Spatial awareness activities for preschoolers: The Mind-Body Connection! 6 Activities to Help Kids Build Spatial Awareness

Spatial awareness activities to help your child explore the world

Confused about spatial awareness? We’ll provide you with a spatial awareness definition as well as activities you can do to support your child’s growth.

So what is spatial awareness? You’ve probably heard the phrase before, and many people have at least some idea of what it means. The short definition of spatial awareness is awareness of yourself in any given space, in relation to all other people and objects in that space. As adults, we practice spatial awareness all the time without thinking about it. It’s how we avoid running into things, as well as how we navigate. Young children are still learning to develop spatial awareness, and it takes time.

Definitions

To better understand spatial awareness, there are some other phrases we should probably define. The following are some concepts that are part of spatial awareness, and that will be helpful to understand as your child develops this important skill.

Spatial Skills

Spatial skills are the skills necessary to locate objects in three dimensions using touch and sight.

Spatial Ability

Spatial ability is something that you may still be working on as an adult. Your spatial ability is determined by your aptitude in thinking about objects in three dimensions and making deductions about them from a limited perspective. This skill is integral to success in many STEM fields.

Spatial Intelligence

Spatial intelligence is what you take advantage of when you drive. It helps you navigate complex three dimensional scenarios where you need to observe and interpret the shape, size, direction and trajectory of objects around you.

Spatial Perception

Spatial perception describes the way your brain processes the physical relationships between objects. This type of perception takes advantage of visual perception, depth perception and motion perception.

Spatial-Temporal Reasoning

Spatial-temporal reasoning is the ability to visualize how objects fit into a three dimensional space or pattern. This sort of talent lends itself to things like puzzles, as people with this talent can visualize the finished product and how the pieces fit into it.

Spatial Sense

Spatial sense is usually discussed in terms of how it relates to students studying geometry in school. But besides using it to complete a math worksheet, it’s also very useful for certain types of inquiry-based science. It describes a person’s ability to understand and visualize three dimensional space and how objects fit in that space.

Body Awareness

Body awareness is your child’s awareness of their own body, and where it and it’s constituent parts are in space.

Spatial Awareness Activities

Spatial awareness is a skill that we continue to work on and develop throughout our lives. You can help your child improve their skills and set a strong foundation for the rest of their lives by challenging them with fun spatial activities. We have compiled a few ideas to help you get started.

Puzzles

Any kind of puzzle, from classic jigsaw puzzles to things like tangrams and even Legos, will help your child with spatial awareness. These games allow your child to practice their problem solving skills by recreating patterns or imagining how different pieces can fit into a given space.

Blocks

Blocks are an excellent, simple toy that help your child learn many different things about the physical world around them. They help teach children about gravity and how objects interact with one another. They’ll also be valuable in reaching many other milestones, such as those associated with balance development and fine motor skill development through grasping.

Nesting Cups

Nesting cups are a great way to introduce the spatial concept of “container” and “contained.” Challenge your child to experiment with how objects fit within one another. This is a great experiment in spatial relationships.

Hoola Hoop

Playing with a hoola hoop is a gross motor activity that helps your child practice both anticipating the trajectory of an object and moving their body to influence that trajectory. It’s also a ton of fun! It may be a skill for an older child, so one way we recommend playing with a hoola hoop and your toddler is to roll the hoola hoop and your child go chase and catch it.

The Hokey Pokey

One of our favorite preschool activities is an incredible exercise in body awareness and gross motor skill. The hokey pokey challenges your child to think about their limbs and where they are in space.

Milestones

Your child’s spatial awareness begins to develop from very early childhood, and it’s a skill they will practice and refine throughout their lives. At ADAM and Mila, we believe that understanding your child’s milestones will help you to know how to better support their development, so we’ve included a helpful guide below to your child’s spatial awareness developmental milestones.

Acknowledges Objects Individually

Development Milestone emerges from age 2 to 4 months.

When given two interesting objects (colorful, noisy, or otherwise desirable) your child looks between the two objects, acknowledging each separately.

Starts to Practice Depth Perception

Development Milestone emerges from age 4 to 6 months.

When you hold an object within your child’s reach, they’ll reach for it and attempt to grab it. This will probably take a few tries as your child is still trying to understand their depth perception and how far away an object is.

Anticipates Movements of Objects

Development Milestone emerges from age 5 to 8 months.

When you repeat a movement with an object, the child anticipates the movement even when the object disappears from view. This can be observed by moving an object back and forth and briefly moving it behind another object that obstructs it. Your child should look to the other side of the obstructing object, expecting the moving object to reappear on the other side.

Looks for Fallen Object

Development Milestone emerges from age 6 to 8 months.

When an object falls from your little one’s high chair, he or she will look for the object on the floor even if they didn’t see where it fell. They are demonstrating that they are beginning to understand where objects will travel through space.

Removes Objects from Containers

Development Milestone emerges from age 9 to 11 months.

Your child is starting to understand that things can be contained within other things, and that those things can also be removed from those other things. They may demonstrate this knowledge by removing objects from containers one at a time, or by dumping all objects from a container onto the floor.

Rotates Objects

Development Milestone emerges from age 9 to 12 months.

Your child will examine all sides of an object to find the side that is most desirable or actionable. This shows that the child is beginning to understand the three dimensional nature of objects.

Throws Toys

Development Milestone emerges from age 9 to 12 months.

Your child will begin to throw their toys, and show interest in watching them fall to the floor. This can be observed when your baby throws his or her toys, pacifier, or bottle out of his crib. This doesn’t always mean your child dislikes the object thrown, but you can check to make sure by offering it back to her and most of the time she will take it right back.

Dismantles Stack Toy

Development Milestone emerges from age 10 to 11 months.

When presented with a large ring stack toy, the child will begin to pull the rings off the toy. You may observe this milestone by simply handing your baby a large stacking toy and seeing if he takes off the rings. If he doesn’t, you may want to show him how to do one then see if he can.

Places Objects in Container

Development Milestone emerges from age 12 to 13 months.

Developing on top of the spatial reasoning they started with taking objects out of a container, your one year old will practice placing objects in a container, and then taking them back out again. Your child should be able to do this with at least three objects. This is also a sign of your child’s ever growing fine motor skills.

Follows a Rolling Ball

Development Milestone emerges from age 12 to 13 months.

When your little one sees a ball roll out of sight, they’ll directly go look for it in the place where they saw it disappear. You could practice this skill with your child by playing with her and rolling a ball back and forth. Then, “accidentally” roll the ball so that it is hidden out of sight and invite your child to find it.

Builds Tower of Two Blocks

Development Milestone emerges from age 12 to 16 months.

Your child stacks a block or other cube shaped object on top of another block without the tower falling over. If your child does not naturally do this, you can build a tower and knock it over then invite him to build one too.

Pulls String Attached to Toy

Development Milestone emerges from age 13 to 15 months.

Tie a string to a toy that your child loves and offer them the string. At this stage, your child understands that if they pull the string up towards them it will bring the toy with it. Make sure the object tied to the string is lightweight and something that interests your child.

Puts Rings on Stack Toy

Development Milestone emerges from age 13 to 15 months.

At this point, your child will begin to replace the rings on the ring stack toy. They’ll add at least two rings to the stack. You can show your child how to do this by taking the rings off and then putting one or two back on, then inviting your child to put the rest back on.

Walks Around Obstacles

Development Milestone emerges from age 12 to 18 months.

If a toy rolls under an object such as a couch or chair, your child will look for it on the other side of the obstacle instead of trying to follow the path of the object directly.

Retrieves Item From Bottle

Development Milestone emerges from age 13 to 19 months.

Your child now understands that they can use gravity to get objects out of containers that they can’t reach into. Place a small item in a narrow neck bottle and observe your child turn the bottle over to retrieve the item without help.

Retrieves Requested Items

Development Milestone emerges from age 15 to 18 months.

When you ask your child to retrieve an item located in another room, they are able to locate the item based on your description of where it is or where they expect it to be. Your child is developing the ability to visualize an item in a familiar place without seeing it.

Flips Picture

Development Milestone emerges from age 18 to 24 months.

Hand your child a picture they recognize upside down. The child should, without being prompted, rotate the picture to face the proper way. You may incidentally observe this when your child accidentally opens a book upside down and turns the book around right side up.

Points Out Details

Development Milestone emerges from age 24 to 27 months.

At this age, when you read your child’s favorite picture books, your child will start to point out details of the pictures. This could include ruffles on a dress or the tail on a monkey. Your child is starting to understand these details as parts of a whole.

Completes Small Puzzle

Development Milestone emerges from age 30 to 36 months.

At this age, your child will be able to complete a three or four piece puzzle containing an image of something they recognize. It might be helpful to first show your child the puzzle completed then take it apart and have him put it back together.

At ADAM and Mila, we love exploring developmental milestones and passing along the best information to parents like you. There are many more developmental milestones to explore. For more tips and information, take a look at our other posts such as this one on cognitive development or this one about baby developmental milestones.

Play is a powerful tool for growth, and learning activities make for a great way to maintain your child’s attention while teaching. There are many more activities that will help your little one’s development through a variety of milestones. Explore our resource for activity suggestions.

It can be stressful to worry about whether or not your child is reaching their milestones. It’s a challenge that as parents we all face, but it’s a challenge that we can overcome together. Check out our actionable guide for addressing concerns about developmental delays.

We hope that you found this article helpful, and if you did, that you’ll pass it along to someone else who could use it! Please leave us some feedback to let us know how we’re doing, and what we can improve.

Do a friend a favor! – Share this great resource with others who could benefit from it

5 Ways to Develop Spatial Awareness

Spatial awareness is the ability to understand and interact with the environment around you.

Whether it be avoiding obstacles when walking, reaching out to grab a pencil or determining left from right these are all examples of tasks that require spatial awareness.

