Today is rung 1 of 6 on this topic
Map skills and landforms
Can do: Uses a key, a compass rose and a simple grid, and names mountains, rivers, islands, coasts.
Why it matters
Reading a map is a transferable skill — it's the same thinking as reading a graph, a diagram, or a floor plan.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Ignores the key entirely and reads maps as pictures.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Show any map with a key. "What does this symbol mean? Which direction is the river from the town?"
Solid looks like: Key used correctly, and a compass direction rather than left/right.
The full activity for this topic · 20 minutes
Map Our Neighbourhood
- 1Walk or scroll the route from home to somewhere familiar.
- 2Draw it as a map from above, with the main roads as lines.
- 3Invent five symbols and make a key: shop, school, park, crossing, home.
- 4Add a compass rose using the sun or the phone.
- 5Add a grid with letters and numbers, and play find-the-square.
If it's too hard
Map one street with three symbols.
If it's too easy
Add a scale — one square is 100 steps — and estimate a real distance.
Say this
"Don't guess the symbol — check the key. The key is the map's dictionary."