Hey there! So, my kid asked me the other day if we live in “the North” like in Game of Thrones. I had to laugh. I pointed at our window, watched the sun set, and tried to explain that, no, we actually live in the West. His response? A blank stare followed by, “But the sun goes to sleep, so does it matter?”
And honestly? It got me thinking. We assume kids just get cardinal directions because we use them on our phone maps. But north, south, east, and west are super abstract concepts for little brains. They can’t touch them. They can’t see them moving (unless you’re really into shadow watching).
I realized I needed to make it fun. I couldn’t just lecture him. So, I came up with a bunch of games and activities to sneak those geography lessons into our playtime. If you’re tired of hearing “Are we there yet?” and want to turn your kid into a mini explorer, I’ve got you covered. Here are 10 direction activities that actually work.
1. The “Morning Toast” Compass
Ever wondered why we call the morning meal “breakfast”? It’s a great segue into talking about the sun’s movement. This activity is so simple it hurts, but it works like a charm.
How to play: Every morning, when you’re eating breakfast (or walking to the car), point to where the sun is. Just say, “Good morning, Sun! That’s East.” Then, at dinner time, do the same thing. “Bye bye, Sun! That’s West.”
I do this every single day with my son. It takes five seconds. After about a week, I asked him where the sun would be in the morning, and he pointed east without even thinking. It’s pure repetition.
- Pro Tip: Use your hands. When you point east in the morning, stretch your right arm out. In the evening, point west with your left. It builds that physical memory.
2. The Blanket Fort Navigator
Okay, this is my favorite because it involves blanket forts, and who doesn’t love a good blanket fort? FYI, I usually end up being the one stuck holding the falling pillows. :/
How to play: Build a standard fort in your living room. Then, grab a piece of paper and draw a simple map of the room. Mark the front door as “South” (just pick a consistent reference point) and label the other walls accordingly.
Tell your kid, “Okay, the entrance to the fort is on the East wall!” or “I need you to crawl to the North corner to get the flashlight.” It turns the living room into a real-world map.
- Why it works: It takes an abstract concept (a map) and applies it to a space they physically occupy.
- Bonus: You get to sit in a fort and eat snacks. I call that a parenting win.
3. Sidewalk Chalk Compass Rose
Get out of the house! Fresh air and chalk are a killer combo. This is less of a “game” and more of a craft, but it’s a visual anchor.
How to do it: On your driveway or a quiet patch of sidewalk, draw a GIANT compass rose. I’m talking huge. Big enough for the kids to stand in the middle of. Write N, S, E, and W clearly on the points.
Then, the game begins. You yell out commands:
- “Hop to North!”
- “Run three steps to the East!”
- “Crawl like a bear to South!”
It gets them moving and literally spinning in the right direction. My son loves being the “caller” too, so let them have a turn shouting orders at you. Prepare to look silly. IMO, looking silly is half the fun.
4. The Treasure Hunt Map
Every kid wants to find buried treasure. But instead of using landmarks like “behind the big rock,” force them to use cardinal directions. This requires a bit of prep, but the payoff is huge.
How to play: Hide a small toy or a treat (chocolate coins work great for this) somewhere in the yard or a park. Draw a very basic map with clear directional instructions.
Example instructions:
- Start at the big oak tree.
- Walk 10 giant steps North.
- Turn East and walk to the swing set.
- Look under the South side of the slide.
You are basically teaching them to use a compass (without the actual compass). It forces them to visualize the space and move through it deliberately. Plus, chocolate.
5. Use Your Phone’s Compass App
Kids are obsessed with our phones. I hate it, but I also use it to my advantage. Instead of handing it over for games, hand it over for science.
How to do it: Open the default compass app on your phone. Show them the little needle and how it always points North.
Then, make it a challenge. “Show me which way is West using the phone.” “Which direction is the TV pointing?” “If we walk to the front door, are we walking North or South?”
- Rhetorical question: Why do we fight their screen time when we can just weaponize it for learning? 🙂
- Heads up: Make sure they understand the phone doesn’t make the directions, it just finds them. It’s a detector, not a creator.
6. Storytime: Mapping a Book
This one blew my mind when I first tried it. Pick a book where the characters travel. Little Red Riding Hood is perfect. “She walks through the woods to Grandma’s house.”
How to play: On a whiteboard or big piece of paper, draw a quick doodle of Red’s house and Grandma’s house. Ask your kid, “Which way do you think she walked?” Let them decide. Put a little N arrow on the map.
Then, narrate the story using directions. “She left her house and walked East through the dark forest. Then she turned North when she saw the wolf.” It adds a whole new layer to storytime and builds their mental mapping skills.
7. The “Never Eat Soggy Waffles” Game
Okay, this is the oldest trick in the book, but we have to actively teach the mnemonic, not just assume they’ll figure it out.
The Hook: Never Eat Soggy Waffles. (Or Naughty Elephants Squirt Water—whatever floats your boat).
North, East, South, West. Go around the clock.
To make it an activity, don’t just say it. Write it.
- Write the letters N, E, S, W on four separate sticky notes.
- Stick them on the four walls of a room.
- Now, stand in the middle. Point to the N note and say “Never.” Point to E and say “Eat.” Point to S and say “Soggy.” Point to W and say “Waffles.”
Do this ten times fast. It cements the order and the direction in their brain through movement and silly words. Plus, who doesn’t love a good waffle?
8. GPS Walk-Along
We rely on our car GPS or Google Maps for everything. Next time you walk to a nearby store or a friend’s house, let your kid be the navigator.
How to do it: Open the walking directions on your phone. Hand it to your kid (supervise closely, obviously). Tell them, “Okay, the blue line shows us the way. The phone says we need to go South on this street. Which way do we turn?”
They have to physically orient themselves and the map to figure out left/right in relation to the cardinal direction. It’s a higher-level skill, but my 7-year-old picked it up way faster than I expected.
- My experience: We did this on a walk to get ice cream. He was so focused on the map that he almost walked into a pole. So, keep an eye on the physical obstacles while they stare at the screen. Safety first, ice cream second.
9. DIY Sun Dial (The Low-Tech Watch)
Before fancy compasses, people used the sun. This is a great way to show why we know the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
How to do it:
- Find a clear, sunny spot.
- Push a stick straight into the ground.
- Place a rock at the tip of the stick’s shadow.
- Wait 15-20 minutes.
- Come back and place another rock at the new tip of the shadow.
The shadow moves from West to East (because the sun moves from East to West). It’s a slow activity, so it teaches patience, but the “aha!” moment when they see the shadow literally creeping across the ground is priceless.
10. The “Which Way is Home?” Car Game
This is our go-to for killing time in the car. No screens, no books, just looking out the window.
The Game: At a red light or a stop sign, ask, “Which way is our house?” They have to think about the route you took. “We drove South to get to the store, so our house must be North.”
It builds their spatial awareness and sense of direction. You can level it up by asking about other landmarks. “We can see the big water tower. Is it North, South, East, or West of us?”
- Warning: This might expose how bad your sense of direction is. I once confidently told my son we were driving North when we were, in fact, driving South. He hasn’t let me forget it. Kids are brutal. 😀
Don’t Overthink It
Look, you don’t need a degree in geography to teach this stuff. You just need to talk about it. Point out the sunrise. Ask silly questions. Make a mess with chalk.
The goal isn’t to create a cartographer by dinner time. It’s just to get them curious about the world around them and give them the words to describe it. Start with one or two of these activities, and soon enough, your kid will be the one correcting your navigation.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go figure out which direction the TV remote disappeared to. I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere North of the couch cushions. Wish me luck!