Developing the skills to express and understand spatial skills are the first step in understanding spatial ability and awareness such as math skills, visual perceptual skills, and body awareness.

Here are 5 activities to help encourage the development of spatial awareness:

1.  Obstacle Courses:  The ability to negotiate an obstacle course requires a significant amount of spatial awareness.  Vary the courses grading them according to the child’s ability to move over, under and around objects.

2.  Build and Create:  Use Legos, blocks, and puzzles.  Try Tangam puzzles.    Try this free visual spatial puzzle crossing paths.  Research has shown that parents who participated in guided block play with their children had significantly higher proportions of spatial talk. Guided block play consisted of playing with the blocks along with guided instructions for how to build different structures.  Read more in a previous blog post on block play and spatial awareness.

3.  Practice completing patterns.  You could try Follow the Path or Patterns, Patterns, Patterns.

4.  Movement Games:  Participate in any type of movement games where children have to move around obstacles or friends.   The ability to move around stationary objects is quite different than around moving objects which are unpredictable.  If you need ideas, try 50 Sensory Motor Activities for Kids!  Check out Which Way? to challenge motor planning and spatial awareness or Right or Left Games to practice right and left discrimination skills.

5.  Provide verbal descriptions.  Offer many opportunities for children to hear descriptions of where they are or where objects are in relationship to each other.  For example – “The pencil is on the right side of the desk” or “Let’s step over the log”.  Play games that require children to follow directions – ie Be A Robot.  Try worksheets where children how to follow directions of what colors to use for different letters or shapes ie Color Coding.

Personal Space Journey is a collection of activities to teach children about personal space. You can choose how to utilize the materials. Some children may benefit from reading the story first with follow up. Others may need to work on body awareness activities in order to maintain personal space.

This collection includes the following:

• Personal Space Journey Board Game
• 24 Body Cards – the child has to make his/her body look exactly like the body on the card
• 24 Challenge Cards – complete the body awareness and motor planning challenges written on each card
• 16 Movement Cards – complete the movement cards to practice body awareness moving through space
• Body in Motion Challenges Worksheet – try to complete the 16 motor skills moving your body in different ways
• Self Portrait – practice drawing a self-portrait and remember to include many body parts
• Color the Body – identify and color in various body parts
• Personal Space Journey Letter for Home – letter written to parents about developing body awareness
• Personal Space and School – a 12-page social story about maintaining personal space in school
• “I Can” Statement Posters to complement the Personal Space social story – 12 “I Can” posters to hang throughout the school to reinforce the personal space journey
• Twelve Small cards of the “I Can” Statements – provide the child with these small cards to remind them to maintain personal space in different situations – i. e. tape to a desk, slip in a notebook, etc.
• Personal Space Journey Certificate – complete this certificate when child has mastered maintaining personal space
• Handwriting Practice – 8 pages of handwriting practice for the child to list ways to maintain personal space in different situations. Provided in dotted line format, double line format (Handwriting Without Tears® style) and regular lined paper.

The activities are reproducible to use over and over again with all the children that you teach.  FIND OUT MORE.

To make gains in the area of spatial awareness, remember to build upon a child’s strengths.  Read more here.

Need FREE resources to get started? Check out all of our freebies here.

Learn about the importance of body awareness when it comes to visual spatial skills here.

Read more on what are visual spatial skills and what you can do to help children develop these important skills.

Visual Spatial Reasoning Puzzle – download a free printable that challenges your students to follow the path of the red and yellow cars.

RESEARCH ON VISUAL SPATIAL AWARENESS

Did you know that early visual spatial processing skills and fine motor coordination skills predict later school performance? Read about it here .

FOSTERING VISUAL SPATIAL INTELLIGENCE IN CHILDREN THROUGH LANGUAGE

IS THERE A LOSS OF SPATIAL AWARENESS IN CHILDREN?

15 FREE VISUAL SPATIAL PRINTABLES

COORDINATION, VISUAL SPATIAL SKILLS AND HANDWRITING

16 Spatial Reasoning Activities for Kids

Spatial reasoning activities for kids help them in understanding shapes and making their mental notes. Like a simple drawing of a house can be described as an arrangement of two rectangles, a parallelogram and a triangle.

Spatial reasoning is an ability to manipulate shapes and orientate them mentally. It is an ability to understand how different shapes fit together to make recognisable objects.

Tangram is a famous game and one of the most popular spatial reasoning activities for kids. It involves geometry, problem solving, visualisation and pattern predictions.

Spatial skills are crucial for kids as it affects their early math skills and are an important predictor of achievement in STEM fields.

Visual-spatial skills are of great importance for success in solving many tasks we face in every day life. Like following directions on map, driving a car or interacting with our environment.

It is the key in developing a child’s sense of size, space, shape, position, direction and movement.

Spatial reasoning is an essential math skill. Teaching math without addressing Spatial reasoning would be like making a broth without salt. It would have all the necessary ingredients and yet no taste.

So, What is Spatial Reasoning?

Spatial reasoning is the ability to manipulate shape and objects, either mentally or physically. It involves:

• Rotation of objects and understanding how the object would look when rotated;
• How shapes and objects fit together and how they can be manipulated. Like how puzzle pieces fit into each other and how diamond shape could be made by using two triangles;

• Visualizing elevations and layout plans of buildings and objects. For example how would a building look from front or from a bird eye view.
• Understanding relationships between size and shape attributes of objects. Like it is impossible to fit a square into a triangle of the same size.

Quick Tip: Make learning spatial reasoning fun with these silly Geometry Jokes for Kids.

Spatial reasoning is intricately linked with geometry and visualization skills. In the same way, Math is linked to spatial abilities.

To think about Math, only in terms of numbers would be a great injustice. Math abilities are much beyond numbers and their manipulation.

Think about this: Albert Einstein came up with his best work – The Theory of Relativity – by imagining himself on a beam of light and travelling into space.

How would that be possible without visualization and spatial skills?

Early explorers, like Christopher Columbus, Sir Frances Drake, Vasco Da Gama, relied on their spatial skills to navigate around the world.

In fact, it would not be wrong to say that without spatial awareness great continents could not have been discovered.

Movies like Finding Dory, Moana are other examples that accentuate the significance of spatial skills in our lives.

Why Spatial Skills Are Important?

1. Early Spatial reasoning is closely tied to Mathematical abilities and is a strong predictor of Math skills. Young children who are better at mental rotation have better arithmetic skills and number sense.

2. Spatial skills are crucial for development of problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills and even reading comprehension, as suggested by research.

3. They contribute to essential life skills like parking car, using maps, packing lunch etc.

4. Spatial abilities lay the foundation of advanced math skills and help in proportional reasoning, data management and processing skills.

5. Spatial Reasoning is a key skill in STEM education and Arts. It clearly gives a head start in STEM to children when taught from a young age.

6. These skills can be nurtured over time and improved through practice and education. Current education system, especially Early Education, lay little emphasis on these skills. Hence, making them all the more important.

7. Spatial Intelligence is believed to enhance cognitive skills including IQ.

According to a research, a single 20-minute session of mental rotation puzzles improved the math performance of the children in control group compared to their peers.

The evidence is compelling and positions Spatial Intelligence at the forefront. There is no reason for parents and educators to ignore this crucial skill. Spatial Reasoning, is indispensable!

When you engage your child in simple activities like blocks, painting and drawing, you are essentially enhancing their spatial reasoning skills.

For young children, research indicates a direct relationship between spatial reasoning for kids and their arithmetic abilities at primary level.

There is also evidence suggesting that these skills influence early reading abilities of children.

However, even with the increasing evidence in importance of spatial skills for kids, they are rarely included in kindergarten or primary curriculum. That puts children at a severe learning disadvantage.

But, the good news is that spatial skills for kids need not be limited to school learning.

As a parent, you can do numerous spatial reasoning activities for kids to cultivate and enhance these skills at home and without spending too much on toys.

From letting them play freely with blocks to moulding clay, every household has ample material to develop spatial skills.

16 Spatial Reasoning Activities for Kids

1. Block towers

This is one of early spatial reasoning activities for kids. Let your child stack all the blocks into a tall tower and crash it all over the place. Before you snap at her for not making a structure, stop!

When young children stack blocks and later crash them, though how mindless it may appear, they are working on their sense of geometry, balance, size, shape and position.

View this crashing as a precursor to advanced structure building skills.

2. Draw and Paint

Every child draws and paints. Be it random lines or a well-drawn picture, it helps children explore the concept of space and geometry.

Encourage your children to paint a picture by looking at their surroundings or from their favourite book.

3. Play dough

Inspire your children to make objects they see in their surroundings using play dough. Manipulating dough into a real life object or an animal indicates a well developed spatial understanding and reasoning skills.

Encourage them to create different objects, shapes and patterns using their own imagination.

4. Take them outdoors

Spatial skills require lots of visualization. Unleash their imagination by taking them for a walk in a nearby park, to the supermarket or a zoo. The more they observe, better they will get.

Related: Explore STEM Outdoor Activities to keep your little geniuses happily learning.

5. Board Games and Puzzles

Board games teach planning, following instructions and other spatial skills. Similarly, puzzles aid visualisation of how and where to fit the pieces.

Do not limit your child to jigsaw puzzles. Tangrams are equally fun. Let your child explore it and manipulate the pieces the way she wants.

Related: Sneak in other Early Numeracy Skills while playing with these easy to set-up 10 Minutes Number Games. Quick and fun, they are certain to sharpen your kiddo’s mental math skills.

It is not necessary that your child makes pictures according to the challenge cards. Free play is good too!

Browse through our Giant list of Board Games to find the one that’s perfect for your child.

6. Origami

This ancient Japanese art of paper folding heavily relies on spatial skills. So cut some square sheets out of old newspapers and engage in some origami fun.

Start with easy origami like paper planes, boats and gradually progress to tougher challenges.

Origami requires lots of patience and practice. It is a good idea to do it together so your child can see and follow you.

