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Map Skills Worksheets for Kindergarten

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Map symbols, map keys, bird's-eye view, room maps, a make-your-own neighborhood map and a simple compass rose, with answer keys.

Download the maps for kindergarten worksheets

Map symbols and map keys

A map symbols poster, then a neighborhood map to read with its map key: find places, follow directions and count the symbols.

Bird's-eye view and room maps

See how things look from above, read a bedroom map, build one by following position words, and draw a map of your own room.

  • Preview of the printable “Bird's-Eye view matching” worksheet: matching objects to how they look from above (bird's-eye view), the view used on mapsView all 2 pages

    Bird's-Eye view matching

    Matching objects to how they look from above (bird's-eye view), the view used on maps

    Answer key on page 2

    US LetterPDFA4PDF

    2 pages158 KB

  • Preview of the printable “Bedroom Map: read the map” worksheet: reading a simple room map with a map key and position words (under, middle, next to)View all 2 pages

    Bedroom Map: read the map

    Reading a simple room map with a map key and position words (under, middle, next to)

    Answer key on page 2

    US LetterPDFA4PDF

    2 pages55 KB

  • Preview of the printable “Room map cut and paste” worksheet: building a room map by following position words (under, middle, next to, corner)View all 2 pages

    Room map cut and paste

    Building a room map by following position words (under, middle, next to, corner)

    Answer key on page 2

    US LetterPDFA4PDF

    2 pages67 KB

  • Preview of the printable “Room Map: draw and follow directions” worksheet: drawing a room map by following position words (under, middle, next to, corner)View all 2 pages

    Room Map: draw and follow directions

    Drawing a room map by following position words (under, middle, next to, corner)

    Answer key on page 2

    US LetterPDFA4PDF

    2 pages40 KB

Make a neighborhood map

Children add houses, a school, a store, trees and a pond to an empty street map, by cutting and gluing or by drawing.

Compass rose and directions

A kindergarten compass rose poster, label it or cut and paste the letters, then use north, south, east and west on a map.

Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.

About these maps for kindergarten worksheets

A map is a picture of a place seen from above. Kindergarten map skills start with that idea: things look different from above, little pictures called symbols stand for real things, and a map key tells you what each symbol means. These map worksheets for kindergarten build those ideas one step at a time, with big pictures for children who are not reading yet.

Start with the bird's-eye view matching page and the map symbols poster. Then read a bedroom map and a neighborhood map with a map key, and count the symbols. Children make maps too: they build a room map by following words like under, next to and in the middle, add places to an empty street map, and draw a map of their own room.

The compass rose pages keep it simple for kindergarten: north, east, south and west, with north at the top. A poster, a label page and a cut and paste page come first, then a map where children decide which way to go. Every page with one right answer has an answer key on page 2.

Standards

  • C3 D2.Geo.1.K-2Construct maps, graphs, and other representations of familiar places.
  • C3 D2.Geo.2.K-2Use maps, graphs, photographs, and other representations to describe places and the relationships and interactions that shape them.
  • C3 D2.Geo.3.K-2Use maps, globes, and other simple geographic models to identify cultural and environmental characteristics of places.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.B.5Count to answer "how many?" questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1–20, count out that many objects.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.C.6Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less than, or equal to the number of objects in another group, e.g., by using matching and counting strategies.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.2Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.

How to use them

  1. Before the bird's-eye view page, stand on a chair and look down at a table or a toy. Ask, "What do you see from up here?"
  2. Hang the map symbols poster near your carpet. Point to a symbol and have children find the real thing in the room or out the window.
  3. Read the directions on the find it, room map and which way pages aloud, one at a time. Give children time to find each place before you read the next one.
  4. Use the room map cut and paste page with the whole class, then send the drawing version or the my room map page home.
  5. Mark north on a classroom wall. Play a quick game: point north, point south, take two steps east.
  6. Print the compass rose poster for your map center and keep the label page for a quick check later in the year.

Teaching tips

  • Pre-readers work from the pictures. The words under each picture are for the adult to read aloud.
  • Use real position words often: under, over, next to, between, in the middle. They are the language of maps.
  • If the bird's-eye view idea is hard, take a photo of a table from above with a phone and compare it with a photo from the side.
  • On a map, any spot in a block is a fine place to glue a house. Praise children for keeping the roads clear.
  • Many children mix up east and west. Practice north and south first, then add east and west.
  • Every cut and paste page has a matching page with no cutting, for days without scissors.

Questions teachers and parents ask

What map skills do kindergarteners learn?

Kindergarteners learn that a map shows a place from above, that symbols stand for real things, and that a map key explains the symbols. They also use position words like next to and under, make simple maps of familiar places, and begin to learn north, south, east and west.

How do you teach a compass rose in kindergarten?

Keep it to the four main directions. Show that north is at the top of most maps, then south at the bottom, east on the right and west on the left. Label a wall in your room north, and play short games where children point or step in a direction.

What is a map key?

A map key is a small box on a map that shows each symbol and tells what it means, for example a little house for a home or a tree for a park. Children look at the key, then find those symbols on the map.

Do these map worksheets have answer keys?

Yes. Every page with one right answer, like the matching, map reading, counting, compass rose and which way pages, has an answer key on page 2. Open pages, such as drawing your own map, do not need one.