Spatial Concepts

When your child understands spatial concepts: such as: in, on, under, over, in front, behind, top and bottom, he may be able to follow many directions, ask questions, and express his ideas clearly. “When a child enters school without having a good grasp of spatial concepts, it is often a good indication that he will also have difficulty following directions, reading, and understanding math concepts,” said Nancy Caine, primary school teacher for over 20 years.

Learning concepts of location should begin early. When you give your child many opportunities to jump, run, climb, and move he develops body awareness, the first step in understanding spatial concepts. This includes becoming aware of where his body parts are in relation to each other (my nose is in the middle of my face, my toes are at the end of my feet) and how he can change the shape and level of his body by standing, sitting, or crawling. Next, most children begin to understand where their body is in relation to the environment they are in, and how to move in different directions, such as going up and down, forward and backward, around and across. Usually, a child will learn about his body position in relation to other people (next to Mommy), and then in relation to other objects (on the table). Most two-year-old children are able to distinguish between objects in their environment that can easily be touched, and those that are farther away.

Between two and one half and three years of age, experts believe that more words that tell about position in space are added to a child’s vocabulary then any other six month period. Your two and half year old – three year old child may now be aware of where things in his house belong as well as where to find a towel or look for a missing shoe. He may be able to give a reasonable answer to where do monkeys live, or where is the roof? Some children by the age of three may even be able to tell the name of their street or town when asked, “Where do you live?”

Helping your child learn about spatial position words can be fun and many times part of your daily routine activities. Repetition is the key as a child must hear a word many times and understand its meaning before he is able to say it. When you give a direction to a young child, who is learning about location, be specific and use words that tell “where” often. For example, it would be easier for your child to find his missing shoe if you say, "Look under the table", rather then just saying,"Look over there." Instead of pointing to the table when your child asks, “Where is my car,” try saying, “It is in the box on the table.” Using this method of direction giving may save time too. Here are some additional suggestions:

1. Roll a ball back and forth. As you change the distance between you and your child, you will give him a sense of the space that is between you.

2. Look around the room with your child. Ask him to find three things that are under something. Find three things that are in something. Find three things that are on something.

3. Make an indoor obstacle course by placing chairs, tables, and cardboard boxes for your child to crawl in, sit on, and go under.

4. Use location words in your natural environments as you talk with your child or give him simple directions.

At the supermarket, engage your child’s attention and say, for example: "Put the apple in the bag." "Watch me put the dog food under the cart." "Put the cereal next to you." "Put the bread behind you." "Look on the side of the box." "Look at the birdhouses over your head."

At the playground, engage your child’s attention and say: for example: "Look over your head. See the airplane." "Go down the slide." "Look behind the slide. See the children waiting for their turn."

While riding the car, engage your child’s attention and say, for example: "Look at the car in front of us. See the dog." "Look at the car on the right side. It is blue." "Look out the window. See the big sign with the chicken on it."

While dressing, engage your child’s attention, and say, for example: "Watch me put your shoe on your foot." "Put your arm in the sleeve." "Help me pull the sweater over your head." While bathing your child, engage your child’s attention, and say, for example: "Tilt your head back." "Put the duck under the water." "Put your hands in the water." "Look up at the showerhead." "Put the boat on the water."

While cooking dinner, let your child help you and give him simple directions to follow. "First, get a spoon in the drawer. Next, put it on the counter." This will help your child learn to follow directions as well as develop his understanding of location words.

5. Encourage your child to move in different directions by playing games together. Give him a simple direction to follow. Some examples are: "Take two steps forward"; "Walk around the table"; "Hop quickly across the room."

6. As you read to your child, point out where people and objects are located: For example, "Look, the mouse is behind the tree."

7. Blow bubbles together and talk about how they land behind your head, in front of your head, near you, far from you, in the corner of the yard, and in the center of the yard.

You are ultimately responsible for helping your young child communicate with the world. Relax, have fun, and help him reach his highest potential.

Dorothy P. Dougherty, MA, CCC-SLP, is a Speech/Language Pathologist and author of How to Talk to Your Baby: A Guide to Maximizing Your Child's Language and Learning Skills (Penguin/Putnam, 12/99). Teach Me How to Say it Right: Helping Your Child With Articulation Problems will be released in June, 2005 (New Harbinger Publications. For more information about speech problems,go to www.1speechproblems.com.

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