Once they are confident enough, they can play with origami independently.

7. Explore Maps

Introduce maps to your child in a fun way. Help them figure out the street they live on. If you can’t get them to sit on a map book, let them try their hands on Google Maps.

Children are often attracted by technology and get fascinated when they see themselves moving on the app. When you are returning home from an outing, ask your child for directions to home.

8. Use the Jargon

Exposing children to the correct jargon can greatly aid the process. Introduce directions, left-right, up-down, inside-outside and spatial words early on. This would help your child in visualising as well as describing their mental imagery.

9. Matching Structures

This is a fun game where you create a structure using simple blocks or legos and your child has to re-create the matching structure.

Start with a simple house or a building. Show it to your child for a minute or less and ask her to make its replica. Such activities train children to observe objects and create their mental pictures, thus enhancing their spatial reasoning abilities.

10. Photography

One of the much loved spatial reasoning activities for kids, photography helps children analyse pictures from different angles and depths.

Encourage your children to take different pictures of the same object and compare how it looks from top, front and back. These are similar skills that architects use in engineering drawing.

11. Explore Shapes

Shapes are the foundation blocks of spatial reasoning. Invest good time in building sense of shapes and their attributes in your children.

KidPillar STEM e-Book

Enquire how different shapes are used and how their shape attributes influence their use. Though seemingly simple, a good unit on shapes can deliver immense benefits to your child’s spatial reasoning, logical and mathematical skills.

12. Story Building Games

This is one of the spatial reasoning activities for kids that integrates literacy and comprehension with spatial reasoning.

Read a book together and then ask your child to draw a structure/building/scene from the book.

Highly engaging, this is one of the best quiet time spatial reasoning activities for kids.

13. Animal Yoga 

For children who love to love, this is a must try. Ask your child to observe an animal card and make a yoga pose out of it. You can even play animal yoga videos.

This is one of a few spatial reasoning activities for kids that dwells of body modulation and visualisation of one’s own body. Seemingly simple but not as easy.

14. Explore Tessellations

Tessellations are geometrical wonders. To make a tessellation, you must master the art of manipulating objects in space.

Learning about tessellation positively influences your child’s spatial reasoning, geometry, logical and mathematical skills. We don’t see any reason to miss them.

15. Loose part structures

Loose parts structures present a great opportunity to explore spatial reasoning skills. Let your child’s imagination run wild with loose parts like pebbles, pencils, wooden sticks.

Invite your child to create something unique and out of his imagination using loose parts.

This would require a great deal of spatial awareness along with the knowledge of science to combine and balance objects. A great spatial awareness boosting STEM activity, this is a must try.

16. Experiment with Jenga

Give Jenga blocks a twist and use them as building bricks for making structures. Take inspiration from famous structures or from those in your neighbourhood to make architectural structures. With younger children, make shapes using Jenga blocks.

Lastly remember, Spatial Reasoning is not an inborn skill or gender dependent. It has to be cultivated and nurtured through practice. That said, it is never too late or too early to start with child.

Explore KidPillar STEM e-Books on Shapes, Tessellations, Symmetry and Patterns

Building Spatial Awareness in Children • Child Development

What’s inside this article: A look at what spatial awareness is and why it’s important. Signs of spatial awareness problems in kids and what may cause those problems. Games and play-based activities to help children of all ages practice and develop spatial awareness.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Spatial awareness tells us our position relative to objects around us and the relative position of objects to each other. 

For example, if you reach for your water bottle beside you, you know exactly how far to extend your arm to pick it up. That’s because you’re aware of yourself and the distance between yourself and the water bottle.

Another example is if you drop a toy on the floor and it rolls under the sofa, you know to look behind or underneath the sofa because you understand the toy’s likely position, even though you can’t see it. 

Why Is Spatial Awareness Important

There are many reasons why spatial awareness is important. We use this skill daily in more ways than we realize. 

Understanding the position of ourselves and objects is crucial and affects things like:

• Social Skills: It’s needed to understand and respect personal space and other social functions.
• Motor Skills: It helps you navigate your environment, prevents you from banging into tables, and allows you to perceive how other objects and people around you are moving.
• Academics: Spatial awareness helps us understand sentence structure and grammar and mathematical concepts, like arranging numbers and geometry.
• Proprioception: Proprioception is one of our senses – it’s our sense of body awareness. We have sensory receptors in our joints, muscles, and skin that tell us what our body is doing. Perception issues may be linked to challenges with spatial awareness. 

Spatial awareness develops throughout childhood. Remember when your child was just a baby trying to grasp objects for the first time and missing them? That’s just the very beginning when this skill starts emerging. 

The following list may indicate challenges with spatial awareness in children beyond an age where they are expected to have these skills. 

• Trouble respecting personal space
• Difficulty in school with reading, writing, or math
• Coordination problems, such as appearing clumsy, being unable to throw or catch a ball, misses if trying to kick a ball, bilateral coordination difficulties
• Looks down at their feet while walking because they stumble otherwise
• Misses mouth when self-feeding
• Problems understanding directions like left vs. right and up vs. down
• Trouble following instructions with directions such as “your shoes are beside the door” or “the towels are under the sink”
• Writes vertically instead of horizontally or starts sentences in the middle of the page.

What Causes Challenges with Spatial Awareness?

Multiple areas of the brain play a role in spatial awareness, and typically, this skill starts developing in infancy.

However, there are several reasons a child may have trouble developing spatial awareness, such as:

• Sensory processing disorder, which occurs when sensory signals are not organized and processed into appropriate behavioral responses.
• Autism
• Dyspraxia, a brain-based motor disorder
• Cerebral Palsy, which is a group of disorders affecting movement and coordination
• Turner Syndrome, which is a chromosomal abnormality
• Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NVLD), kids with NVLD are not nonverbal, as the name suggests, and have no difficulty reading. It’s a visual-spatial learning disability. They have difficulty processing visual-spatial sensory information, which can cause problems with math, executive function, and fine motor and social skills. 

Improving Spatial Awareness

You can improve spatial awareness skills with practice. Regularly discussing locations and distances helps reinforce those concepts. As well as play-based activities that help children practice and use their spatial awareness skills. 

Certain hobbies promote spatial awareness, like drawing and building with lego. Even video games, like Minecraft, where you must manipulate objects and build, or puzzle games like Tetris, help develop spatial awareness. 

An occupational therapist can help target specific skills impacted by deficits in visual-spatial awareness.

Spatial Awareness Activities

Want to practice with your child? Try some of the following activities:

Puzzles

Depending on your child’s age and abilities, different types of puzzles help practice spatial awareness skills. Shape sorters, jigsaw puzzles, peg puzzles, and 3D puzzles are all options.

These shape puzzles are a great choice. They come with a deck of 50 cards, and wooden shapes which children can put together, creating the image on the card. There are so many things kids can make, it offers great practice.

For older kids, another great puzzle activity is Mental Blox. It’s similar to the puzzles above, only kids use three dimensional shapes to recreate the images.

Find The Block

This is such an easy game to play – it doesn’t have to be a block; it could be a favorite toy or plushie, but we always use a block.

Hide the object somewhere within the room and use directional instructions to tell your child where it is and have them find it.

For example, “The block is on the bottom shelf of the bookshelf, to the left of the TV stand”

Build an Obstacle Course

The ability to maneuver through an obstacle course requires spatial awareness. Should you climb over that or crawl under it? You can create obstacle courses in your home using chairs, couch cushions, tables, etc.

Or, turn the playground or your back yard into an obstacle course.

Play a game of follower the leader and show your child how to maneuver through the playground equipment, providing help if needed.

Block Play

Block play is super important in early childhood, Children should have the opportunity to play and build with a variety of blocks, from small lego to large interlocking blocks, wooden blocks, and even large foam blocks.

As children arrange (and rearrange) blocks, they become more aware of space and positioning of objects. You can also use block play as an opportunity to practice verbal instructions, for example “Place two blue blocks on top of one red block”.

Teach Personal Space

If a child has poor spatial awareness they may invade the personal space of others because they simply aren’t aware that their body is too close to another person’s.

When that’s the case, you may need to explicitly teach the concept of personal space, offering concrete ways to help them understand socially acceptable proximities based on the relationship they have with different people.

There are a lot of great children’s books that teach this concept and several activities you can use – read how to teach children to respect personal space here.

Sports and Physical Activity

Basketball, baseball, soccer – any game involving a ball helps develop spatial awareness. Learning how hard to kick the soccer ball so it reaches the net, how to dribble the basketball , how to swing a baseball bat just in time to hit the ball thrown by the pitcher – these athletic skills all require spatial awareness.

Gymnastics and dance – Both require and help build a strong sense of body awareness and a better understand of proximity to others and to the objects around you.

Non-organized physical activity – Your child doesn’t need to join an organized sport, there are benefits to all physical activity. Whether it’s biking, swimming, or just running around the yard. Check out this animal-themed workout for kids and give it a try.

Spread the love

Spatial Awareness Activities for Smooth Moving

I sometimes felt silly singing songs and performing classroom activities with my daughter when she was baby, but now, as an early childhood music teacher, I realize that there is a method to the madness behind these exercises.

These early activities not only help your baby to reach a multitude of developmental goals, but also serve to introduce your child to his world and consequently, how to navigate his place in it. Early movement and exploration triggers your child’s natural development of spatial awareness.

This important term is very broad, thus, we asked the pediatric therapists and moms of The Inspired Treehouse blog to share their bright expertise below:

What is Spatial Awareness?

“Spatial awareness is how a child senses his body in relation to his physical surroundings. It may seem simple enough, but this skill actually relies on a complex interaction between the body’s sensory systems.

• (1) A child’s visual system helps him perceive his physical surroundings using sight, or, what he sees.
• (2) The vestibular sense is centered in the inner ear and gives child information about the position of his head and body in space.
• (3) Proprioception refers to the way joints and muscles send messages to the brain to help coordinate movement.

