Today is rung 1 of 6 on this topic
Maps, globes and where we are
Can do: Finds their country on a globe, knows a map key exists, and uses the four directions.
Why it matters
Spatial understanding of the world is scaffolding for every history and geography lesson that follows, and it's mostly built through repeated exposure at home.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
No sense of the nesting — town inside state inside country inside continent — and no idea what a map key is for.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"What's bigger: our town, our country, or our continent? Put them in order."
Solid looks like: Correct nesting order, and they can point to their country on a globe.
The full activity for this topic · 15 minutes
Zoom Out From Your Front Door
- 1Draw five boxes, one inside the next: house, street, town, country, continent.
- 2Fill each in together, checking on the map as you go.
- 3On a real map, find where a relative or a favourite football team lives.
- 4Look at the key and work out what three symbols mean.
- 5Give directions using north, south, east and west inside the house.
If it's too hard
Three boxes only: house, town, country.
If it's too easy
Add the ocean nearest to you and two neighbouring countries.
Say this
"Our house is in our town, our town is in our country. What's the country in?"