Get your students excited about directional language and movement with the interactive and engaging Direction Race Games. These hands-on game boards help students practise using key direction words as they race their way across the board, collect counters, and compete to reach the finish line with the most points.

This resource includes three different game boards and three matching spinners, offering plenty of variety to keep students challenged and engaged. Each spinner features directional prompts such as north, south, east, west, as well as left, right, up, and down. As students take turns spinning and moving, they reinforce their understanding of spatial awareness and location language in a playful and cooperative way.

The goal of each game is to collect as many counters as possible before reaching the finish. Players begin at the designated starting point, spin the spinner, and move in the direction indicated. If they land on a special spot, they collect a counter. The game continues until a player reaches the finish. At the end, players count their counters, and the person with the most is declared the winner. With colourful boards and movement-based learning, these games are perfect for practising directional vocabulary in both maths and literacy contexts.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Use directional language to follow and give instructions
• ✅ Develop spatial reasoning through interactive movement
• ✅ Reinforce vocabulary such as left, right, up, down, north, south, east, and west
• ✅ Build turn-taking and decision-making skills in a collaborative setting
• ✅ Strengthen number recognition and counting through score-keeping

What’s Included:

• 3 unique printable game boards
• 3 directional spinners featuring a mix of compass points and movement terms
• Instructions for gameplay and classroom set-up
• Suggested counters and optional recording sheet

Materials Needed:

• Printed game boards and spinners
• Paperclip and pencil or plastic spinner arrow
• Small counters or tokens for collecting (buttons, blocks, or coins work well)
• Optional: laminated boards and markers for reuse

How to Use:

1. Print and prepare the boards and spinners (laminate if desired).
2. Place students in small groups and provide each group with a spinner and counters.
3. Students begin at the start position and take turns spinning.
4. They move in the direction indicated by the spinner and follow the pathway.
5. If they land on a special space, they collect a counter. Play continues until someone reaches the finish.
6. Players count their counters and the player with the most wins.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use in maths rotations for spatial reasoning and direction practice
• 💡 Incorporate into literacy sessions when learning about positional or instructional language
• 💡 Play in small groups as a reward activity that still reinforces key concepts
• 💡 Pair with a map-based task or treasure hunt for an extended location lesson
• 💡 Introduce during a whole-class demo, then rotate through stations

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Use colour-coded counters to track individual progress and prevent confusion
• 💛 Print on thick card or laminate for long-term use across the year
• 💛 Encourage students to verbalise their moves aloud using correct directional language
• 💛 Extend by asking students to write a sequence of instructions based on their movements

Direction Race Games are a fun and curriculum-aligned resource that promotes directional vocabulary, turn-taking, and spatial reasoning through engaging gameplay—perfect for building confidence and language skills in early years and primary settings.