When these sensory systems are working together properly, a child is able to move smoothly and navigate even the most complex environments (ex: climbing, sliding, balancing, swinging at the playground). He can react quickly to changes in his environment (e.g. avoiding other children in a game of tag) and understands concepts like near and far, right and left, up and down.”  — The Inspired Treehouse

Infants & Crawlers: Within a baby’s first classroom experience at Bubbles Academy, we nurture the use of the visual, vestibular (balance) and proprioceptive systems —and you can at home too!

Song: Even when upset, young babies are born equipped to respond to pleasant sensory experiences — the sight of a parent/teacher’s smiling face or the sound of a soothing lullaby. This unconscious body sense is the first sign of emerging spatial awareness, and assists babies to orient themselves in relation to surrounding people and objects.

Finger-plays: An infant’s first introduction to their body can be accomplished through the use of finger-plays. Simple songs such as “Head Shoulders Knees and Toes” provide baby with an early understanding of the location/relationships of his body and limbs through the gentle touch and rhythmic tapping from the parent.

• Babies visually discover their body when they notice their hands. Clapping songs and finger-plays develop proprioception — the ability to sense their body’s orientation, limb movement and the effort being used to make these movements such as kicking, clapping and waving.

Tummy Time and Bouncy Songs: Sung bouncy songs such as “I’m a Little Tea Pot” and other traditional tummy time songs are helpful distractions, plus, they both engage and encourage baby to hold different body positions (which offer new viewpoints).

Instrument Play: Small instruments are wonderful tools to gain proprioception. As babies hold, shake, examine and bring the instruments to their mouths to explore, the nerve endings in their joints and muscles are busy sending messages to the brain, coordinating muscle control and movement.

Movement Games: We encourage crawling babies, with their unique and new perspective of being on all fours, to move throughout the classroom. With the use of puppets and other enticing props, you can initiate exploration and spatial concepts such as distance.

Walkers & Toddlers

Within Walkers & Toddler classes, we see the cooperation between the sensory systems emerging in children — smoothly navigating, avoiding obstacles, and understanding “concepts like near and far, right and left, up and down.” The spatial awareness activities we implement in class can be held live in your own living room too!

Creative Movement, Music and Ballet classes introduce the concepts of direction, distance and location.

• As children move across the floor, they begin to understand how each step brings an object in their viewpoint closer, while objects behind them appear smaller.
• Various musical moods and styles help develop balance and timing.
• While engaged in activity & play, your child will begin to appreciate the space around himself and the proximity of others around him.

Clean Up Time: Clean up time is a favorite activity for most toddlers. Putting objects in and out of containers helps them to understand spatial relationships, such as in, out, full, and empty.

A natural question in regards to this topic — what happens when the sensory systems are not working together properly (visual, vestibular, proprioceptive)? The pediatric therapist team of The Inspired Treehouse enlightens …

Problems with Spatial Awareness

“When a child has difficulty with spatial awareness, he may appear clumsy and uncoordinated, frequently tripping and falling or running into objects. He may struggle during interactions with other children, having difficulty maintaining his own body space while standing in line or moving through a crowded hallway.

This child may not have a solid understanding of spatial concepts, impacting his ability to follow directions during movement activities. He may even struggle with visual motor tasks like handwriting, drawing, and coloring — not leaving any space between his words (or leaving large spaces), or having difficulty keeping writing and coloring within the lines.” — The Inspired Treehouse

The spatial awareness activities below are robust, interactive gross motor challenges for children (we definitely champion for our age 3 to 5 students)

Spatial Awareness Activities recommended by The Inspired Treehouse

“One of the most popular posts at The Inspired Treehouse has been a group activity for kids called Rabbit Hole. This is an awesome way to give kids exposure to a variety of spatial awareness tasks, including navigating obstacles and maintaining awareness of how your body is moving in relation to the people around you. ” 

More favorites:

• Flaming Hoops
• Mirror, Mirror
• Wacky Relay
• Partner Obstacle Course
• 10 Fun Picnic Blanket Games

A sounding lesson I have learned as a mom and a teacher, and is a true pillar of The Inspired Treehouse: support your child as they jump, roll and run — PLAY — so that he can learn about his body, spatial relationships and his role within the world.

From tummy time as an infant to hula hooping as a 5 year old, your child will be reaching towards a myriad of complimentary developmental milestones including muscle strength, coordination, self-confidence, and independent thinking. — Kim

Questions on spatial awareness activities or care to share experiences that have helped your child make way (sometimes with grace), but more importantly, with ease — tweet @BubblesAcademy & @inspiredtree.

• The Bright Move: This post is a part of a collection of blogs leading into Fall 2014. The thoughtful, bright moves Bubbles Academy takes in the classroom and recommends for at-home, feature explorative play & arts based activities — encouraging healthy physical, cognitive and social development for your child. Like this post? Share with the hashtag #thebrightmove

Kim Schiefelbein is the Senior Director of Music and Community Programming at Bubbles Academy. A certified fitness instructor, Kim also leads the Stroller Fitness program.

Guest Authors: Pam, Lauren, and Claire are the creators of The Inspired Treehouse, a blog that’s centered around the belief that with a little help, kids can build strong, healthy bodies and minds through play. They are pediatric therapists and moms who are passionate about creating activities and sharing knowledge to promote development and wellness in kids.

The Best Spatial Awareness Toys and Activities

For kids that struggle with body awareness, position-in-space, and overall spatial understanding, spatial awareness toys are fun ways to develop a specific set of skills that impact function of every day tasks. Want to help kids become more aware of their body position, the space that they need to function, write, and perform tasks through play? Here we are talking spatial awareness toys!

Let’s talk toys to support spatial awareness skills.

Spatial Awareness Toys

In this post, we’ll cover a few different things:

• Spatial Awareness Definition
• Spatial awareness activities
• An easy spatial awareness tool for handwriting
• Spatial awareness toys

Kids are often motivated by play as a means to support development of skills. When games and toys develop skills in which they struggle, it can be meaningful and engaging for the child. They may not even realize they are developing those skill areas through play. Before we get to the toy ideas, let’s go over spatial awareness in more detail.

Spatial Awareness Definition

First, let’s cover the definition of spatial awareness. You might be thinking…ok, I know a child who might be having issues with awareness of space during functional tasks… But exactly what is spatial awareness?

The definition of Spatial Awareness is being aware of oneself in space. Incorporating body awareness, visual spatial skills, and orientation, spatial awareness involves positioning oneself and/or functional items (pencil, a ball, a bag of groceries, etc.) in relation to oneself and the world around.

Spatial awareness means several things:

• Awareness of spatial concepts can look like reaching for items without overshooting or missing the object.
• It can mean use of a map to navigate streets or a new middle school.
• It can incorporate spacing between letters and words in handwriting.
• It can mean navigating a crowded hallway while carrying a backpack and a stack of papers.

Being able to reason about the space around us, and how to manipulate objects in space, is a critical part of everyday life and everyday functional tasks. This specific skill allows us to safely cross a street, fold clothing, load the dishwasher, place objects in a locker, put together a piece of “some assembly required” furniture, and other functional cognitive tasks. And these skills are especially important for educational success in particular handwriting tasks, math, STEM, and science.

Most of us realize as we walk through a doorway that we need to space ourselves through the middle of the door.  Those with poor visual spatial skills may walk to closely to the sides and bump the wall.

Visual-spatial skills are used when a middle school or high school student uses a map to navigate a new school. Orienting yourself on the map and then relating that to the real world to make turns, movements in a large space takes a complex set of skills guided by visual spatial relations.

Spatial awareness skills also involve the fine motor tasks of coordinating handwriting with writing in spaces allowed on paper, placing letters within an area (lines), and forming letters in the correct direction.  

So what is spatial awareness? Let’s break it down even further…

Spatial awareness and spatial perception

Spatial Awareness can be broken into three areas, specifically related to spatial perception: position in space, depth perception, and topographical orientation.

1. Position in Space– where an object is in space in relation to yourself and others. This skill includes awareness of the way an object is oriented or turned.  It is an important concept in directional language such as in, out, up, down, in front of, behind, between, left, and right. Children with problems with this skill area will demonstrate difficulty planning actions in relation to objects around them.  They may write letter reversals after second grade.  They typically show problems with spacing letters and words on a paper.  
2. Depth Perception– Distances between a person and objects.  This ability helps us move in space. Grasping for a ball requires realizing where the ball is in relation to ourselves.  Kids with deficits in this area may have trouble catching a ball or walking/running/jumping over an obstacle. Copying words from a vertical plane onto a horizontal plane may be difficult and they will have trouble copying from a blackboard.  
3. Topographical Orientation– Location of objects in an environment, including obstacles and execution of travel in an area.  Kids with difficulties in this area may become lost easily or have difficulties finding their classroom after a bathroom break.

Visual Spatial Skills develop from an awareness of movements of the body.  If a child has true visual spatial skills, they will likely demonstrate difficulties with athletic performance, coordination, and balance.  They may appear clumsy, reverse letters and numbers in handwriting, and may tend to write from right to left across a page.  They will have difficulty placing letters on lines, forming letters correctly, and forming letters with appropriate size.   

When kids struggle with the ability to perceive where they are in space…when children are challenged to identify how much room they need to navigate the world around them…These are all examples of spatial awareness skills.

