Games and tasks for the development of spatial thinking of a preschooler

Problems and tasks for spatial thinking

To help parents, we have compiled a selection of the most accessible tasks for developing spatial concepts in a child. But this is just the beginning. See the most interesting things below!

Simple tasks “with paper and pen” (4+)

draw shapes from dots (repeating the pattern);
repeat patterns, ornaments and figures consisting of lines;
compare shapes by size and shape;
complete the second (exactly the same, but in a mirror image) half of the picture;
write mathematical dictations;
connect dots by numbers;
redraw figures, making changes (for example, increasing or decreasing the size, adding details) - or from memory;
mirror any pictures, letters, numbers;
draw according to the instructions (“draw a small square in the upper right corner of the sheet”);
go through mazes (“help the hare get to the carrot, but not fall into the paws of the wolf”);
play with frame inserts;
make recognizable objects (cat, house, truck) from geometric shapes of different sizes;
draw drawings and diagrams of various objects;
describe the location of characters and objects in pictures using prepositions (in, above, under, between, at);
make crafts, including three-dimensional ones, that require active measurement and correlation of parts of the whole.

The main thing when choosing is the child’s interest.

A.L. Wenger suggests stimulating children's three-dimensional thinking with the task “The car is driving down the road.”

A road is drawn on a piece of paper: it can be straight and wide (a simple option for “beginners”) or winding and narrow. There is a car drawn at one end of the road, and a house at the other. The child must, without lifting his pencil or pen from the paper, “drive” the car home (draw its trajectory). Instead of a car there may be a butterfly, instead of a house - a flower, and instead of a road - the flight path of a butterfly, depicted in italics.

A.E. Simanovsky came up with the exercise “Hit the circles with a pencil” to develop children’s three-dimensional thinking.

Draw on a piece of paper (or find a template on the Internet and print it out) rows of circles with a diameter of 3 mm (you can make larger circles to start with), arrange them in five rows of 5 circles in a row. The distance between the circles should be the same, for example, 1 cm. The child needs, without lifting his forearms from the table, to place dots in all the circles as accurately and quickly as possible. In this case, specify the “methodology”: either dots need to be placed from left to right in the first line, from right to left in the second, etc.; or have the child put dots from top to bottom in the first column, from bottom to top in the second, etc.

Entertaining online tasks for children from 5 years old

A fun and child-friendly training in three-dimensional thinking - online tasks and games. The author's collection of tasks with answers and explanations will save parents dozens of hours and free them from searching for suitable activities. Visual material will help the child create his own visual images. A nice bonus: voicing tasks helps your child learn to read.

On the LogicLike website there are more than 10 types of spatial tasks for children aged 5-12 years: flat figures, cubes in space, developments, reflections... Start classes!

We have created hundreds of entertaining tasks to develop spatial concepts and train three-dimensional thinking. There are “direct” tasks: compare figures, find a shadow, a reflection, count cubes. And complex tasks that primarily develop logic and intelligence, as well as spatial imagination: chess, sequences, algorithms.

Such tasks ideally combine gaming and educational components. The future first-grader will unconsciously, effortlessly, but with interest, desire and passion for sports, train a vital skill - spatial thinking.

Development of spatial orientation skills in preschool children

Development of spatial orientation skills

in preschool children.

Throughout preschool age, spatial orientation skills develop. Productive activity is of great importance in the formation of ideas about spatial relationships between objects and mastering the ability to determine them.

By building with cubes, the child models not only shapes, but also spatial relationships. He learns to convey them in a drawing, arranging images of people and objects in a certain way on a sheet of paper, masters the ability to lay out a certain number of objects in the indicated direction: the top, bottom of the sheet, left, right, middle, etc. Children learn to use words to indicate position objects on a sheet of paper, on a table, on the floor (to the left of, to the right of, above - below, closer - further, near, from behind, along).

Children most successfully master orientation in the surrounding space through didactic games and exercises.

When forming ideas about spatial characteristics, great attention must be paid to activating the speech of preschoolers: they must be constantly involved in independent accurate verbal designation of the characteristics of objects and their parts in shape and size, as well as magnitude relationships during the analysis of samples, planning and accompaniment of activities, in a variety of games and exercises.

