missed, staying with them the whole way.
5. Back home, look at the map together and let them add labels or fix a turn that was in the wrong place.

What you need

• Paper
• Drawing tool

Make it yours

Younger (5-6y): Map just from the front door to one nearby landmark. Older (8-10y): Add a rough sense of distance, a compass direction, or a key that explains the symbols. Siblings: Each child maps the same route, then compare which landmarks each one remembered