Letter size and use of margins also fall under the term “spatial awareness”. Use these spacing tool ideas to support spatial awareness in handwriting.You can use a spacing tool to support spatial awareness skills in kids.

visual spatial relations activities

Addressing spatial awareness can occur with a handwriting spacing tool like the one we made, but other spacing activities can help with visual spatial relations, too. Try some of these activities:

• Create an obstacle course using couch cushions, chairs, blankets, pillows, and other items in the house.
• Try this activity for teaching over, under, around, and through with pretend play.
• Create a paper obstacle course.  Draw obstacles on paper and have your child make his /her pencil go through the obstacles.  Draw circles, holes, mud pits, and mountains for them to draw lines as their pencil “climbs”, “jumps”, “rolls”, and even erases!
• Write words and letters on graph paper.  The lines will work as a guide and also a good spacing activity.
• Use stickers placed along the right margin of  to cue the student that they are nearing the edge of paper when writing.  
• Highlight writing lines on worksheets.
• Draw boxes for words on worksheets for them to write within.
• Play Simon Says
• Practice directions.  Draw arrows on a paper pointing up, down, left, and right.  Ask your child to point to the direction the arrow is pointing.  Then have them say the direction the arrows are pointing.  Then create actions for each arrow.  Up may be jumping. Down may be squatting. The Left arrow might be side sliding to the left, and the Right arrow might be a right high kick. Next, draw more rows of arrows in random order.  Ask your child to go through the motions and try to go faster and faster.

spatial awareness Activities  

For more multisensory learning and hands-on play incorporating the development of spatial awareness skills, visit these blog posts:

• Visit our Visual Motor Skills page for more activity ideas in all thing visual perception and kids!
• Visual Motor Skills for Kids
• Visual Figure Ground Activities
• Spatial Relations

Spatial Awareness Toys

This post contains affiliate links.

Looking for more tools to improve visual spatial awareness?  The toy ideas below are great for improving visual tracking and visual scanning in fun ways.  These toys, games, and ideas may be a great gift idea for little ones who have visual perceptual difficulties or problems with spacing and handwriting, body awareness in space, letter reversals, detail awareness, or maintaining place while reading.  

SO, save these ideas for grandparents and friends who might ask for gift ideas for birthdays and holidays.  These are some powerhouse spatial awareness ideas!

Practice spatial awareness with this Pull The String Board Game
threading toy. Kids can use a unique pen to create lined designs and come away with a project they made on their own…while working on spacing. 

  When working on spatial awareness in handwriting, kids can count the number of holes in the pegboard in this Quercetti Tecno Building Toy. Copy instructions to build 3D structures while working on spacing of pieces and awareness of details in this fun engineering toy.  

Mini erasers as a spacing tool. Kids can write while keeping the small eraser on their desk. When they space out words, use the eraser as a measuring tool, just like our button buddy. You can also encourage them to finish their writing task and then go back and check over their work for spatial concepts with the eraser. 

Practice spatial awareness of the edges of the page by using a Clear Rulers. Kids can place the ruler along the edge of the paper to know when to stop writing and to use as a visual cue. Sometimes kids try to squish a word in at the end of a line when there is not enough room. Line the ruler up along the edge and as they write, they can see that they are nearing the edge of the paper.     

Use a highlighter to draw dots between each word, to provide a visual cue for spacing between words. You can also draw a line along the edge of the paper for a visual cue that the child is nearing the edge of the paper. 

Wooden Building Blocks Sets are powerful ways to support spatial awareness development.

Spatial Awareness Games

One study found that children who play frequently with puzzles, construction, and board games tend to have better spatial reasoning ability. 

To get the whole family in on a spatial reasoning game while working on placement of pieces, try IQ Twist for a game of logic as you place pieces in this puzzle.

This related IQ Arrows game develops spatial relations but is great for adding to an occupational therapy bag. Use the arrows in play dough to work on directionality with heavy work through the hands. Make mini fine motor obstacle courses and other spatial relations activities on a smaller scale.

Kanoodle works on pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, and is a great way to practice spacing needed in handwriting.   

A toy like a geoboard allows a child to copy forms while counting out spaces of pegs. Try these Geoboards.

Here are more spatial awareness games and specifically spatial reasoning games:

• Mindware Q-bitz Jr.
• Qwirkle Board Game
• Labyrinth Family Board Game
• FoxMind Tangramino Spatial Logic and Visualization Game
• Connectors Mission Space 
• ThinkFun Shape by Shape Creative Pattern Logic Game
• Learning Resources Mental Blox Critical Thinking Game

Toys for Body in Space Awareness

These toys specifically address body awareness and directional awareness to help with overall spatial awareness development. Position in space impacts functioning in daily tasks at home and in the community. This plays a part in social emotional development and overall confidence as well. When a child feels confident in their body in space awareness, they can navigate the world around them with ease.

And, in regards to handwriting, sometimes, spacing problems on paper have to do with difficulties with directional awareness.

Use Arrows to start at the basics and practice naming left/write/top/bottom. Use them in whole-body movement activities where the child copies motions based on the arrow placement. Watch to make sure kids are not over stepping their allotted space. 

Use Wikki Stix for spacing on paper with physical cues for margins and spacing. Use the wikki sticks to space between words and a “ball” of the wikki stick to space between words.

Position in Space Toys

• Learning Resources Fox In The Box Position Word Activity Set
• Yoga Body Awareness and Exercise Fun Deck

More Occupational Therapy Toys

1. Fine Motor Toys 
2. Gross Motor Toys 
3. Pencil Grasp Toys 
4. Toys for Reluctant Writers 
5. Toys for Spatial Awareness 
6. Toys for Visual Tracking 
7. Toys for Sensory Play 
8. Bilateral Coordination Toys 
9. Games for Executive Functioning Skills 
10. Toys and Tools to Improve Visual Perception 
11. Toys to Help with Scissors Skills 
12. Toys for Attention and Focus

Colleen Beck, OTR/L is an occupational therapist with 20+ years experience, graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 2000. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. As the creator, author, and owner of the website and its social media channels, Colleen strives to empower those serving kids of all levels and needs. Want to collaborate? Send an email to [email protected].

90,000 spatial representations in preschoolers: Features of development

Content

• 1 Stages of the formation of spatial representations in preschool children
• 2 The role of artistic activity in the awareness of space
  • 2.1 The impact of drawing on the formation of spatial representations
  • 2.2 Awareness of spatial relations through the design of

666666

• 3 Games for the development of spatial representations in children

When a child hits every ledge in the apartment, or tries to get something from the bottom step of the stairs while on the top, it can cause serious bruising. The reason for such careless behavior of children is the peculiarity of the perception of space at this age. Spatial representations in preschoolers develop gradually. Generalized knowledge of space, which allows good orientation, is formed only by the older preschool age.

Stages of formation of spatial representations in preschoolers

By the end of the first year of life, the baby already correlates the object with a certain place in space. In fact, as soon as the child begins to walk, the active development of visual-spatial coordination starts. But awareness of spatial relationships comes later.

In developmental psychology, there are stages in the development of spatial representations in preschool children. These stages do not have clear boundaries, however, they outline an approximate picture of the child’s progress on the path of awareness of the surrounding space.

By the age of three, a child has only a basic understanding of spatial references. He responds to the call of an adult to look up or go forward, turn back or look at his feet.

As for the description of the location of something, the kids are limited to the words “here”, “there”, “here”. This is the first level of generating spatial representations. And the highest achievement during this period can be considered the distinction of the baby’s own hands – which of them is right and which is left.

At the second stage the child masters the left and right sides. But to determine where is left and where is right, can only be relative to itself. The kid does not know why the mother is standing in front of him and does not agree with his opinion, where is her right hand. “For”, “before”, “under”, “above” and approximate designations are clear and are actively used after 4 years.

Spatial representations of senior preschoolers must correspond to the third stage . At this stage, children easily determine the direction not only in relation to themselves, but also in relation to any object. They are also able to build a model of a certain space. For example, draw a plan of a room or model a courtyard.

Purposeful training of children in spatial modeling contributes to the development of their spatial orientation.

The role of artistic activity in the awareness of space

Artistic activity is a direction where one cannot do without understanding the mutual arrangement of objects, without organizing space. In addition, children begin to master this type of activity in its simple forms from the early preschool age. Accordingly, they receive the conditions under which spatial representations are assimilated on the basis of practical experience.

Drawing and designing, as areas of artistic activity, help a preschooler to form ideas about form, size, proportion, symmetry.

The influence of drawing on the formation of spatial representations

In order to realize his creative idea on paper, a small artist, willy-nilly, has to take into account the space of the sheet. Younger preschoolers are not yet able to correlate the sizes of the depicted objects. And the edges of the sheet do not always stop them: the drawing on paper does not fit – the child draws it on the table.

Spatial relationships for preschoolers begin to manifest themselves more clearly when they move on to creating story drawings.

If a child decides to draw a house, a tree and the sun, then he will definitely adhere to the natural order. And the sun will shine over the house, and not at the bottom of the leaf.

Provided that it was also planned to depict the characters in this picture, and there is no “correct” place for them, a 5-year-old child will not depict them in the supposed sky. He will either change his mind, or take a clean slate to start all over again.

After the age of 6, a preschooler makes significant progress in understanding the space of a sheet. For him, not only the top and bottom of the picture, the left and right sides, but also the center are important.

In the center the child (often unconsciously) places the object that plays the most significant role for him. Older preschoolers try to take into account the proportionality of the depicted objects.

Improving in visual activity, the child develops his ability to perceive space in its more complex connections.

Awareness of spatial relationships through construction

Constructive activity significantly advances the preschooler in the awareness of spatial representations, since it creates conditions for the realization of the main functions and characteristics of real structures. The child is building a bridge so that a car can be rolled over it. He undertook to build a tower – he will definitely come up with a completion for it, for example, with a peaked roof.

Construction helps to represent objects in different spatial positions. Recreating buildings according to a model or in accordance with a plan, the child isolates the elements and establishes spatial connections between these elements (what to put lower and what is higher, which side to attach the “brick”, etc. ).

Attaching details above, below, below, above – all this is training the preschooler’s spatial perception.

Before drawing or constructing a specific object, a preschooler identifies its characteristic features (perhaps not objective, but only somehow catchy to the child’s perception). The signs are analyzed, compared with those already known to the child. Thus, new representations give a stimulus to the development of spatial thinking.