For children of the younger group, orientation in space helps them orient themselves in the location of parts of their body (head, legs, eyes, ears, back, etc.) and, in accordance with them, distinguish spatial directions from themselves: in front - behind (behind), above - below, to the right (right) – left (left). Distinguish between right and left hands.

The younger preschooler orients himself on the basis of the so-called sensory frame of reference, i.e. on the sides of your own body. This is what children are taught in everyday life.

This knowledge is refined in didactic games: “Bathing a doll”, “Putting a doll to sleep”, “Dressing a doll”. So the teacher invites the child to wash the doll’s head and face, and then show and name where his face, head, etc. are.

Games using directional arrows help you learn the directions forward, backward, left, and right.

Games with a hanging ball promote the understanding of the concepts of up and down.

To reinforce spatial directions, you can use the game “Where does the bell ring?”

In order not to disorient children, the teacher must remember that in classes where the special task of forming spatial concepts is being solved, the children cannot be placed or seated opposite each other in a circle, since this will disrupt the uniformity of perception of space.

In the middle group, orientation in space develops the ability to determine spatial directions from oneself, to move in a given direction (forward - backward, right - left, up - down); denote in words the position of objects in relation to oneself (there is a table in front of me, a door to my right, a window to my left, toys on the shelves behind me).

Acquaintance with spatial relationships begins: far - close (the house is close, and the tree grows far away).

Here you can use various gaming techniques and games like “Find the hidden toy”, “Where will you go and what will you find”. By completing game tasks, children practice distinguishing and designating the main spatial directions.

To consolidate skills, you can use didactic games such as “Where will we throw the ball?”, “What has changed?”, “Guess what is where,” etc. First, they are given the task of determining the location of one or two toys located in the opposite directions from the child: front-back, right-left. Gradually the number of toys increases to four.

It is advisable to carry out game exercises for the development of orientation in space - finding various objects and toys - not only in a group, but also in the kindergarten area, combining them with the formation in children of such concepts as far - close.

In the older group, the ability to navigate in the surrounding space is improved: left - right, above - below, in front (in front) - behind (behind), between, next to, move in a given direction, changing it according to a signal, as well as in accordance with signs - direction indicators (forward, backward, right, left, etc.).

Orientation in space helps to determine one’s location among surrounding people and objects: “I stand between Masha and Vova, behind Misha, behind Kolya, in front of Nastya, near Vika”; to indicate in speech the relative position of objects: “To the right of the doll sits a hare, and to the left of the doll stands a horse, behind is a bear, and in front is a car.” Orientation on a sheet of paper (right - left, top - bottom, middle, corner).

During the learning process, it is recommended to widely use various didactic games.

Game “Guess who is standing where”, “What has changed?”, “Find something similar”, “Tell me about your pattern”. You can give the task to talk about the pattern that they drew in drawing classes.

Game "Artists". The game is intended to develop orientation in space, to consolidate the terms that define the spatial arrangement of objects, and gives an idea of their relativity. Conducted with a group or subgroup of children. The role of the leader is performed by the teacher.

In the same group, children develop the ability to change direction while moving. Didactic games also help with this.

Game “Find the toy”, “Room around the room”. In the future, the number of tasks to change direction can be increased. For example: “Walk forward five steps, turn left, take two more steps, turn right, walk to the end, step back left one step.”

It is useful to conduct games and mazes, invite children to determine the direction of movement using arrows or move in accordance with the route plan. Such games concentrate attention and help to overcome the path according to a pattern that indicates the beginning and end of the movement. Using the simplest movement patterns, children find the bunny's bast hut in the forest, help Dunno get to the magical land of Mathematics, etc. Children not only follow the directional arrows and describe the path, but also, with the help of the teacher, model their own route plans.

In the preparatory group, orientation in space allows you to navigate on a limited surface (sheet of paper, blackboard, notebook page, book, etc.); place objects and their images in the indicated direction, reflect in speech their spatial location (left, right, above, below, left, right, above, below, in the upper left (lower right) corner, in front, behind, between, next to, etc. .).

