Position and direction teaching resources

Position and direction are fundamental concepts in primary mathematics, helping pupils develop spatial awareness and understand the relationships between objects in space. These concepts involve describing where things are (position) and how they move or face (direction), using language such as 'left', 'right', 'forwards', 'backwards', 'above', 'below', 'next to', and 'between'. Teaching position and direction enables children to interpret and create maps, follow instructions, and solve problems involving movement and location.

In the classroom, Position and direction resources might include interactive games, worksheets, visual aids, and outdoor activities that encourage pupils to practise giving and following positional instructions. For example, teachers might use floor grids, treasure hunts, or programmable robots to make learning active and engaging. Mastery of these skills supports later work in geometry, coordinates, and navigation.

Understanding position and direction is also vital across the curriculum, as it underpins tasks in subjects such as geography (reading maps), science (describing locations of objects or organisms), and physical education (movement and orientation in space). Teachers can use resources in this collection to build pupils’ confidence in expressing and interpreting spatial information, laying the groundwork for more advanced mathematical and everyday reasoning.