Instead of overwhelming your new-to-school little learners with a buffet of paints, papers, crayons, markers, glue sticks and everything else that is in your art cabinet arsenal, the preschool map lesson works best with basic materials. Give each child an 8-by-10-inch or larger piece of construction paper and crayons or markers to draw with. Choose a white or light-colored paper for the kids to draw the map on. Bright crayons or markers will make their drawings shine.
Starting the preschool year off with a classroom map lesson can help to ease the first-day anxieties that your young students may have. In this lesson, each preschooler makes his own directional map so he can truly experience all of the nooks and centers that the new school setting has to offer. Aside from the obvious goal of introducing the classroom areas to new students, the map lesson also helps preschoolers learn about basic directions such as "in front of" and "behind" and helps them better understand sequencing concepts. For example, as you walk the children around the room, note the specific sequence of the areas such as, "The science center is first after we walk in the door. Next to the science center is the reading area. After the reading area is the lunch table."
Start your preschool map lesson with a "tour" of the room, noting key areas such as the art center, story circle, book area, science area, blocks, nap-time mats and snack or meal space. Don't rush through the tour. Keep in mind that your students are new to this educational environment and, most likely, school in general. The precise time that you need depends on the size of the room and the amount of different spaces. Stop at each area or center for at least a few minutes, asking simple question such as, "What could you make in this art area?" and "Where do you see a place to put the blocks away when we clean up?" After going area by area, ask the preschoolers to draw each classroom space onto their maps. Use your classroom work tables for the map drawing activity, giving the children crayons and markers to share. Block out roughly 10 to 15 minutes for drawing time. Go around as the kids work and label the areas that they draw with matching words or phrases such as, "This is the sink area."
Not all preschoolers are at the same age or developmental level. You may have one age group -- such as young 4-year-olds -- or a multi-age group of 3- through 5-year-olds. Considering that this is the start of the school year, you most likely won't have a true picture of each child's abilities and skills yet. Adjust the map activity as you go along for the differing needs of the students. For example, if one of your 3-year-olds is still in the toddler scribbling stage, help her along by asking her to make a few lines that connect the scribbles or asking her to "name" the scribbles as different areas of the room.