Spatial thinking: Why it belongs in the preschool classroom.

Abstract

Children’s early spatial thinking abilities are predictive of their later STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) achievement. While research has primarily focused on spatial skills in the home environment, spatial learning can also occur in schools and in informal learning settings in the real world. Despite calls for implementation—as in the Common Core standards—spatial skills instruction is absent from most early education classrooms. The current article identifies key practices that can be implemented by preschool educators to help foster spatial learning. Adopting Chatterjee’s (2008) Framework of Spatial Thought and Language, which offers a typology for different aspects of spatial thinking, we argue that spatial skills should be taught early, using examples from the classroom to illustrate how research can be brought to life. We suggest ways to apply simple practices that preschool educators can use to improve children’s spatial skills, as well as describe installations designed to foster spatial thinking that can be implemented in some form in preschools.

Constructing and storytelling: accommodating different play orientations in learning spatial thinking

“…Spatial learning can be playful as well. The Playful Learning Landscapes movement developed playful environments such a Parkopolis, a life-sized mathematical and spatial board game in a children's museum (Pritulsky et al, 2020). Playing in Parkopolis that led to increased spatial and mathematical talk.…”

Spatial Reasoning in early childhood

“…As younger children (such as toddlers and two-year-olds) are developing their spatial reasoning skills, they tend to try to use miniature toys or objects as though they are full-sized objects (Rosengren et al 2010), however the more experience they have with small-scale objects, the more their sense of scaling develops (Pritulsky et al, 2020), highlighting the importance of small world play for young children. Young children recognise scale models of animals, vehicles and dolls' houses and can often choose the correct chair, bed or bowl for each of the three bears, based upon its size and their knowledge of the story context.…”

Creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable learning environment to support children of color’s early introductions to STEM.

“…Not all children attend preschool, and by introducing learning opportunities to the spaces where families already spend time, we can lessen the experience gap that otherwise might occur. One effort to introduce more learning opportunities into spaces where families and children already spend time is the Playful Learning Landscapes initiative, a nonprofit organization in the Philadelphia area that works on projects to bring learning opportunities into public spaces (Bustamante et al, 2020; Pritulsky et al, 2020). One effort transformed an urban bus stop into a play space (Hassinger-Das et al, 2020).…”