Maps show places — Geography, 4–6 years
A map is a small picture of a real place. It helps us see where things are and find a way from one place to another.
A picture from above
A map shows a place as if we were looking down from the sky. A blue shape might mean a river, a line might mean a road, and a little picture might mean a school or a house. The map uses signs to keep a big place simple.
Why make a map?
Real places are often too big to hold in our hands or remember all at once. People made maps to share where paths, homes, rivers and important places are. A map solves the problem of finding and explaining a place without taking someone there.
Following a simple map
Imagine a map of a park: the gate is at the bottom, a pond is in the middle and a bench is beside a tree. Start at the gate, walk to the pond, then turn towards the tree. The bench is your destination, because the map showed each place in relation to the next one.
A map is not the real place
It is easy to think that a tiny road on a map is a tiny road in real life. The map makes everything smaller, so its lines and signs stand for bigger things. Look at the signs and the route, rather than expecting the map to look exactly like the place.
Maps in everyday life
People use maps to find a new playground, follow a walking route or see where a bus goes. A family may check a map before visiting a museum or another town. The map is useful when the place is unfamiliar or too large to see all at once.
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