Help your students practise directional and positional language in a purposeful and engaging way with our Directional Language Maze Worksheets! This hands-on resource supports the development of spatial awareness, location skills and mathematical vocabulary by challenging students to solve and describe paths through grid-based mazes using directional terms.

Students begin by navigating from the start to the finish of the maze, recording the coordinates and movement steps they take along the way. They then use directional language - such as left, right, turn, forward, up, and down - to describe their route step by step. The activity culminates in a short reflection where students think about the strategies and language that helped them give clear directions.

Directional Language Maze Worksheets are perfect for use in Year 2–4 and support outcomes in both Mathematics and English. With three versions included for repeated practise or differentiation, this resource makes it easy to integrate movement and mapping language into your classroom routines. Whether used independently, in pairs or as part of a whole-class modelling session, this task supports deep thinking and problem solving.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Use directional and positional language to describe movement and location
• ✅ Record and interpret grid coordinates in a structured format
• ✅ Develop spatial awareness and logical reasoning
• ✅ Apply mathematical vocabulary to real-world movement scenarios
• ✅ Strengthen communication skills through written and oral directions

What’s Included:

• Three differentiated maze worksheets for varied levels of difficulty
• Grid layout with start and finish points clearly marked
• Direction recording table and reflection questions on each sheet

Materials Needed:

• Printed worksheets (A4 or enlarged to A3 for group use)
• Pencils or markers for recording directions
• Optional: whiteboard version of the maze for modelling

How to Use:

1. Introduce directional and positional terms such as left, right, forward and turn.
2. Students solve the maze, recording their path using grid references or visual cues.
3. They then write step-by-step instructions using appropriate directional language.
4. Complete the reflection questions to discuss challenges and strategies.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use during maths rotations as a geometry or location-focused task
• 💡 Pair students to complete the maze together, taking turns giving directions
• 💡 Model a route on a projected maze to introduce or consolidate key vocabulary
• 💡 Link to literacy by having students write a short narrative about a journey through the maze
• 💡 Connect to coding and robotics by linking directions to command sequences

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Use colour coding to highlight each movement step or coordinate pair
• 💛 Model one route on the board and discuss possible variations before starting
• 💛 Reinforce the difference between positional (next to, above) and directional (turn left, move forward) language
• 💛 Allow time for students to read their instructions aloud to a partner for clarity and fluency practise

Directional Language Maze Worksheets are a fun and effective way to develop geometry and location skills—encouraging students to use precise language, plan logically and reflect on their strategies through movement-based problem solving.