Position and distance activities

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By Judith Harries

Here are some fun and informative ideas for activities exploring the mathematical concepts of position and distance in your EYFS setting. Use puppets and toys to practise using positional words and play hide and seek games. Build ramps for cars and balls to roll down. Go outside and try some mini-field events. Use bean bags and balls to measure and compare distances.

Prime position

Place the puppet

Start by using lots of different ‘position’ words with the children to describe where a soft toy or puppet is sitting. Use a box or toy vehicle and place the toy inside, outside, on top of, underneath, behind, in front of, above, below, next to, close to, far away from, left, right, and so on. Let children reposition the toy for others to describe.

Find the ….

Children have to hunt for a toy and then describe the position of where they found it. Ask for a volunteer to leave the room while the toy is hidden by another child. The rest of the children can guide the seeker to the goal by using hot and cold or loud and quiet clapping. Once found, ask the child to say where they found the toy, e.g. under the table, on top of the shelf, behind a cupboard, and so on.