Games for the development of spatial representations in children

Today there are many ready-made games for children to help develop spatial representations.

All kinds of railroads, road junctions will be of great benefit if the child does not just move cars or trailers along them, but acts according to the instructions of an adult.

When dad or mom set the route, and even with numerous turns and crossings, the child is doubly interested. In an effort to avoid mistakes, he listens, firmly remembers where these “left-right” are, develops the arbitrariness of attention and movements.

Useful and exciting passage through the labyrinths. It can be both a game on the ground and drawn labyrinths.

Again, using ready-made labyrinths drawn on a sheet, you can get a double benefit if you set the task for the child to draw a line of passage with a pencil so that it does not touch the walls of the path. This will be an effective training in the development of fine motor skills.

To overcome a labyrinth on the ground, you will first have to create it – lay out paths with pebbles, draw on the ground, depict with jump ropes, etc. Such labyrinths turn out to be simple, but children are interested already at the stage of creation.

The game “Guess where it’s hidden” is aimed at developing spatial representations of preschoolers.

In this game, the child must immediately agree on what object will be hidden. After the host determines the object in a place hidden from the field of vision (the player stands with his eyes closed), they begin to search.

The facilitator turns the participant around, he opens his eyes and follows the instructions: “Take two steps in any direction, turn right (or left, depending on where the hidden object is), take 3 steps. Now you are a little closer to the find. Take two more steps in the direction you feel is right.” The flexible instruction game lasts until the participant is close to the cache. Then follows the command to search at arm’s length.

Such games are of great interest to older preschoolers, they develop the ability to navigate in space and firmly reinforce spatial representations.

Formation of spatial perception in preschool children

%PDF-1.5
%
10 obj
>
/Metadata 4 0 R
>>
endobj
5 0 obj
/Title
>>
endobj
20 obj
>
endobj
3 0 obj
>
endobj
40 obj
>
stream

Lozhkina N.A.1.52017-11-28T13:19:44+05:002017-11-28T13:19:44+05:00

endstream
endobj
6 0 obj
>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
/XObject>
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595. 32 841.92]
/Contents[106 0 R 107 0 R 108 0 R]
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 0
/Annots [109 0R]
>>
endobj
70 obj
>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/Annots [111 0 R 112 0 R 113 0 R 114 0 R 115 0 R 116 0 R 117 0 R 118 0 R 119 0 R 120 0 R
121 0 R 122 0 R 123 0 R 124 0 R 125 0 R 126 0 R 127 0 R 128 0 R 129 0 R 130 0 R
131 0 R 132 0 R 133 0 R 134 0 R 135 0 R 136 0 R]
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 137 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 1
>>
endobj
80 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 139 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 28
>>
endobj
9 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 141 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 29
>>
endobj
10 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 142 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 30
>>
endobj
11 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595. 32 841.92]
/Contents 143 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 31
>>
endobj
12 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 144 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 32
>>
endobj
13 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 145 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 33
>>
endobj
14 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 146 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 34
>>
endobj
15 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 147 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 35
>>
endobj
16 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 148 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 36
>>
endobj
17 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 149 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 37
>>
endobj
18 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595. 32 841.92]
/Contents 150 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 38
>>
endobj
19 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 151 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 39
>>
endobj
20 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 152 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 40
>>
endobj
21 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 153 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 41
>>
endobj
22 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 154 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 42
>>
endobj
23 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 155 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 43
>>
endobj
24 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 156 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 44
>>
endobj
25 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595. 32 841.92]
/Contents 157 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 45
>>
endobj
26 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 158 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 46
>>
endobj
27 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 159 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 47
>>
endobj
28 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 160 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 48
>>
endobj
29 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 161 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 49
>>
endobj
30 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 162 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 50
>>
endobj
31 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 163 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 51
>>
endobj
32 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595. 32 841.92]
/Contents 165 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 52
>>
endobj
33 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/XObject>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 167 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 53
>>
endobj
34 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 168 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 54
>>
endobj
35 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 169 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 55
>>
endobj
36 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 170 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 56
>>
endobj
37 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 171 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 57
>>
endobj
38 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/XObject>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595. 32 841.92]
/Contents 173 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 58
>>
endobj
39 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 174 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 59
>>
endobj
40 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/XObject>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 176 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 60
>>
endobj
41 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 177 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 61
>>
endobj
42 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 178 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 62
>>
endobj
43 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 179 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 63
>>
endobj
44 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841. 92]
/Contents 180 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 64
>>
endobj
45 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 181 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 65
>>
endobj
46 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 182 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 66
>>
endobj
47 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 183 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 67
>>
endobj
48 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 184 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 68
>>
endobj
49 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 185 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 69
>>
endobj
50 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 186 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 70
>>
endobj
51 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595. 32 841.92]
/Contents 187 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 71
>>
endobj
52 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 188 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 72
>>
endobj
53 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 189 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 73
>>
endobj
54 0 obj
>
/Font>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 841.92 595.32]
/Contents 190 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 74
>>
endobj
55 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 841.92 595.32]
/Contents 192 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 75
>>
endobj
56 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 841.92 595.32]
/Contents 193 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 76
>>
endobj
57 0 obj
>
/Font>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 841.92 595.32]
/Contents 194 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 77
>>
endobj
58 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 841. 92 595.32]
/Contents 195 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 78
>>
endobj
59 0 obj
>
/Font>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 196 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 79
>>
endobj
60 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 197 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 80
>>
endobj
61 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 198 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 81
>>
endobj
62 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 199 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 82
>>
endobj
63 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 200 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 83
>>
endobj
64 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 201 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 84
>>
endobj
65 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595. 32 841.92]
/Contents 202 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 85
>>
endobj
66 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 204 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 86
>>
endobj
67 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 205 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 87
>>
endobj
68 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 206 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 88
>>
endobj
69 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 207 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 89
>>
endobj
70 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 208 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 90
>>
endobj
71 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 209 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 91
>>
endobj
72 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595. 32 841.92]
/Contents 210 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 92
>>
endobj
73 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 211 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 93
>>
endobj
74 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 212 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 94
>>
endobj
75 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 213 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 95
>>
endobj
76 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 214 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 96
>>
endobj
77 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 215 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 97
>>
endobj
78 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 216 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 98
>>
endobj
79 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/XObject>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595. 32 841.92]
/Contents 221 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 99
>>
endobj
80 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/XObject>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 225 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 100
>>
endobj
81 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 226 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 101
>>
endobj
82 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 227 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 102
>>
endobj
83 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 228 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 103
>>
endobj
84 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 229 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 104
>>
endobj
85 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595. 32 841.92]
/Contents 230 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 105
>>
endobj
86 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 231 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 106
>>
endobj
87 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/XObject>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 233 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 107
>>
endobj
88 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 234 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 108
>>
endobj
89 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/XObject>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 236 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 109
>>
endobj
90 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 237 0R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 110
>>
endobj
91 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/XObject>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595. 32 841.92]
/Contents 239 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 111
>>
endobj
92 0 obj
>
/ExtGState>
/XObject>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 241 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 112
>>
endobj
93 0 obj
>
/XObject>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 243 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 113
>>
endobj
94 0 obj
>
/XObject>
/ProcSet [/PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI]
>>
/MediaBox [0 0 595.32 841.92]
/Contents 245 0 R
/group>
/Tabs /S
/StructParents 114
>>
endobj
95 0 obj
>
endobj
96 0 obj
>
endobj
970 obj
>
endobj
98 0 obj
>
endobj
99 0 obj
>
endobj
100 0 obj
>
endobj
101 0 obj
>
endobj
102 0 obj
>
endobj
103 0 obj
>
endobj
104 0 obj
>
endobj
105 0 obj
>
stream
x

Formation of spatial orientation in older preschoolers | Notes of classes, OOD

Author: Gogoleva Svetlana Petrovna

Organization: MBDOU d / s No. 36

Settlement: Nizhny Novgorod region, Arzamas city

Orientation in space and time and is the most important property of the human psyche. Many studies reveal the main role of mastering the subject and social space in building a complete picture of the world by a child, realizing his place in it. Orientation in space has an impact on the development of self-awareness, personality and is an integral part of the process of socialization.

An analysis of the genesis of orientation in space shows that it develops as a special holistic sensory-perceptual ability and is based on the mastery of socially conditioned, cultural methods of perception, reproduction (modeling), transformation of spatial relations. In the early stages of development, its formation is associated with the appearance in the child of a sense of his own body, the development of movements, object-practical activities, hand-eye coordination. The next, another important step is to master the sign (gestural, verbal, graphic) culture, which transforms the practical experience of the child, leads to the formation of special, generalized representations suitable for modeling space, its transformation in mental terms.

The problem of spatial orientation and the formation of spatial representations is one of the most complex and urgent scientific problems, since orientation in space as a psychological phenomenon in its various forms plays an important role in the processes of biological and social interaction of a person with the environment.

Preschool age is a time of rapid development of spatial representations. Pedagogical research shows that spatial distinctions arise very early, but are a very complex process than the distinctions of the quality of an object. Different analyzers (kinesthetic, tactile, visual, auditory, olfactory) participate in the formation of spatial representations, orientation in space. In younger preschoolers, kinesthetic and visual analyzers play a special role.

For a preschool child, the main way of development is empirical generalization, generalization of one’s sensory experience. The accumulation of sensory experience is associated with the child’s sensory abilities, “processing” is provided by intellectual abilities. To do this, it is necessary to provide conditions for observation and experimentation. Thus, for a preschooler, the content should be sensually perceived, and allows him to actively experiment, the result of which will be the development of the child on the path of knowing the world around him.