Children learn to read the simplest information indicating spatial relationships and the direction of movement of objects (from left to right, from right to left, from bottom to top, from top to bottom); independently move in space, focusing on conventional designations of the direction of movement (signs and symbols).

Strengthen the ability to navigate in space with the help of symbols, plans, routes and diagrams; They are taught to determine the direction of movement of objects and to reflect their relative positions in speech.

The teacher should pay special attention to developing in children the skills of safe behavior on the roadway, related to orientation in space. For this purpose, various games are played, for example: “I am a pedestrian”, “How to avoid traffic”, “Choose the correct answer”.

A special place is occupied by work on the development of orientation on a plane (sheet of paper, page of a book, notebook, etc.).

Along with this, more subtle spatial differentiations are formed in six-year-old children: the ability to find the top and bottom lines, right and left, top and bottom edges of a sheet, upper left (lower left), upper right (lower right) corner; They are taught to carefully place objects in the same direction, observing the same intervals.

It is useful to carry out visual dictations on the location of objects (figures) on a sheet, to practice composing compositions (ornaments) with subsequent verbal designation of spatial relationships. It is also recommended to play games: “Who will remember and tell?”, “What has changed?”, “What are the differences?”, “Paired cards”, “Journey through the labyrinth”, “Describe the path of a fairy-tale hero”, etc.

When developing orientation in space and spatial relationships in preschool children, physical exercises are of great importance.

In general developmental exercises, spatial orientation develops quickly, because here visual and musculocutaneous sensations are simultaneously involved, at the same time the exercises are accompanied by explanations, instructions, and commands from the teacher.

When performing exercises, the teacher uses a variety of objects and aids (gymnastic sticks and benches; hoops, balls, cubes, rings), influencing various receptors and analyzers (visual, auditory, tactile, vestibular, etc.). The manuals create interest in children’s activities and have a significant impact on the development of movements, sensory abilities, and motor qualities.

Active actions with objects during the exercises contribute to the knowledge of color, weight, shape, quality of material and other properties of objects. Action with objects makes it possible to achieve greater clarity of motor ideas, which are based on various sensations and perceptions.

Visual perceptions create an image of movement in its dynamics, expressiveness, and spatial relationships. Objects create, as it were, visual landmarks in the development of spatial orientations and contribute to better coordination of movements of individual parts of the body.

Drill exercises are of great importance in the formation of spatial orientations: various formations and methods of formation. In preschool age, the following formations are used: scattered, in a circle, column, line, etc.; formation changes (from a column one at a time to a column of two, three, four, a line, etc.), turns in different directions (right, left, around), opening and closing, all movements in space (in various formations and scattered) - used when performing various physical exercises (in classes, morning exercises, in outdoor and round dancing games, in festive processions, on walks and excursions).

With various movements and combinations, the familiar space expands. In this regard, during one lesson it is necessary to use a variety of already familiar methods of construction and restructuring and gradually introduce new options and combinations, including by changing the “starting point”, i.e. changes in the direction of movement of the body and its parts relative to itself and various visual landmarks (for example, relative to the sides of the hall)

Outdoor games serve as a method of improving motor skills already mastered by children and developing physical qualities. Such motor activity promotes the ability to navigate a changing environment, find a way out of a current situation, quickly make a decision and carry it out, show courage, dexterity, initiative, and independently choose a way to achieve a goal.

Research by psychologists shows that thanks to play activities, the child practically masters space and objective activity, and at the same time, the very mechanism of perception of space is significantly improved.

In the game, the perception of space appears in its main forms: direct, cognitive-sensory (sensory-figurative) and indirect (logical thinking, concept).

In an outdoor game, two components interact: the rules of the game, formed by the teacher, create the necessary preliminary spatial orientation for the child’s actions, and at the same time, unexpected changes in the game situation (in connection with the actions of the driver or signals) violate the action plan and require a more complex - instantaneous children's reactions and their spatial orientation. This reaction is determined by the child’s level of development of the ability to adapt his actions and movements to the given environment.

The ability to navigate in environmental conditions is facilitated by the deliberate creation of obstacles on the way to completing a game task (the use of objects and aids previously laid out in the game space). For these purposes, it is necessary to use a variety of game options.

