Spatial awareness is knowing where your body is in space in relation to objects and other people. To have good spatial awareness you also need to understand and respond to a change in position from these objects. It’s a complex skill children develop from an early age.

Sit anywhere in a public location where children are engaging and you’ll see them walk into an object. Spatial awareness is being learned. ‘I need to move – the object is fixed.’ 

Let’s start with hands

Awareness of a child’s hands in the space around them involves very simple actions like reaching out to grab something and knowing how far to stretch. Then if the child pulls themselves towards that object, changing their position, they get to understand where other things are around them.

Large muscles

It takes a lot of brain power for children to learn where objects are in relation to their own bodies and how to move their bodies to achieve a desired outcome, whether whacking a ball, co-ordinating limbs to complete a breaststroke, or even tracing using a stencil.

When children miss kicks, have near collisions on the playground, or unwanted bruises that come from accidently running into the furniture, they’re experiencing the downside of being less aware of space. These happen in the normal journey of life. As children gain awareness of the space around them, they’re limiting the number of times these events occur.

Developing spatial awareness starts early. For example, when a baby makes his first reach for a rattle, when baby learns to gauge distance as she crawls, when baby moves through space in relation to three-dimensional objects, these are all spatial awareness activities that provide learning.

Brain growth

Pouring water is a great spatial awareness activity. Where the water heads to; how fast it moves; how quickly the containers empty and fill. Having items in a bowl or container, then tipping them on the floor. Children are learning whether items scatter, land in a pile, or in exactly the same shape as how they appeared in the container.

Playing with a ball helps a child understand space. Kicking, rolling, and throwing all contribute. In mainly music, this also happens with bean bags.

Stacking objects and understanding long or short help children’s brains to grow in terms of spatial awareness. Sticking blocks together with playdough is a simple activity.

The Block Song

Originally written and produced as restrictions were introduced, your child might like to gather their blocks and participate alongside Jo as she presents this song. Here’s the link to YouTube.