Mapping Abilities of Four-Year-Old Children in York, England

This study reports on the ability of preschool-age children to interpret a black-and-white vertical aerial photograph and to solve a simulated navigation problem on the photo. Preschool-age children in York, England, successfully identified landscape features and solved navigation problems on a 1:1,300 air photo of a section of nearby Sheffield. Both verbal and nonverbal probes were employed. While a steadily increasing body of evidence has tended to contradict the conventional idea that children cannot learn map skills until much later in life, this study shows that children as young as four years old have significant untaught mapping abilities. The results suggest that children upon entering school may be able to benefit from much richer geographical learning experiences than are at present provided.