Title: Improving spatial skills in children and teens: 12 evidence-based tips
Headings: 12 tips for improving spatial skills in children and teens
12 tips for improving spatial skills in children and teens
© 2020 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved
12 evidence-based tactics and activities for developing better spatial skills
1. Encourage active, physical exploration.
2. Seize everyday opportunities for spatial thinking and spatial talk.
3. Provide kids with tools for building structures, and boost enthusiasm by getting involved yourself.
4. Introduce construction games that challenge kids to "match the design."
5. Teach kids how to sketch shapes and diagrams
6. Provide kids with explicit instruction in mental rotation.
7. Encourage children to use and create maps.
8. Try origami.
9. Expose kids to tangrams and other spatial puzzles.
10. Let kids experiment with photography.
11. Play action video games (and Tetris, too).
One type is the "first person shooter" action game.
12. Encourage kids to use gestures when solving spatial problems.
And a final word to the wise: Be prepared for gradual progress!
More reading about spatial skills
References: Tips for improving spatial skills in children and teens

Content: = 4"). 7. Encourage children to use and create maps. What kind of maps? I'm not talking so much about maps of the world, or cross-country road maps, though of course it's important for kids to learn how to use such maps. Instead, I'm talking about maps of the familiar spaces that kids inhabit on a daily basis. As it turns out, even very young children are ready to begin learning about such small-scale maps. For instance, experiments confirm that 4-year-olds can learn to interpret a map of their living room floor plan. They can use they map to show another person where, in the real room, they have hidden a toy (Shusterman et al 2008; Vasilyeva and Huttenlocher 2004).