Let’s make a fun grid game for kids to practice following directions playfully! A map game can help your child learn the important life skills of map reading and how following directions can lead to a destination. This fun grid activity combines following directions with map skills activities. Oh, and this following directions activity will get kids moving too! Make a grid game at home or in the classroom.

text: Following Directions Grid game - DIY grid of green string made on carpeted floor with chid standing in one of the grid activity squares - Kids Activities Blog
Make a game grid for following directions activities that are fun!

Make a Map Game On the Floor!

The goal of this map game is for kids to work through the floor grid by following the directions given. The grid game will have kids practicing counting and using the words left, right, forward, and backward. You could also modify to include North, South, East and West as well.

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Related: How To Make A Compass

Supplies Needed for Following Directions Game

*You will want to use a tape that can be removed without leaving residue. If unsure, test a small corner first. The longer you leave the tape on the floor, the harder it is to remove.

How to Make This Following Directions Activity

Grid made out of green yarn and post it notes secured with tape shown on carpet with a 6x6 grid. Kids learn about map skills and following directions with this fun map game
This is what our game grid looked like when finished

Step 1 – Create a Grid on the Floor

Create a numbered grid on your floor. I used a 6×6 grid because that’s what fit well in our room. This is how I created this grid game:

  1. I used my feet to mark off the grid.
  2. I taped the end of the yarn to the floor.
  3. Then, I placed the heel of one foot in front of the toes of the other foot as I walked 6 steps across the room.
  4. I tape down the yarn, turned and marked off another 6 steps.
  5. I continued until I had a square.
  6. I went back around the square and placed tape on top of the yarn after every step.
  7. Then I strung pieces of yarn from one side of the square to the other using the tape as a guide.

Step 2 – Play the Game

How to Play this Following Directions Activity

Have your child start at square one and walk through the grid following your directions. Have her face the same directions as the numbers if you use the directions I wrote. Stepping to the left or right would require a side step.

Example Directions

  • Take 3 steps forward.
  • Take 1 step to the left.
  • Take 2 steps backward and 2 steps to the left.
  • Take 1 step forward and 2 steps to the right.

Printable Guide to Making a Following the Directions Grid Game

printed pdf version of the instructions for making the grid game for kids including a sample grid and list of instructions for steps and where the child would be on the grid at each step.
Here is a sample game for your game grid!

Download & Print: Directions for the Following Directions Grid Game

Print out the game instruction pdf files and you can read off the directions. They will take you from square 1 to square 31.

Our Experience With Games About Following Directions

My 3 year old thought this game was a ton of fun. He called it a maze because you had to follow a certain path to get out of the grid. Once he completed it, he started all over and asked for new directions.

We also worked on numbers during the game. I would ask him to count how many steps it would take to get from number __ to number __. Sometimes he would take a roundabout path. He thought that was more fun!

Problems Encountered for Younger Kids

  • My son did have a slight problem with facing the same direction the whole time while following directions. To go left, he would turn left!
  • To fix this I simply changed my directions to fit the way he was facing. For older kids, you could create a front and back indicated by more sticky notes.
  • My son also encountered issues sometimes with interpreting the word “backward” at first. He was able to step forward, right and left, but backward was challenging. We worked together until he could tackle that concept with ease.

More Ways to Use this Map Game for Map Skills Activities

  • If your children are readers, have them take turns reading and following directions. Have them write directions for themselves.
  • Take the game outside by creating a grid with cones.
  • Practice following directions by using grids drawn on paper.
  • Instead of using numbers on the floor, use N, S, E & W labeled on each side of the grid.

Related: More following directions ideas from Our Pastimes

Yield: 1

Follow Directions Game for Kids Using Grid

grid game laid on floor for following directions game

Use this simple DIY floor grid game board as the foundation of a playful and fun game for kids to learn how to follow directions! Younger kids can learn right, left, forward and backward and older kids can learn cardinal directions like North, South, East and West. All will have a fun time with this following directions game!

Active Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Difficulty Medium
Estimated Cost $1

Materials

  • Yarn or thick string
  • Sticky notes

Tools

  • Marker
  • Masking tape or painters tape*
  • (Optional) tape measure

Instructions

  1. Lay the string on the floor to make a grid - our grid was 6 x 6 using a foot as a guide for sizing.
  2. Once you have the string arranged as desired, then tape down the ends to secure it in place.
  3. With a marker, number the sticky notes and attach one starting in the starting square with #1.

More Kids Activities & Following Direction Fun

What a fun map game for kids!  How do you teach following directions to your kids?  Are there other map skills activities that they enjoy?  



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