The problem of spatial orientation and the formation of correct spatial concepts and representations is the most relevant in the field of pedagogy and psychology, because spatial orientation underlies human cognitive activity. The main goal of the formation of spatial representations is the improvement of the sensory experience of spatial discrimination and, on this basis, the creation of a basis for reflecting space in a conceptual and logical form. The system of work on the development of spatial orientation among preschoolers includes: orientation “on oneself” and mastering the “scheme of one’s own body”; orientation “to external objects” and selection of various sides of objects: front, back, top, bottom, side; development and application of the verbal reference system in the main spatial directions: forward – backward, up – down, right – left; determination of the location of objects in space “from oneself”, when the starting point of reference is fixed on the subject itself; determination of one’s own position in space (“standing points”) relative to various objects, while the reference point is localized on another person or on some object; determination of the spatial arrangement of objects relative to each other; determination of the spatial arrangement of objects when oriented on a plane; determination of their placement relative to each other and in relation to the plane on which they are located. At preschool age, it is necessary to pay attention to practical activities, during which spatial representations and concepts develop. One of these activities is design.

Construction is commonly understood as various buildings made of building material, making crafts from paper, cardboard, wood and other materials. Constructive activity is a practical activity aimed at obtaining a specific, pre-conceived real product that corresponds to its functional purpose. When designing for the development of spatial orientations, games are widely used using developing didactic material.

• Sticks H. Kuisener . A set of colored Kuizener sticks consists of 116 sticks (prisms), which differ in color (10 colors) and length. With the help of this didactic material, one can not only divide the whole into parts, measure objects by conditional standards, which helps to memorize the composition of a number from units, and brings one closer to mathematical operations. Laying out figures from the albums “On the Golden Porch”, “House with Bells”, “Magic Paths”, “Land of Blocks and Sticks”, children develop spatial representations and skills of practical spatial orientation.

Gyenesch logic blocks . The didactic material is a set of 48 logical blocks that differ in four properties: shape – round, square, triangular, rectangular; color – red, yellow, blue; size – large and small; thick – thick and thin. The use of logical blocks in games with preschoolers models important concepts not only in mathematics and computer science, but also contributes to the development of spatial orientations. Games and exercises using this manual are presented in the albums “Let’s play together”, “Gyenesh blocks for the smallest”, “Search for the sunken treasure”.

“Fold the pattern” cubes B. P. Nikitina . The didactic material “Fold the pattern” consists of 16 identical cubes. All 6 faces of each cube are painted differently, in 4 colors. This allows you to make 1, 2, 3- and even 4-color patterns from them in a large number of options. With children who have difficulty in spatial orientation, work begins with the use of patterns of 4 cubes. The sample is laid out by the teacher, the child collects his figure nearby. You can then move on to using the printed pattern with the grid.

square “B. P. Nikitin. square” is a simplified form of a puzzle where you need to assemble an even and whole square from different pieces. Didactic material “Fold the square” is presented in three options of varying degrees of complexity. They differ in the number of components of the square. Folding squares from multi-colored pieces of various shapes, the child performs several types of work. The performance of game tasks contributes to the development of intelligence, spatial imagination, logical thinking, mathematical and creative abilities of preschool children. The main objective of the square manual is to learn how to fold a square of 2–7 parts, using the principle from simple to complex, to develop spatial orientation and creative design skills. “Square” V. V. Voskobovich . The square is made of dense fabric, on which triangles made of lightweight plastic in contrasting colors are pasted on both sides. The square can be two- or four-colored. Designed for the development of fine motor skills, spatial imagination, logic in children. There are many options for the development of spatial representations with the Voskobovich square: the child makes figures according to the model; an adult tells a fairy tale to a child, in the process of telling the story, making the key figures of the fairy tale with the help of a square, then the child himself must assemble the figures; with the help of an adult, a child can invent a fairy tale about the transformations of a square; together with the child, you can come up with what else this or that figure looks like. First, the child is introduced to the square in a playful way: “Getting acquainted with the square”, then the child is taught to add figures. Children fold the forms together with the teacher according to the show; they get acquainted with the scheme of phased addition; independently fold forms using diagrams. “Transparent ice floes” by V. V. Voskobovich . The set includes 30 square transparent plates. One plate is completely painted in blue, while on the others only part of the square is painted over. The tasks in the manual are divided into three groups. In the first group of tasks there are tasks for the analysis of geometric shapes and the ratio of part and whole, in the second – for drawing up squares from various parts and various figures, and in the third – “Vertical Dominoes”. Tasks are aimed at mastering the structure of geometric shapes, their size; development of the ability to make geometric shapes from parts, understanding the relationship between the whole and the part; development of the ability to design subject silhouettes by imposing or applying plates, developing the skill of spatial orientation, attention, memory, develop creativity, speech, fine motor skills of hands. The child puts each other’s plates on top of the other, combines the shaded parts and makes geometric figures or subject silhouettes from them. Subject silhouettes can also be obtained by applying geometric figures on the plates to each other, spatial problems are solved.

Geometric puzzle games Tangram, Pythagoras, Mongolian Game, Columbus Egg, Vietnamese Game, Magic Circle, Pentamimo. These games represent parts of a cut figure: a square, rectangle, circle or oval for drawing planar images of objects, animals, birds, houses, ships, etc. , develop the creative and speech abilities of children. It is important that during the lessons the teacher monitors his speech, accurately and correctly uses spatial concepts, clearly reflects in his speech the spatial arrangement of elements. It is desirable that the teacher more often ask the child himself to tell about what he is doing now, what he will do later. Speech in this case is a way of analyzing a visual situation or motor actions that motivate speech activity and contribute to the formation of a system of lexical and grammatical means of the language, reflecting the whole variety of spatial relationships between objects. It is necessary to encourage children to independently use spatial concepts to master space and ensure the transfer of acquired knowledge and skills to other activities. All these games represent parts of a certain figure: a square, a rectangle, a circle or an oval for drawing up planar images of objects, animals, birds, houses, ships, etc. Constructing from different materials, preschool children include the maximum number of analyzers in their work, which makes it possible to achieve positive results. results in the development of spatial orientation. These games are very interesting for children, increase efficiency in the classroom, develop creative and speech abilities of children.

Literature:

1. Akhaltseva, E. N. Formation of spatial representations in older preschoolers with general underdevelopment of speech // Speech therapist – 2008. – No. 4. – P.4–2

2. Burachevskaya, O. V. Art technologies as a means of developing spatial perception and spatial representations in preschoolers with general speech underdevelopment / O. V. Burachevskaya // Innovative pedagogical technologies: materials of the II Intern. scientific conf. (Kazan, May 2015). – Kazan: Buk, 2015. – P. 139-142.

3. Burachevskaya, OV Features of perception of space by older preschoolers with general underdevelopment of speech / OV Burachevskaya // Young scientist. – 2015. – No. 8. – S. 840-846.

4. Burachevskaya, OV Techniques and methods of psychological and pedagogical work on the development of spatial perception and spatial representations in preschoolers with general underdevelopment of speech / OV Burachevskaya // Young scientist. – 2015. – No. 9. – S. 1235–1238.

5. Komarova, L. D. Games and exercises for teaching mathematics to children aged 5–7 years / L. D. Komarova — M., 2011.

6. Maliovanova, E. L. Development of spatial representations as a prevention of academic failure // Preschool education – 2008. – No. 11. – P. 67–74.

7. Ezikeeva V.A., Komarova T.S., Lebedeva E.V. , Khalezova N.B. — M., 1991.

8. Nikitin, B.P. Intellectual games / B. P. Nikitin — Samara, 2000.

9. Pavlova, T. A. The development of spatial orientation in preschoolers and younger schoolchildren. – M., 2004.

Published: 26.02.2022

Development of spatial orientation in children with complex developmental defects using productive activities in the preschool group

Preschool age is a period of intensive development of spatial representations.

When there is a combination of cerebral palsy and intellectual impairment, violations of spatial representations are numerous, persistent, pronounced and cannot be corrected without special pedagogical influence. However, in the specialized literature there is not enough information about how correctional and pedagogical work should be built on the formation of spatial representations in preschool children with a complex disorder (a combination of cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities). To solve this issue, I developed a system of correctional and developmental work aimed at the formation of spatial representations in preschool children with complex developmental defects. As a means of forming spatial representations, games and exercises using productive activities were chosen. The development of spatial representations in this category of children goes through the same stages as in children with a developmental norm. However, the development of spatial representations in children with cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities is grossly impaired.

The development of productive activities goes through 5 stages, each stage has its own tasks and games:

At the first stage the child has not yet identified spatial relationships. He perceives the surrounding objects as separate, without being aware of the spatial relationships that exist between them.

For the formation of spatial orientation in children on their own body, the following games are played: “Sun”, “Roll a ball”, “Handles”, etc. , which are based on knowledge of the spatial arrangement of individual parts of the body and face, including symmetrical ones (right or left leg, arm, etc.). Thanks to these games, children master the orientation “on themselves”. The ability to focus “on oneself” is a prerequisite for the transition to the next level of development.

The second stage is characterized by the first attempts to perceive spatial relationships. However, the accuracy of estimating these relationships is still relative.

At this level, children form and develop orientation “away from themselves”, the following tasks are used: “Funny train”, “Decorate the Christmas tree”, “Shop”, etc., which help children to distinguish between the main groups of directions (forward – backward, up – down, right, left). The development of spatial directions is inextricably linked with the knowledge of the sides of one’s own body.

The third stage is characterized by further improvement in the perception of the spatial arrangement of objects. The definition of spatial relations by the method of contact proximity is replaced by a distant, visual assessment of these relations. An important role in the correct assessment of the relationship between objects is played by the word, which contributes to their more accurate differentiation. Assimilation by children of the meaning of spatial prepositions and adverbs allows them to more accurately comprehend and evaluate the location of objects and the relationships between them.

The formation of children’s ability to determine the position of one or another object in relation to another with a word, to use the orientation “on oneself”, “away from oneself” on various objects, allow the child to understand the meaning of such spatial prepositions as in, under, behind, on. This is facilitated by tasks and games: “Snowman”, “Housewarming”, “Make a picture”, etc.

