Explores Places and Maps
Child describes familiar places and uses or makes simple maps to show where things are.
Ages 42–66 months
Why it matters
Connecting home, school, and neighborhood and representing them with simple maps builds early geographic thinking and spatial reasoning. It helps children understand that drawings can stand for real places.
What mastery looks like
- Names familiar places such as home, school, and the park, and tells what happens there.
- Uses position words like "next to," "behind," and "near" to describe where things are.
- Reads or draws a very simple map showing two or more places or objects.
How to observe it
- When drawing a map of the classroom, does the child place a few landmarks in roughly the right spots?
- Does the child use a simple map to find an object during a hunt?
Accessibility
- Offer tactile maps with raised paths or felt pieces for children who benefit from touch.
Activities
Evidence
- Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) — U.S. Office of Head Start · 2015 · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Early Atlas