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Children should recognise where they are on a plan, travel successfully to and from objects and locations on the ground and recognise symbols and pictures, and relate them to a diagram

• Show the children a large-scale map or plan of their classroom, hall or school.
• Help them to recognise the drawing as a symbol or plan, and to see different shapes, eg squares, circles, in different areas, eg PE apparatus.
• Help children to draw their own plan of an area.
• Help children to observe, recognise and move around large shapes, and to link them to a diagram or map.

Play a game – point to an area on the plan of the hall/playground/field and ask them to run and sit there. Praise those who are successful in selecting the right place.

• Teach children how to find objects on a drawing or diagram by recognising symbols.

Play a simple orienteering game using photos of ‘control’ locations instead of compass bearings etc.

• Teach children how to hold or orientate their diagram or map.

Try using photos of the hall (for example) and ask children to make sure they’re the right way around, then move on to drawings, then move on to plans and maps of larger areas.

Children should be able to follow simple routes and trails, orientating themselves successfully

• Ask the children to travel from a base to an object and back again.

This should tie in with some of the above activities quite effectively.

Try out on the field – have a selection of photos of areas of the school. Ask the children to go to where they think the photo shows. Praise those who have selected correctly.

• Teach children to follow a route and to recognise where they are.

Plan a simple route – a map and photos of locations around the school. Ask children (in pairs?) to follow this route.

• Create activities such as scavenger hunts or treasure hunts using simple clues.

You could use a map to show some locations where items/clues are to be found.

Teach them where to start, what to record or collect, and how to check their answers.

Talk to them about the different areas they must work in and how to get from one place to another.

Children should be able to solve simple challenges and problems successfully and work as part of a group

• Help the children to explain the rules for a problem they have been set.

Keep rules simple!

• Encourage them to talk about ways to solve the problem.

Build talking time into problem-solving..

• Help them to describe a plan and allocate roles in the group or pair.

Perhaps give each group a piece of flipchart paper on which to plan.

• Stop the children as they work and ask them to think about what they are doing. Help them to compare their ideas with others.
• Remind them of the rules for the activity.

Some ideas for problems to solve:

• See how many things you can rescue from the ‘river’ without putting any part of your body, including your hands, into the river area. The river is marked by two lines (rope or benches). You can only use the equipment you find on the river bank to help you, eg skipping ropes, plastic hockey sticks, small bats. Work as a team to get everything out.

• Use the same ‘river’ and ask the group to cross it on stepping stones. The stepping stones come with conditions: only one person on each stone at a time; each stone can be moved; give the group fewer stones than they need to cross the river so they have to ‘recycle’ the stones; stones can be passed hand-to-hand but not thrown.

• Make up an exciting story to add interest to the problem solving activity.

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