The child’s orientation among quickly moving scattered children is very important. It is the most difficult due to the need for an instant reaction to the continuous change in the game situation.

In outdoor play, a child practices a certain proximity or distance of objects, a person, due to which he develops visual assessments, as well as spatial-auditory orientation (far - close, etc.).

Simple games to develop spatial thinking

Game "Place the cat"

Invite your child to imagine an animal (cat, elephant, cockroach) - let him answer which object this animal will fit into. In a glass? What about the TV box? Maybe into a passing truck?

Game “Put it right!”

Give the child various objects and ask them to place and arrange them, following your instructions: closer (closer than), further (farther than), a little forward, backward, to the left of, etc.

Game "Metamorphoses"

Ask your child to draw a circle behind a square, a triangle in front of a rectangle. You can complicate the task: draw a cylinder in front of the cube or draw a house on the other side, on top, “cut” toy dumbbells in half, etc.

Game "Special Agent on a Mission"

Invite your child to carefully examine the room where he is and remember the surrounding objects. Then ask questions using location words: What color is the table to your left? what object is located directly under the chandelier? This game is even more interesting on the street - there you can already use moving objects.

Game "Drawing on the back"

Draw various figures on the child’s back, then objects - let him try to guess what you are depicting.

Game "Fly"

It is played by two people, plus one “observer”. The players imagine - and the observer draws - the playing field: a grid measuring 9 squares in length and 9 in width. You need to mentally place a fly in the upper left corner. Players take turns making moves, moving the fly to different squares, and the observer marks these moves on the playing field. When the observer stops the game, each player names the square in which, in his opinion, the fly is located. The one who names correctly wins.

Game "Route of Movement"

Draw a complex map of city streets (or just take a map). Explain to the child that he is a policeman who went from point A (show him on the diagram) to point B (also show him). The child must drive along the route, naming each turn. In this version of the game, the active words will be “right” and “left”. Then “change the role”: now the child is a dispatcher who tracks the trajectory on the map. The words “up” and “down” should appear in the route description.

Game "Magic bag"

Place various figures in a small bag - preferably stereometric ones (cube, ball, etc.), but you can also play ones (pyramids, nesting dolls, etc.). Invite your child to guess what is in the bag by touch.

Games for orientation in open or enclosed spaces

"Running to the River"

The goal of the game is to develop the ability to navigate in open space, strengthen muscles and develop speed. To play you will need stones and chalk.

On the ground you need to draw a rectangle, which will mean “river” and a straight line – “bank”.
Place stones on the “bottom of the river”.
Line up the players along the “shore”.
The driver gives a signal, and the players rush to the “river”, where they pick up the stone “from the bottom” and run back, passing the stone to the driver.
There is a competitive motive in the game.

"Hide and Seek"

The goal of the game is to train attention, the ability to navigate in open space, and speed of reaction.

All players are divided into two teams with a captain in each of them.
The lot determines who will search and who will hide.
To play the game you need to select a “city” (wall, door, tree) where the players should run.
The captain of the hiding team takes his players to their “cache” and returns to the detective team.
He walks around and constantly shouts “We are... (names a place),” helping his team navigate: continue to sit in cover or run to capture the “city.”
The team that arrives in the “city” before the other earns a point.
A hiding team can start running into the city either before it is discovered by an opponent, or after it has already been discovered.

"The Road to School"

The goal of the game is to develop the ability to orientate in open space, the ability to map out a path and develop memory. The game requires a pencil and a piece of paper.

The child must remember and tell where he saw the school on the way to kindergarten, what is located near it, in which direction to go to it, how many and what turns to make, etc.
After this, he must draw up a map of the road to school.

Three-dimensional, three-dimensional, imaginative thinking, spatial imagination

We tried to sort out the differences in concepts a little. However, if everything is clear with theory, you can immediately move on to practice.

Spatial (three-dimensional, three-dimensional) thinking is a process in which a person is aware of the spatial characteristics of an object (size, shape, relationship of components and location) and mentally performs actions with this object (for example, moving or transforming it).

