Maps and directions
Year 1 · Geography
Explore places, read maps and discover the world around you.
Choose a game
Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
Compass directions: north, south, east and west
Which direction is opposite east? Which way is at the top of a map? A free KS1 geography game about the four compass points, with a printable.
Play Compass directions: north, south, east and west
Learning about maps and directions
In this Year 1 geography collection, you can practise Compass directions: north, south, east and west. Choose a game above for a short activity, or explore the examples below before you play. The full guide for each game explains its controls, gives more examples and includes a free printable for practice away from the screen.
Talk it through
Keep a globe, atlas or simple map nearby. Ask your child to point to a place or direction before naming it. Relate a map symbol or feature to a real example, and compare places rather than memorising isolated names.
Ask: “Where would you look to check your answer?” Give your child time to explain. Return to an example after playing and ask whether they would approach it differently.
Compass directions: north, south, east and west
A compass shows four main directions: north, east, south and west. In Key Stage 1, children learn these four points and use them, together with words like left, right, near and far, to describe where things are on a map and how to get from one place to another. In the game, children label the four points of a compass, then say which direction each place in a park is from Jigby. The Quick quiz asks which direction is at the top or side of a map, which direction is opposite another, and which way you face after a turn.
Try an example: If north is at the top of a map, which direction is on the right?
Clockwise from north comes east, and on a map that is the right-hand side.
Show the answer
East.
What to look out for
Mixing up east and west. Write "WE" across a compass: W on the left, E on the right, so the two letters spell "we".
Read the full Compass directions: north, south, east and west guide
Practise away from the screen
- Find north at home using a compass app or a real compass, then label the walls of a room N, E, S and W.
Curriculum connections
These games support selected practice connected to Geographical skills and fieldwork in the National Curriculum in England. The programme groups requirements by key stage; the year shown here is our suggested practice placement. A game covers selected examples, rather than assessing every requirement.
Questions families ask
Where should we start with maps and directions?
Start with Compass directions: north, south, east and west. Look at the worked example together, then try a round. If the task feels unfamiliar, use the full game guide or its free printable before trying again.
Does this cover everything taught at this level?
No. This collection brings together the games currently available for this learning area. It supports selected skills and does not replace the full programme of study or practical teaching.