Following directions can mean a lot of things. Following commands, making something, or getting somewhere. Today we are going to focus on directional concepts. Directionality is the ability to understand and use information related to direction and space. This includes understanding concepts like left/right, up/down, in front of/behind, above/below, inside/outside, etc. Thankfully, we are not going to cover things like, “turn west out of the parking lot,” because no one understands that anyway. There is a relationship to body awareness and proprioception at stake here, too.
The reason we need to worry about this in therapy sessions is that the a spatial relations concepts are very important to functional tasks.
We will take a look at following directions, direction signs and words, body in space to find your way and activities to help enhance directional concepts.
What are DIRECTIONAL CONCEPTS
You may have recently seen our post on left right discrimination. Directional concepts take it one step further.
Not only do you need to know left from right, but behind, in front, before, after, beside, inside, and dozens more. Coincidentally, many of the directional words are prepositions (or many prepositions are directional words). These are spatial relations words like:
- over/under
- left/right
- above/below
- east/west
- in front/behind
- near/far
These words are important to direction following.
Popular singer Jack Hartman has a catchy preposition song. There are lots of songs about directional concepts on youtube if that is your preferred method of teaching.
In occupational therapy, we use play to support development of skills. It’s an easy tool to help kids understand spatial relations concepts.
How to Work on Directional Concepts Through Play
Occupational therapy and play go hand in hand. It is the primary role of the child, after all. Luckily, we can use play as a tool to support development of skills like directional concepts at any age.
The best way to learn is by doing. Getting kids up and moving is a great way to teach directional concepts. Kids can memorize prepositions and direction words all day long, but they will learn faster by engaging in movement activities.
- Use a stuffed animal or toys for following directions – ask students to put their bear on the table, behind the plant, below a chair, etc.
- Body movement – kids can work on directionality by following commands. Say things like jump on the bed, jump off the bed, go around the trash can, crawl under the table. As they move their body, your learners will make a connection with the word and action
- Obstacle course – create a course in your clinic/class/home for learners to follow. Give verbal, picture, or demonstration instructions. They can be: go around the table, then under the chair, then over the yellow mat, through the tunnel, up the slide, etc.
- Simon Says – this classic game is all about giving and following directions. Simon says touch your left hand to your right ear. Travel west across the room (just kidding). Put your left leg in front of you. Directions can be as simple or complex as your learners can handle
- Relay races – these can combine obstacle courses and Simon Says commands all in one
- Hula hoop games – use a hula hoop as a prop for following directions. Put one foot in the hoop. Put the hoop over your head. Stand behind the hoop
- Hokey Pokey – this classic song is a great practice for in/out, left/right, and body parts
- Line dance songs – the Cha Cha Slide, Cupid Shuffle, and several other line dance songs combine several different directions in the song. These fast paced songs not only get kids moving, but they learn to follow directions while having fun
Teaching directional concepts is important for kids.
MORE WAYS TO TEACH DIRECTIONAL CONCEPTS
Beyond getting up and moving, here are some tricks to teaching directional concepts:
- Teach in opposites – we already reviewed left and right, but how about up/down, on/off, in front/behind, before/after
- Use visual cues – pictures help learners associate an action with words. Look at books, picture cards, signs, or videos.
- Positional songs – singing helps language development, increase memory, and understand concepts. Help your young learners master positional/directional words with these circle time songs that your students will love! This resource is packed with simple, memorable songs (set to childhood tunes you probably already know) that will capture the attention of your students and keep them engaged and learning. You’ll find headers, posters, and printables, too, to help you teach the important early childhood topic of spatial relations!
- Task boxes – simple task boxes are a great visual hands-on method of teaching concepts. Make laminated cards and use clothespins or clips to match the concept with the word.
- Interactive books are another great way to teach directional concepts.
- Chunking – teach in small chunks instead of lots of concepts all at once. For example, maybe one week you work on up and down, incorporating many activities for these two words in isolation.
- Barrier games – this is a great concept for learning directional concepts. Students can work in pairs, or you can have an adult work with each learner. Students sit across from each other with a barrier between them. Each player has the same items. The students take turns giving the other player very specific directions (per ability level) on how to arrange the materials in front of them. The goal of the game is to have all the players’ materials look the same at the end of the activity.
- Mental Blox (Amazon affiliate link)- this is a great game. One of the sub games in it is giving and following directions. Instead of students copying the card, give them directions to make their design without seeing the card. Then they can try and teach the concepts to you or another student.
- Writing on a vertical surface or slant board – I recently wrote a post on the benefits of writing on a vertical surface. One of them was understanding concepts of up and down better. If you think about it, “up” makes more sense on a wall than a flat piece of paper
- Teaching over, under, around and through – right here on the Toolbox you can find great resources for teaching direction.
Another tool to have in your therapy toolbox is a variety of movement and spatial relations worksheets like we have inside The OT Toolbox membership club.
WORKSHEETS AND PAPER PENCIL GAME FOR DIRECTIONAL CONCEPTS
A great way to round off your lessons on directional concepts and following directions, is to put pencil to paper. Writing things down can help with muscle memory and understanding.
- Following directions activities
- Spatial awareness toys and games on the OT Toolbox
We have many worksheets to teach directional skills inside The OT Toolbox Membership.
DIRECTIONAL CONCEPTS in Occupational Therapy
After all this research, I am inspired into adding new activities to my toolbox. I have a better understanding of what directional concepts mean, and how to facilitate learning. I still need someone to explain what “turn west out of the parking lot means.”
It’s important to recognize that when we tell our students a direction, there might be directional challenges at play that impact functioning skills.
Victoria Wood, OTR/L is a contributor to The OT Toolbox and has been providing Occupational Therapy treatment in pediatrics for more than 25 years. She has practiced in hospital settings (inpatient, outpatient, NICU, PICU), school systems, and outpatient clinics in several states. She has treated hundreds of children with various sensory processing dysfunction in the areas of behavior, gross/fine motor skills, social skills and self-care. Ms. Wood has also been a featured speaker at seminars, webinars, and school staff development training. She is the author of Seeing your Home and Community with Sensory Eyes.
