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Location describes where something can be found. Every place on Earth has a location. There are two ways to describe location. Relative location describes a place by what it is near or what is around it. Absolute location describes a place using a specific address or latitude and longitude coordinates. The activities below are based on the theme of location. Select the appropriate grade level for your child and try the activities!
Grade 1 : I Spy My World
Grade 1 : Furnish a Room
Grade 2 : Near or Far?
Grade 2 : Finders, Keepers
Grade 3 : Are We There Yet?
Grade 3 : Grid a Map
Grade 4 : Puzzle Your Family
Grade 4 : Unlock the Grid System
Grade 5 : Hunt for Treasure!
Grade 5 : State Your Location
Grade 6 : Where Am I?
Grade 6 : On the Road Again
Grade 1: I Spy My World (Theme Location)
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Take a walk through the neighborhood with your child and play the game "I Spy." Take turns playing the game "I Spy," using location to describe something you see in the neighborhood. For example, you might say, "I spy with my little eye something red and white near the corner." (stop sign) Or, "I spy with my little eye something yellow south of the school." (a school bus)
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Grade 1: Furnish A Room (Theme: Location)
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Help your child practice recognizing location. Location tells where something is found. It tells what something is near or what is around it. Help your child find and cut out several pictures of furniture from magazines. Tell your child that together you are going to furnish a room. On a large piece of paper, direct your child to glue or paste each picture in the room using direction words such as left, right, middle, top,and bottom. For example, you might say: "Paste the brown chair in the room near the top of the page." Or, "Paste the table on the left side of the room." Continue directing your child until you have used all the pictures of furniture. Next, write the direction words, north(at the top), south(at the bottom), east(at the right), and west(at the left) on the piece of paper. Then have your child describe the location of the pieces of furniture in the room using these direction words. For example, your child might say, "The brown chair is on the north side of the room." Or, "The table is east of the brown chair."
Materials Needed:
- large piece of butcher or construction paper
- magazines
- scissors
- glue or paste
- pencil
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Grade 2: Near or Far
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Read a storybook that describes locations to your child. Location tells where something is found. It tells what something is near or what is around it. For example, you might read Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. This book describes the Zuckerman's farm. Read the book to your child, and then have your child make a picture of Zuckerman's farm. Ask your child to describe the locations of things in the picture. Encourage your child to use direction words such as nearby, next to, left, right, top,and bottom. For example, you might ask, "What is to the right of the house?" Or, "In what direction is the barn from the Zuckerman's house?" Or, "What is near Charlotte's Web?"
Materials Needed:
- storybooks that describe locations
- paper
- crayons, markers, or paints
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Grade 2 : Finders, Keepers
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Help your child see the U.S.A.! Use a compass-rose spinner and a map of the United States to play a location game. Location tells where something is found. It tells what something is near or what is around it. Every place on Earth has a location.
Number of players: 2 to 4
On a map of the United States, help your child locate the state in which you live. Have your child label the state, trace the state boundary, and color the state red.
Use the following directions to play the game:
- Begin in your state.
- Spin the game spinner.
- Move one state in the direction shown on the spinner.
- Color the state.
- Look at a labeled map of the United States and name the state.
- The next player takes a turn, using a different colored crayon. If the player moves in the wrong direction or lands on a state that is already colored, she or he loses a turn.
- The player who has colored the most states at the end of the game is the winner.
Materials Needed:
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Grade 3: Are We There Yet?
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Help your child plan a driving vacation from your state to another state. Using a map of the United States, choose another state to visit. Identify the states you will pass through to get to your destination. Have your child use the distance scale on the map to figure out how many miles it is from your state to the vacation state. Location tells where something can be found. You can tell the location of something by naming what it is near or what is around it. Discuss with your child the location of your state in reference to the vacation state. For example, you might say, "Our state is located 250 miles east of the vacation state." Extend your trip by asking your child where she or he would like to visit next.
Materials Needed:
- map of the United States showing states with compass rose and distance scale
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Grade 3: Grid a Map
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Help your child make a map grid of your neighborhood. Then use the map grid to describe the locations of places in your neighborhood. Every place on Earth has a location. Location tells where something is found. It tells what something is near or what is around it. You can also tell location by showing where something is found on a map. You can do this by using a grid, or pattern of lines that cross each other. The lines form squares. Each row of squares has a letter. Each column of squares has a number. Each square on the map is named with a letter and a number, which gives the exact location of something.
Use the following steps as a guide to making your map grid:
- On a large piece of paper, help your child make a map of your neighborhood. You might use a local map of your neighborhood to help you, or scout out the neighborhood and take notes as you go.
- Have your child choose symbols to use to stand for places on the map.
- Once you have finished the map, help your child draw a grid pattern of lines that form squares.
- Write the letters A, B, C, D, E, etc., down each side.
- Write the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc., across the top and across the bottom of the map.
- Include a map title, map key (or legend), and a compass rose.
Have your child share the finished map with family members and friends. Ask them to read the map and describe the locations of places in the neighborhood by naming the squares in which they are found.
Materials Needed:
- large piece of paper
- pencil or markers
- ruler
- local map of neighborhood
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Grade 4: Puzzle Your Family
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Help your child grasp the concept of location by working with her or him to create a puzzle of a United States map and make clues for putting it together. Location describes where places are found. Every place on Earth has a location. There are two ways of describing location. One way is by telling what a place is near or what is around it. For example, you can say, "The state of Wisconsin is east of the Mississippi River." Another way to describe location is by using a grid to pinpoint the exact position on Earth. Lines of latitude and lines of longitude cross one another to form a grid system on maps and globes to give the exact location of a place. For example, you can say, "The city of New Orleans is located at 30°North latitude, 90°West longitude."
