Grid Maps Mapping Skills
Build confident map readers and spatial thinkers with this hands-on Grid Maps Mapping Skills resource — the engaging geography activity that makes mapping meaningful for primary students.
Grid maps and mapping skills are a core component of Australian Curriculum Geography and HASS, and this resource makes teaching them a genuine pleasure. Students learn to read and create grid maps, use coordinates and directional language, and develop the spatial thinking skills they'll build on through every year of their schooling. Real-world context makes the learning stick!
Why teachers love it:
- Curriculum-aligned — addresses Australian Curriculum Geography: spatial thinking and mapping skills for primary year levels
- Develops spatial reasoning — grid maps build the foundational spatial thinking skills that transfer across maths, science, and geography
- Engaging real-world contexts — mapping scenarios students can connect to, making the skills feel purposeful and relevant
- Builds geographical language — develops students' vocabulary for direction, location, and grid references
- No-prep and print-ready — straight from the printer to your students' hands
Perfect for:
- Year 2, 3, and 4 HASS Geography units on mapping and spatial concepts
- Introducing and practising grid map reading skills
- Developing directional language and coordinate literacy
- Cross-curricular links with Mathematics (location, direction) and English
- Geography enrichment activities for students who are passionate about maps and places
What's included:
A printable PDF Grid Maps Mapping Skills resource for primary students, covering the reading and creation of grid maps, coordinates, and geographical directional language, aligned to the Australian Curriculum.
Every great geographer starts with a map — give your students the skills to read, create, and love them!
SPECIFICATIONS
Format: PDF, set up for A4 paper. Exactly what's inside is listed above.
Editing: This download is not editable. The PDF is flattened to protect the design and the artists' work we license.
Printing: Open the file in a PDF reader and choose 'Fit to page' or 'Actual size'. Do a test page on plain paper first — card, colour and black-and-white all print well.
Licence: One classroom, one teacher. Please don't share, resell or post the file online; buy an extra licence for each colleague who wants their own copy.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
You'll need a PDF reader on your device — the free Adobe Acrobat Reader is the most reliable. Double-click the downloaded file to open it.
If a page shows on screen but won't print properly, open it in Acrobat Reader, choose Print → Advanced → tick 'Print as image'.
Stuck? Contact us and we'll sort it out.
OUR HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
We want you to love every Mrs Edgar resource. If something isn't right, contact us within 30 days and we'll make it right. Because this is a digital file we can't refund a download that has already been opened, but we will always help you get it working. See our Returns Policy.
FAQS
Where is my download?
Check your inbox (and junk folder) for the email from Mrs Edgar with your link. You can also log in to your account at mrsedgar.com.au and download it from your order.
It came as a ZIP file — how do I open it?
On a Mac, double-click it. On Windows, right-click and choose 'Extract All'. Your PDFs will be inside.
Can I print in colour or black and white?
Yes. Our resources are designed to work both ways; black-and-white versions look great on coloured card.
The download won't start on my school computer.
Some school networks block downloads. Try again at home, or right-click the link and choose 'Save link as'.