Three-dimensional thinking uses information that comes from the senses, processes it, actively using memory and logic. It is directly related to imaginative thinking, because both types use visualization - the skill of “drawing a picture in your mind.” Imagination helps us put forward spatial hypotheses.

What to develop - three-dimensional thinking or imagination?

The difference is in the details. The “picture” of three-dimensional thinking is extremely reliable. The “product” of figurative thinking is often imaginary, distorted, perceived through the prism of one’s own experience, or emotionally charged (for example, if you like an object, it appears more attractive in the imagination).

Spatial thinking is closely related to imagination: we use it when we mentally change, rotate, and move three-dimensional models of objects in space. We do not see these transformations - but we fantasize about them. By developing three-dimensional thinking in a child, parents thereby stimulate and give impetus to the imagination, including creative ones.

Humans are naturally gifted with three-dimensional thinking, but some of us are better at it than others. According to scientists, this is partly due to heredity, but sometimes due to the lack of appropriate experience and “training”. You can start practicing literally from 3-5 years old, but you need to focus on the age stages of development of spatial thinking.

A game for developing self-orientation

"Sun"

The goal of the game is to consolidate the ability to navigate your body, knowledge of where different parts of the face are located. A schematic representation of a human face is required.

The child is offered a model of a human face, where the nose serves as a guide.
You need to lay out the missing parts of the face (lips, eyes, eyebrows) on the model.
Then the child must repeat this task with his eyes closed and say out loud where the parts of the human face are located in relation to each other.

Games for spatial orientation while in motion

"Find toys"

The game aims to teach children to move in space, while changing or maintaining the direction of movement, taking into account a landmark or at the direction of the teacher, while simultaneously pronouncing spatial terms. The game will require several different toys.

The teacher announces to the children that all the toys are hidden somewhere, and in order to find them, they should carefully listen to the prompts and follow them.
Having discovered the toy, the child must tell where he went, where and how many times he turned, and where he finally found the toy.

"Scout"

The goal of the game is to strengthen the child’s ability to navigate when moving in the space of the kindergarten, develop his memory and teach him to plan his route. To play you will need a sheet of paper with a pencil.

The child is instructed that he is now a “scout” who needs to get to a “secret facility” (kitchen, psychologist’s office, speech therapist, nurse), remember well his route and everything he saw along the way, and then return back to “headquarters”.
Returning to the group, the “scout” tells where he passed (walked along the corridor, went down or up the stairs), what happened on his way to the right or left of him.
Then the child, with the help of the teacher, draws his route.

Games for orientation in microspace

"Colorful Journey"

The game should strengthen the skill of orientation on a checkered sheet and develop imagination. It will require a small toy and a playing field.

The child is offered a playing field divided into multi-colored cells.
The toy is placed on the first square, from where it will go on a journey.
The teacher determines the direction of movement of the toy using commands such as: “Two cells up, one to the right, stop! Where is the toy now?
The child, seeing on what color square the toy is located, in accordance with this color says what area the hero is in (for example, blue cell - sea, green - forest clearing, yellow - desert).

"Artist"

The goal of the game is to teach the child to navigate on a plane and consolidate his understanding of spatial terminology. The game will require subject pictures and a picture as a background.

It is explained to the child that at the moment he is an artist, and the teacher is his assistant.
It is necessary to create a picture.
The “assistant” will tell the “artist” the place in the picture where this or that image will need to be made.
After completing this task, the child changes roles with the teacher.

"Butterfly"

The game strengthens the ability to orientate on a microplane, arouses interest in reading and strengthens reading skills. Requires a letter field.

There is a butterfly in the center of the playing field.
It is explained to the baby: “The butterfly loves sweet nectar and flies from flower to flower. And today she invites you to the game. Unusual flowers with letters grew in her clearing. You need to follow the flight of the butterfly and collect letters from the flowers, so you will find out the word she wished for.”
Then the teacher indicates the direction of flight of the butterfly, and the child collects the letters from the flowers and lays them out on the table in a row, and at the end reads the resulting word.
After this, the teacher and the child change roles: the child sets the direction of movement, and the teacher completes the task.
Depending on the hidden word, you can change the letters.

