Give your students a practical and personalised mapping experience with Map My School: Grid Coordinates Worksheets. This engaging activity invites students to map out their own school using either a grid reference system or coordinate system, combining creativity with core spatial reasoning skills.

Beginning with a bird’s eye view of the school layout, students plot key locations—classrooms, the library, playgrounds, and more—onto a grid. Then, using either grid references (e.g. A1) or coordinates (e.g. (1,1)), they identify the positions of each feature and write instructions to navigate from one point to another using directional and location-based vocabulary.

Extension versions of the activity invite students to step up the challenge by switching systems or drawing their own coordinate grid from scratch. This makes the resource flexible for a range of ability levels and ideal for reinforcing mapping concepts over multiple sessions. It’s perfect for maths, geography, or integrated inquiry lessons, and A3 enlargements are recommended for larger or more detailed school layouts.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Represent real-world environments using grid reference or coordinate systems
• ✅ Identify and label locations using spatial and directional language
• ✅ Write and follow instructions using accurate coordinates
• ✅ Apply logical reasoning and sequencing skills in a familiar context
• ✅ Construct and use their own grid system with consistent spacing

What’s Included:

• Base worksheet using a grid reference system (e.g. A1)
• Extension worksheet using coordinate system (e.g. (1,1))
• Advanced worksheet requiring students to draw their own grid system

Materials Needed:

• Printed worksheet (standard or A3 enlarged)
• Pencil and ruler for accurate map drawing
• Coloured pencils or markers for feature identification
• Optional: class map or aerial photo for reference

How to Use:

1. Begin with a discussion about the layout of the school and important landmarks.
2. Students sketch their school layout onto the grid provided or draw their own.
3. They label key features and determine the coordinates or grid references of each one.
4. Next, they write a set of directions to move between items using coordinate steps.
5. Challenge students to swap maps with a peer and follow each other’s directions.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use during your mapping unit in maths or geography to personalise learning
• 💡 Assign as a project-based homework activity for students to complete with family input
• 💡 Link with digital learning by transferring hand-drawn maps into Google Slides or Docs
• 💡 Pair with or follow a school tour for new students or foundation years
• 💡 Create a class gallery of school maps and celebrate different student perspectives

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Model both grid reference and coordinate styles before beginning
• 💛 Support younger students by providing a list of key locations to include
• 💛 Use aerial photos or printouts of the school to support layout accuracy
• 💛 Offer sentence stems for writing coordinate-based directions
• 💛 Use peer map comparison to open discussion about precision and variation

Map My School: Grid Coordinates Worksheets is a practical and meaningful way to connect numeracy skills to students’ real-life environments. It builds spatial reasoning and reinforces location concepts while empowering students to see their school from a whole new angle.

Want something a little smaller in scale? You might like the Map My Classroom Worksheets!