Spatial reasoning skills play an important role in young children’s academic success. Preschool is a great time to foster the growth of these skills! With spatial skills children can identify and manipulate shapes, understand how objects move and begin learning how to read maps and diagrams. Here’s how you can help your preschool students build spatial skills while in the classroom:
- Use Spatial Language
When you use spatial language, you’re referring to the size, shape and orientation of different objects. When pointing out different things to your students trying incorporating more descriptive language to describe the environment. For example, “can you find all the toys that are square?”
- Encourage Your Students to Play With Blocks and Puzzles
According to a recent study, children who regularly play with spatial toys like blocks and jigsaw puzzles are more advanced than children who don’t. Try encouraging the use of these toys by asking your student to build you something or show you how they can complete a puzzle. - Read Books That Incorporate Spatial Reasoning
When selecting books to read with your students, look for ones that have pictures that require close attention or are from unique perspectives. This can not only start a conversation with your students, it can also help them learn about different spatial transformations.