Work on the development of spatial perception in three-dimensional space occurs at the fourth stage . For this, it is useful to use the creation of three-dimensional structures, including the origami technique.

In order to develop in children an understanding of the spatial relationships between objects, as well as the variability and relativity of spatial relationships, games and tasks are conducted in which children are taught to organize these relationships: “Layout”, “Help me find a mouse”, “Where will you go and what you will find”, etc.

At the fifth stage , work is underway on the formation of skills to navigate on a plane (two-dimensional space). First of all, it is necessary to explain the meaning of the expressions in the center, in the middle, on the right, on the left, on the side, on the top, on the bottom, on the side on the right, on the side – on the left, left (right) upper corner, left (right) lower corner, upper ( bottom) line, etc., then offer a number of practical tasks to consolidate this knowledge. The proposed tasks are aimed at developing the ability to determine the upper and lower edges of the plane, its right and left sides, to find the middle of the plane: “Geometric dictation”, “City”, “Name the neighbors”, etc.

At this level, I develop in children the ability to draw lines on a sheet of paper from top to bottom and from left to right: “rain”, “paths”, “ribbons”, etc.

The following points testify to the positive results of the project:

1. The development of spatial orientation in children: from the child’s mastery of orientation on his own body, on knowledge of the spatial arrangement of individual parts of the body, to the formation of skills to navigate on a plane.

2. Formation of orienting activity, which is realized in the form of perceptual actions – actions of looking, listening, feeling, and also contributes to the development of spatial orientation.

3. Increasing interest in educational activities in children with cerebral palsy and intellectual impairment.

1.3 Characterization of spatial representations in children with dysarthria.

Features of speech therapy work on the development of spatial representations in children of the fourth year of life with dysarthria

Features of speech therapy work on the development of spatial representations in children of the fourth year of life with dysarthria

diploma work

The study of spatial representations in children with dysarthria was carried out by R.I. Martynov [36], E.F. Arkhipova [4], E.N. Vinarskaya [7].

The formation of spatial representations is one of the most important sections of the mental education of children with dysarthria. Knowledge about space, spatial orientation develop in the conditions of various types of schoolchildren’s activities: in games, observations, labor processes, in drawing and designing.

The following features of mental activity in children with dysarthria can be distinguished:

lagging behind in the development of visual forms of thinking;

· difficulties in forming the sphere of images-representations;

· the complexity of creating a whole from parts and isolating parts from a whole;

· difficulties in spatial manipulation of images;

· reproductive nature of children’s activities, reduced ability to create new images creatively;

· the process of formation of mental operations is slowed down: children find it difficult to compare objects, making a comparison according to random features, while even finding it difficult to distinguish signs of difference.

R.I. Martynova draws attention to the fact that with dysarthria there is a certain correspondence between the nature and degree of impaired thinking and the severity of the speech defect. In children with mild forms of dysarthria, there is only a slight weakening of mental activity, passing by the type of asthenia with a pronounced decrease in the functions of attention and memory, and in severe cases, mental retardation or even oligophrenia.

Speaking about the state of such mental functions as attention, memory, thinking in children with dysarthria, the following peculiarity can be noted: many children are characterized by a slow formation of spatio-temporal representations, optical-spatial gnosis, and constructive praxis.

Children experience particular difficulties in mastering the concept of size, they do not single out and do not designate individual parameters of size (length, width, height, thickness) The process of analyzing perception is difficult: children do not know how to distinguish the main structural elements of an object, their spatial relationship, small details. We can talk about the slow pace of the formation of a holistic image of the subject, which is reflected in the problems associated with art.

Also, children find it difficult to compare objects, making comparisons based on random features, and even find it difficult to distinguish features of difference. For example, answering the question: “How are people and animals different?”, the child says: “People have slippers, but animals do not.” However, unlike mentally retarded children, after receiving help, children perform the proposed tasks at a higher, close to normal level.

In children with dysarthria, the formation of interanalyzer connections, which underlie complex activities, is slowed down. Deficiencies in visual-motor, auditory-visual-motor coordination are noted. In the future, these shortcomings hinder the mastery of reading and writing. The insufficiency of intersensory interaction is manifested in the lack of a sense of rhythm, difficulties in the formation of spatial orientations.

By the end of the fourth year of life, children with dysarthria develop such knowledge about space as: shape (rectangle, square, circle, oval, triangle), size (big, small, more, less, the same), length (long, short , wide, narrow, high, left, right), position in space and spatial relationship (in the middle, right, left, closer, further, front, back, behind, in front).

Mastering the indicated knowledge about space implies: the ability to identify and distinguish spatial features, correctly name them and include adequate verbal designations in expressive speech, navigate in spatial relationships when performing various operations associated with active actions.

The full value of mastering knowledge about space, the ability to spatial orientation is provided by the interaction of motor-kinesthetic, visual and auditory analyzers in the course of performing various types of child activities aimed at active cognition of the surrounding reality.

The development of spatial orientation and the idea of ​​space occurs in close connection with the formation of a sense of the scheme of one’s body, with the expansion of children’s practical experience, with a change in the structure of object-game action associated with further improvement of motor skills. The emerging spatial representations are reflected and further developed in the subject-playing, visual, constructive and everyday activities of children.

Qualitative changes in the formation of spatial perception are associated with the development of speech in children, with their understanding and active use of verbal designations of spatial relations, expressed by prepositions, adverbs.

Mastery of knowledge about space involves the ability to identify and distinguish spatial features and relationships, the ability to verbally designate them correctly, to navigate in spatial relationships when performing various labor operations based on spatial representations. An important role in the development of spatial perception is played by design and modeling, the inclusion of verbal designations adequate to the actions of children in expressive speech.

Thus, spatial representations in children with dysarthria are characterized by a slow formation of spatiotemporal representations, optical-spatial gnosis, constructive praxis, difficulties in mastering ideas about size, comparing objects. The development of spatial orientation occurs with the expansion of the practical experience of children. It can also be noted that in children with dysarthria, a fragmented strategy of image perception is observed.

DEVELOPMENT OF SPATIAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE OLDER PRESCHOOL

##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##

Aigul Syzdykbaeva

Aigerim Baikulova

Bakytgul Moldagali

Abstract

The article reveals the problem of the development of spatial representations of an older preschooler. The authors define the concepts of “space”, “spatial representations of an older preschooler”. Spatial representations in the study are presented as an activity that includes determining the shape, size, location and movement of objects relative to each other and one’s own body, relative to surrounding objects. A program for diagnosing the level of development of spatial representations of an older preschooler is presented. The indicators (perceptions of one’s own body; perceptions of the relationship between external objects and the body; understanding and use of prepositions and some concepts; the ability to navigate on a sheet of paper in a cage) and the levels of development of spatial perceptions of an older preschooler (low, medium, high) were determined. The results of experimental work on the introduction of a system of effective exercises for the development of spatial representations of an older preschooler are presented. In the study, ideas about space in children are also created in various types of children’s activities: cognitive research, visual, musical, motor and play. The degree of development of the child’s spatial representations depends on his success in further education at school. The authors have developed methodological recommendations for the development of spatial representations of an older preschooler for future educators.

Enthusiasm

Entitlement data not yet available.

##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##

Yak citovati

Syzdykbaeva, A., Baikulova, A., & Moldagali, B. (2021). DEVELOPMENT OF SPATIAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE OLDER PRESCHOOL CHILD. InterConf , (46), 159-180. https://doi.org/10.51582/interconf.19-20.03.2021.017

Distributed

Articles

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Posilannya

1. Karazanu V. Orientation in space // Theory and methods of development of elementary mathematical concepts in preschoolers: Reader in 6 parts. – Part IV-VI. – St. Petersburg, 1994. -125 p.
2. Morgacheva I.N. Child in space // Methodological guide. St. Petersburg: “CHILDHOOD-PRESS”, 2009. – 212 p.
3. Model curriculum for preschool education and upbringing. Acting order Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated August 12, 2016, No. 499.
4. Belyakova O.G. Development of spatial representations. – M.: Enlightenment, 2011. – 530 p.
5. Kurmaeva I.V., Belova O.R., Medvedeva E.Yu. Development of spatial representations in older preschoolers // Vector of the development of modern science. Collection of materials of the X International Scientific and Practical Conference, 2016. – P.656-659.
6. Chebotareva N.P. Formation of spatial relations among older preschoolers in the process of using elements of game pedagogical technology / Actual tasks of pedagogy: materials of the VIII Intern. scientific conf. – Moscow: Buki-Vedi, 2017. – P.75-77.
7. Burachevskaya O.V. Spatial and spatio-temporal representations as a basic component of a child’s mental development, 2016. – No. 1. – P.21–24.
8. Gradova G.N. Scientific and theoretical foundations for the study of spatial representations in preschoolers / Scientific research and their practical application. Current state and ways of development: Pedagogy, psychology and sociology. – Odessa: Chernomorye, 2009. – S. 41-49.
9. Museyibova T.A. Formation of some spatial orientations // Theory and Methods of Development of Elementary Mathematical Representations in Preschoolers: A Reader in 6 Parts. – Part IV-VI. – St. Petersburg, 1994. – 360 p.
10. Govorova R. To the question of the development of spatial representations in preschoolers // Theory and methods of development of elementary mathematical representations in preschoolers: Reader in 6 parts. – Part IV-VI. – St. Petersburg: Peter, 1994. – S. 45-48.
11. Veraksa N.E. Formation of spatio-temporal representations in preschool children // Education, training and mental development / Ed. V.V. Davydov and others – Part 1. – M., 1977. – P.6-7.
12. Museyibova T.A. The genesis of the reflection of space and spatial orientations in preschool children // Theory and methods of development of elementary mathematical representations in preschoolers: Reader in 6 parts. – Part IV-VI. – St. Petersburg, 1994. -303 p.
13. Krushelnitskaya O.