Early Math  /  Spatial Thinking  /  Digital  /  Activity

Play Map Adventures: City Map

 

Spatial Thinking
Digital

Friends navigate the City Map together and visit different landmarks, planning their route to avoid roadblocks.

A boy plays the Gracie & Friends “Map Adventures” preschool spatial thinking app while a girl watches.

Children navigate the city streets and steer clear of roadblocks!

 

Materials

An iPad screen of the “Map Adventures” spatial thinking preschool app showing the cartoon character Gracie next to a cow.
  • Map Adventures digital game on the iPad (one for each pair of children)

Preparation

  1. Make sure the iPads are charged and Map Adventures is installed.
 

Directions

  1. Pass out iPads to pairs of children, and if needed, help them take their pictures at the beginning of the game.
  2. On the next screen, show children the City Map and tap on it. Demonstrate how to navigate the map. Encourage them to plan their route so that they do not run into any roadblocks. If they do, encourage them to find a different route.
  3. The City Map game helps children understand that there can be many routes to the same destination. As they play, you might say: Oh, I see you had to find a different route because of the roadblock! Can you think of another way to get there? That’s right! There are lots of different roads you can take!
Length of Play

10–15 min.

Group Size

Small group (2–4 children)

In the Schedule

Learning Centers

 
Vocabulary
  • map
  • landmark
  • route
  • roadblock
 
Learning Goals
  • Use maps and diagrams to plan, describe, or follow paths or routes from one location to another
  • Develop an initial idea that maps, diagrams, and models can be representations of real-world spaces
  • Develop an initial idea that maps, diagrams, and models can be representations of real-world spaces