You and your child can use the following steps as a guide:
Find a political map of the United States that has lines of latitude and longitude.
Help your child glue the map onto a piece of cardboard or poster board. DonÕt forget Alaska and Hawaii!
Cut the map into puzzle pieces along the boundaries of the states. Or, if the map is small, cut the map into regions, such as the Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, Southwest, and the Pacific States.
Write clues about the location of places, such as "I am the state northwest of Florida," (Alabama) or "I am the state located at 40°North latitude, 90°West latitude." (Illinois)
Put the puzzle together with other family members. Family members can take turns being the person who gives the clues.
Materials Needed:
- political map of the United States
- paper and pencil
- poster board
- glue
- scissors
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Grade 4: Unlock the Grid System
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Play a memory game with your child to help increase location skills using grid systems to locate places. Location describes where places are found. Every place on Earth has a location. There are two ways of describing location. One way is by telling what a place is near or what is around it. For example, you can say, "The state of Tennessee is east of the Mississippi River." Another way to describe location is by using a grid to pinpoint the exact position on Earth. Lines of latitude and lines of longitude cross one another to form a grid system on maps and globes to give the exact location of a place. For example, you can say, "The city of New Orleans is located at 30°North latitude, 90°West longitude."
Before you play the game:
- Use a map of the United States and cut out the states along the state border lines. Glue the states on index cards. DonÕt forget Alaska and Hawaii! Then, on separate index cards, write the names of the states.
- Shuffle each set of index cards together. Place the state cards face down in the form of a grid with 10 columns and 10 rows.
- Write the letters A through J down each side for the rows.
- Write the numbers 1 through 10 across the top and across the bottom of the grid for the columns.
Playing the game:
- The object of the game is to locate the shape and name of a state to make a matching pair. The player with the most matching pairs wins the game.
- Play begins when one player turns over two cards at a time.
- If the state shape and name cards match, the player keeps the pair and takes another turn.
- If the cards do not match, the player turns the cards face down in the same spot and the turn ends.
- When the cards do not match, the players should keep track of the location of the cards by writing, on a notepad, the location of the cards on the grid system. For example, the shape of Minnesota is located at row B, column 3, or B-3. The state name, Texas,is located at J-4. Players should use their notes to help them locate matching pairs.
- When all the pairs have been located, the player with the most pairs is the winner.
Materials Needed:
- political map of the United States
- index cards
- pens, markers, or pencils
- glue
- scissors
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Grade 5: Hunt for Treasure
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Work with your child to design a treasure map and clues to locate the treasure. Location describes where something is found. Relative location describes a location by telling what it is near or what is around it. For example, Germany is west of Poland and south of Denmark. Absolute location describes an exact location by using latitude and longitude coordinates. For example, the absolute location of New Orleans is 30°N latitude and 90°W longitude.
You and your child can use the following steps as guidelines:
- Grab your shovel and along with your child, hide a "treasure" in your backyard, or find a secret hiding place in your home.
- Help your child make a map and write clues for a treasure hunt, using cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) and intermediate directions (northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast).
- Invite family members or friends to follow the map and clues to find the "treasure."
Materials Needed:
- treasure
- shovel (optional)
- paper and pencil
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Grade 5: State Your Location
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Help your child find her or his way around your state by learning the locations of cities and towns. Location describes where something is found. Relative location describes a location by telling what it is near or what is around it. For example, Illinois is west of Indiana and south of Wisconsin. Absolute location describes an exact location by using latitude and longitude coordinates. For example, the absolute location of Chicago is 42°N latitude and 87°W longitude.
Use the following steps as guidelines:
- Obtain an atlas from the library or a state map from a local service station or visitorÕs center. Read the atlas or map with your child.
- Start by locating your community and take off from there!
- Describe relative locations of other communities or use lines of latitude and longitude to find the absolute locations of other communities.
- This activity won't guarantee that you and your child will never get lost in your state, but you may be able to read the map instead of asking for directions!
Materials Needed:
- atlas of the United States or state map
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Grade 6: Where Am I?
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Create and play a riddle guessing game about locations with your child. Your child has learned that Relative Location describes a location by telling what it is near or what is around it. For example, "I am in a country that is west of Poland and south of Denmark. Where am I?" (Germany) Your child also has learned that Absolute Location describes an exact location by using latitude and longitude coordinates. For example, "I am in a city found at 30°N latitude and 90°W longitude. Where am I?" (New Orleans) Use maps or globes to help your child create the riddles. Then play the game with other family members.
Materials Needed:
- globe, atlas, or Internet maps of the world with lines of latitude and longitude
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Grade 6: On the Road Again
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Follow the travels of a sports team or music group with your child to learn about the locations of their games or concerts. Every place on Earth has a location. Location describes where something is found. Relative location describes a location by telling what it is near or what is around it. For example, France is located southeast of England and northwest of Spain. Absolute location describes an exact location by using latitude and longitude coordinates. The absolute location of Paris, France, is 49°N latitude, 2°E longitude.
Use the following steps as guidelines:
- Read a newspaper, listen to the radio or television, or surf the web for news about the scheduled games or concerts of your favorite sports team or music group.
- On a map of the United States, mark an X on each place your team or group plays or performs.
- Keep a log of the travels of your team or group. Write the relative location of each place (from your town) and its absolute location. Use an atlas to help you determine the locations.
- After a few months, determine how many miles your team or group has traveled by figuring the distances between locations and adding them together.
Materials Needed:
- newspapers, radio, television, Internet
- atlas of the world or the United States
- map of the United States or map of the world
- log, journal, writing paper
- pen or pencil
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