Spatial ability is the capacity to understand and explain the spatial relations among objects or space. It is the ability to mentally create, rotate, and transform visual images. This ability has been identified by researchers as one of the key characteristics of those who find success in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM). This is why many educators stress the importance of honing spatial ability to help budding engineers, scientists, artists, and mathematicians.
Recent neuroscience studies show that specific regions of the brain responsible for spatial thinking develop in early childhood. In the preschool years, parents and teachers need to encourage and promote age-appropriate spatial tasks for their young children. One way they can help improve their children’s spatial skills is by reading them spatially challenging picture books.
Here are ten books that can challenge and hone spatial skills of young learners:
Recent neuroscience studies show that specific regions of the brain responsible for spatial thinking develop in early childhood. In the preschool years, parents and teachers need to encourage and promote age-appropriate spatial tasks for their young children. One way they can help improve their children’s spatial skills is by reading them spatially challenging picture books.
Here are ten books that can challenge and hone spatial skills of young learners:
Up, Down, and Around (Ages 2 to 5)
by Katherine Ayers and Nadine Bernard Westcott "Peppers grow up. Potatoes grow down. Pumpkins vine around and around.” Up, Down, and Around is a clever picture book that presents how plants grow in different directions. The vibrant graphics help introduce the concept of prepositions; they get bigger in perspective to emphasize direction –towards the ground, sky or around. The repetition of the prepositions (up, down, and around) makes it easy for kids to join in when reading aloud. |
Zoom (Picture Puffins) (Ages 5 to 8)
by Istvan Banyai This ingenious wordless book will delight readers of all ages. It provides series of pictures that zoom out more and more, revealing that nothing is at first what it seemed. It is a wonderful introduction for discussing perspective and perception. As an instructional tool, it encourages readers to inspect and examine things more closely before making any assumptions. |
Shrinking Mouse (Ages 2 to 6)
by Pat Hutchins The Shrinking Mouse is a delightful book that explores the concept of spatial perspective. Mouse, fox, rabbit, and squirrel fearfully watch their friend owl as it flies away from them. They see their friend getting smaller and smaller. Will he disappear altogether? One by one, they try to rescue their friend but they also seem to shrink into the distance. In the end, the animals learned that things up close look bigger and things that are farther away appear smaller. |
Henry’s Map (Ages 4 to 8)
by David Elliot Henry’s Map is a fun-filled picture book that tells the story of an adorable pig who believes there’s a place for everything. Henry found that his farm is a mess so he decides to draw a map to show everyone where they should belong. After the map is complete, he uses it to bring himself back home. He feels happy and content that everything is in its place. The pencil and watercolor illustrations make this book a charming introduction to maps. |
Lucy in the City: A Story About Developing Spatial Thinking Skills (Ages 4 to 8)
by Julie Dillemuth Lucy in the City tells a memorable story of a young raccoon who gets separated from her family and has to find her way home. With the help of a friendly owl, Lucy is able to retrace her steps through familiar smells, sights, and sounds. The story focuses on developing spatial thinking skills and using them to solve everyday problems. The suggested activities at the end of the book invite the young readers to observe their own neighborhood surroundings. |
Follow That Map!: A First Book of Mapping Skills (Ages 4 to 7)
by Scot Ritchie Follow That Map! is an interactive picture book that clearly demonstrates key mapping concepts. It explores the fun-filled story of Sally and her friends as they search for her pets, Max and Ollie. The children are off on an imaginary adventure that will take them around the world and back in search of the missing pets. Young readers can join in the trip by searching for Max and Ollie who are hiding somewhere in every map. The map concepts introduced in the story include legends, landmarks, compass rose, trails, scale bar, weather map. The map-making project at the end of the book is an activity the readers will surely enjoy. |
Me on the Map (Ages 5 to 7)
by Joan Sweeney Me on the Map is a charming and playful introduction to maps. The young girl in the book shows a map of her room, her room on the map of her house, her house on the map of her street, all the way to her country on a map of the world. Introductory mapping concepts such as direction and location are included in this book. The informative text with engaging illustrations will inspire the young readers of this book to make their own maps. |
Elephants Aloft (Ages 4 to 7)
by Kathi Appelt Elephants Aloft presents the story of the elephants Rama and Raja as they ride a hot air balloon to meet their Aunt Rwanda. They travel between mountains, behind waterfalls, and across the seas. The story is presented with vibrant illustrations and engaging text with the focus on prepositions. Each balloon adventure comes with a preposition, such as “under” a waterfall and “above” a city. Because the graphics are full of detail, each page presents many things to discuss with young readers. |
Spatial Reasoning (Pre-K & Up)
by Kumon Publishing Spatial Reasoning is one of Kumon's Thinking Skills Workbooks that help improve critical thinking skills. This workbook is filled with fun and colorful activities such as mazes, puzzles, navigation and measurement activities. These activities can help young learners master spatial reasoning while keeping them engaged and entertained. |
What’s Missing? Picture intelligence development workbook (Ages 3-6)
by WizKiz Publishing What’s Missing? is a book that features familiar and interesting images of everyday objects, but with one element of the image missing. Young learners must use their visual-spatial skills to recognize, analyze and remember the details of the objects around them. The fun activities in this book can motivate the learners to explore the details of objects in their surroundings. |
All pictures are from Amazon.com.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
- Dr. Seuss
- Dr. Seuss
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