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Map drill – what's average for a 6 year old?
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LindsayD got me thinking in the other thread… how fast or well has your child been able to fill in a blank geography map? We have been working on Egypt with dd6 and it has been kind of slow going this year. I think part of it is not having any connection or meaning with the names and map locations since we don’t really study anything about the countries. Countries with fun (funny!) sounding names or things like Egypt and the Red Sea she has down pat but the others seem to all blend together. Is this also a problem for any of you? What would you do to help it along?
Just us, but I didn’t worry about it at that age. I would just try to remember to have them point out areas on a map occasionally that we were reading about. If writing is a struggle and you’re wanting to do maps, maybe he could just point and say the names?
At 6, I started my kids off with a simple continents and oceans map. It did not go along with our history module, but I felt it was important to start with something easy so they would not only get an idea of the concept of the map drill but also so they would have a picture in their minds of where these countries were that we would eventually study. Uncle Josh’s Outline Map book has a page that is a full world map, no country outlines, and blank. As with all our map drills, I have a master map that I fill out and we use to study and learn our new places. Then the children start with a blank map each week and label what they know. I do provide spelling for them. Both my children flew through this map at 6 years old, and I believe it built their confidence for future and more difficult map drills. My dd, who is now 7.5, knows all her continents and oceans, the Middle East, all of Asia, the Mediterranean, and Europe. This isn’t because I rushed her, but because she genuinely loves map drill and learns her countries quickly and effortlessly. I know the less-is-more approach is often favored for our younger ones, but my dd was begging for map studies like her brother. I held her back at first, thinking she would just be frustrated and unable to “get it”, but as always, she totally suprised me and keeps up with her older brother every time.
I don’t know how successful this will be, but my plan for map drill this next school year is this 🙂 I have a new house with a full basement. I plan to paint (with the help of a projector) a large outline of Africa on the wall, and every time DS correctly names a new country on his map drill, he will get to paint in that county on the wall…I figure a little incentive will go a long way and what kid will pass up the oportunity to paint on the wall?
I wouldn’t expect much at six. My DD 10 is doing well, DS 8 is struggling a bit. Next year I will have a 6yo and was just thinking of what to expect from her…I love the idea of starting with continents and oceans! Painting on the wall sounds so fun too (but I think that could get me in trouble). 😉
One thing we do is a Geopuzzle before we start labeling the maps. That puts it all fresh in their mind. I cover the puzzle up, then they write out their maps and can check their work on the puzzle (which is larger than our maps). My 5yo loves to help with the puzzle.
SKIP THE WRITING FOR THE LITTLES NOT YET WRITING FLUENTLY OR COMFORTABLY! They can learn the geography without writing. Some ideas:
* For your young ones, you may like the blank and control maps with labels from Montessori Outlet. It’s map drill without the writing and its very effective.
* You could also have them color in a place instead of labeling it, if you use paper outline maps. another option is to learn the places with geography songs and looking at a map.
* Also, don’t neglect games (online, iPad, or board).
My dd5 easily learned all of South America (countries, rivers and other geo features) by song and looking at a map.
We use the Montessori blank outline and labled maps. My dd6 is doing pretty well with Europe right now. We don’t do writing for our map drills, sometimes even just the name of a country is hard to figure out for these little guys! We also study regular world and country wall maps as well. Matching up bodies of water, mountain ranges, etc. with our blank maps.
Something we do is use little post it tabs, and I call out a country and have my ds place it on the world map.
I also like Geography Songs, and just play them in the background for more name familiarity.
Don’t know if this has been mentioned, but on the All Day Seminar, Sonya describes how she does geography drill with younger children. If I remember correctly, she suggests starting by outlining the country you want the child to learn, and then having the child color it in. The child should know the name of the country.
The next week, hand the child the blank map and say, “Do you remember the name of this country? What color should we make it this week?” She says to be sure it is a different color, or else your child will associate that color with that particular country!
After that country is firm in the child’s mind, move on to an adjacent country or body of water. She does not say that a child of six should be expected to write in the country names, but should simply know the names of the countries.
Sounds simple…like all of Sonya’s advice :0)! Hope that helps you as much as it did me!
Last year DD 6 1/2 to 7 did map drill of the continent of Africa. We did not study Egypt in depth. We used iPad apps to help help teach the locations of each African country. By the end of 1st grade she had them all learned, actually I think she had them down by Christmas.
Later I realized I should have covered the continents and oceans, so we started this past year covering them along with DS 5 1/2. (He just turned 6.) I only have him tell them to me orally. His sister has moved on to map drill for Module 2, but he is still working on the oceans.
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