KS1 Where I Live Activities

Explore Your Local Area with Six Engaging Geography Activities

Help young learners discover the world around them with this comprehensive KS1 Geography resource featuring six hands-on activities that develop map skills, spatial awareness, and understanding of local environments for Years 1 and 2.

Six Complete Activities Included:

1. Maps: Introduce young children to the world of maps! Learn what maps are, how they represent real places, and begin to read simple maps with symbols and keys
2. My Local Area: Explore the immediate surroundings of home and school, identifying familiar places, landmarks, and features that make your local area special and unique
3. Human And Physical Features: Discover the difference between human-made features (buildings, roads, parks) and natural physical features (rivers, hills, trees), developing geographical vocabulary and observation skills
4. Visit Places In Your Local Area: Take learning outdoors with guided visits to local places of interest, developing fieldwork skills and understanding of how places are used by the community
5. Playground Map: Create maps of the school playground! Children develop map-making skills by representing familiar spaces, using symbols, and understanding bird's-eye view perspectives
6. Position and Direction in the Playground: Learn positional and directional language through practical outdoor activities, using terms like left, right, forwards, backwards, near, and far in real contexts

Why Teachers Choose This Resource:

• Curriculum-Aligned: Fully supports KS1 Geography objectives for locational and place knowledge in the National Curriculum
• Age-Appropriate: Activities specifically designed for 5-7 year olds with clear, simple instructions and achievable tasks
• Hands-On Learning: Practical activities that make abstract geographical concepts concrete and meaningful
• Outdoor Learning Opportunities: Several activities encourage exploration beyond the classroom
• Ready to Use: Complete lesson plans with learning objectives, resources, and step-by-step guidance
• Builds Essential Skills: Develops map reading, directional language, and observational skills
• Cross-Curricular Links: Connects to KS1 Art & Design (map making) and Design & Technology (3D models)

Perfect For:

• KS1 Geography lessons on the local area (Years 1-2)
• Developing early map skills and spatial awareness
• Homeschool geography curriculum
• Building geographical vocabulary and understanding
• Outdoor learning and fieldwork activities
• Connecting children to their local community and environment

Learning Outcomes:

Through these activities, children will use simple maps and globes, understand basic geographical vocabulary, identify human and physical features in their local area, use directional and positional language, develop observational skills, and begin to understand how places are connected to their lives.

What Makes This Resource Special:

Geography begins at home! These activities help young children understand that geography isn't just about faraway places—it's about the world right outside their door. By exploring familiar environments, children develop the foundational geographical skills and curiosity that will support all future learning about places near and far.

Building Geographical Understanding:

Starting with the familiar helps young learners build confidence and understanding. These activities move from what children know (their playground, their street) to new concepts (maps, symbols, directions), ensuring every child can access geographical learning and develop a genuine interest in the world around them.

Bring geography to life for your KS1 students! These engaging local area activities help young children discover the geography in their everyday world, developing essential map skills, spatial awareness, and geographical vocabulary through hands-on exploration of familiar places.