"Journey through the ABCs"

The goal of the game is to consolidate the ability to navigate on a microplane and form images of words and letters. To play you will need a playing field with letters.

Before the game, the child is explained that now he will go on a journey to a magical land of mysteries, which the alphabet will help him solve.
To find out the answer, the child will have to correctly collect all the letters.
Next, the teacher asks a riddle and sets the direction of movement along the playing field.
Following the instructions, the child makes up a guess word from the letters.

"Magic chest"

The game strengthens the child’s navigation skills in microspace and activates the use of the terms “right”, “left”, “above”, “below” in speech. To play you will need a chest with small toys.

The baby should carefully examine several toys, then close his eyes, while the teacher lays out the toys on two shelves of the chest.
The child lowers his sleeves and examines the toys inside the chest through them, describing where they are located.

Speech game for mastering prepositions for, before, between “Guess what it is.”

Place 15-20 different objects or toys on the table. Invite your child to play riddles and guesses. Say that you will wish for some thing on the table, and the child will guess it.

I will give sample riddles and dialogues with the baby, and you will come up with your own (with your set of objects and toys).

“It lies behind the table lamp” (there are three toys behind the table lamp). The child can try to guess: “Is this a mouse?” Say, “No. My answer is at the table lamp in front of the book. "A! These are glasses!” the child guesses.
Next, invite your child to ask you a riddle and turn away so as not to see how he rearranges the objects on the table. Turn to the table and try to guess, helping the baby with leading questions. For example, a child asks you: “This is where the colors are.” Clarify: “There are a lot of objects next to the paints. Maybe it's before the paints? Here?" “No,” the baby shouts, “it’s not in front, it’s in the back.” "A! Behind the colors. Mmmm, there are several items in there. What did you wish for? Ahhh! It’s between a pencil and a pen, right?” “Yes,” the kid agrees. “So it’s a machine!” “Exactly, I guessed right,” your three-year-old rejoices, proud that he thought of such a difficult problem.
Repeat the game with different toys and objects.
The game should always be stopped when the baby asks to continue playing. Then he will be happy to join in next time. If you play until the child gets tired, then satiety with the game will set in, and the child will refuse to play it in the future.
The game can also be played on a walk with shells, leaves, pebbles, twigs and the child’s toys.
In this game, gradually and imperceptibly in an interesting activity, your baby will learn to navigate in space and correctly indicate the location of objects with words.

Games for orientation in space, where reference points can be objects or the player himself

“Which child stands closer and which one is further away?”

The goal of the game is to strengthen the ability to navigate, using yourself as a reference point. Place the children on the carpet at different distances from the leader, and the leader must determine who stands further from him and who is closer.

"Who can name it correctly"

The goal of the game is to train the ability to determine spatial relationships between oneself and objects around.

The child must raise his right hand and list the objects to his right.
Then he must close his eyes, turn around in one place several times and open his eyes again.
After this, raise your right hand again and list the objects on the right.
The same thing is repeated with the left hand.

"Goalkeeper"

The game is aimed at strengthening the baby’s orientation skills relative to himself, developing precision of movement and speed of reaction. To play you will need a ball.

The adult must throw the ball to the child and at the same time warn him about the direction of throwing the ball.
The child's task is to make a goalkeeper's throw and catch the flying ball.
A child may say: “It’s not for nothing that I’m called a goalkeeper, I will always catch the ball!”
The teacher’s saying: “One, two, three - there’s a ball on the right (left, top), look!”

Types of spatial orientation

in the body diagram,
in space,
on surface.

Body schema orientation can be taught early. The simplest technique is “show your eyes, ears” and so on - already at an early age.

At 3-4 years old, you can learn with your baby not only the body diagram, but also some spatial orientation skills. The simplest ones are “top-bottom”, “front-behind” and, less obvious, “right-left”.

A four- to five-year-old preschooler masters the ability to navigate by correlating objects and sides of the body: at the top is where the head is, at the bottom is where the legs are. The child himself is the starting point. Therefore, it is useful to firmly learn the right and left sides of the body with your baby.

If it is difficult for a student to remember this, then it is necessary to create some kind of “anchors”.