In a nutshell, spatial awareness is the understanding of objects (including your own body) in relationship to the surrounding space. For children, that starts with discovering hands and feet, grows to moving safely on a playground, and leads to judging distances while driving or solving math problems. It’s a huge skillset that affects so many critical aspects of positive whole-child development.
So how do you know if little ones are on or off-track with these skills?
You might notice a lack of spatial awareness if…
- Baby/young toddler is not showing signs of putting hand to mouth, rolling over, or walking by a certain age.
- Older toddler has higher than average falls when walking or running.
- Preschooler is having trouble distinguishing left from right.
- Kindergartner+ is having trouble with handwriting or keeping within a designated space.
The good news is that spatial awareness skill-building activities can be really fun and build confidence without frustration.
In fact, research from the University of Hong Kong shows that “preschoolers with a stronger interest in spatial activities experienced faster growth in spatial ability over time.”
One of the most joyful ways to practice spatial awareness? Musical play!
3 Ways Music Supports Spatial Awareness
Directional Vocabulary
Songs with words like up, down, and around help children associate words with action. And they’re effective for children of all ages.
The joyful memory of that action makes the directional vocabulary stick.
Try it:
- Stream “High and Low” on the free Kindermusik app.
- If you have a pre-walker, hold them and move them up and down as the lyrics indicate.
- If you have a walker/older child, move to the song together.
Coordination
When older toddlers and children test new movements, they build coordination skills. When they test them within a defined space, their neurons are on fire!
Lightly directed dance parties are the perfect way to practice.
Try it:
- Model movements and set up boundaries like “spin in the hula hoop,” “skip around the rug without touching it,” and any other safe obstacles you can put in place.
Inhibitory Control
Stop-and-go games help kids understand force, cause and effect, and what it takes to control their bodies.
We love to play freeze dance because it’s easy to implement, and gives children the freedom to choose their own creative movements while sneaking in that inhibitory control practice.
Plus, if you have a baby or pre-walker, you can still play and model inhibitory control while holding them. They feel what you’re feeling, hear what you’re hearing, and are making that brain connection!
Try it:
- Play freeze dance to your child’s favorite song.
- If you need help choosing a song, try the “German Band Stop-and-Go” instrumental track from our music library. It has built-in freeze moments, so no need to press pause!
Spatial Awareness is about progress not perfection.
Starting consistent, no-stress spatial awareness activities from infancy on helps children build creativity, confidence, and the ability to achieve the spatial-temporal reasoning needed to succeed in a variety of areas.
As with all things, practice makes progress at their own speed, and musical play infuses that joy that keeps little ones coming back for more.
To practice spatial awareness in a grownup-and-me class, find a class near you. To infuse spatial awareness activities in a learning environment, check out our solutions for schools and other early education settings.