The use of maps by 4–6‐year‐old children in a large‐scale maze

Previous research has demonstrated that even very young children can use simple maps to find a location. The aim of our study was to find out if young children (aged 4–6 years) could also use a map to follow a route. A large-scale maze (25 metres long) was designed in a school playground and 120 children, divided into five age groups, were given maps of the maze. The children were asked to walk through the maze, and to do this successfully they had to make correct route choices at different T-junctions in the maze. For half the children, salient landmarks were placed at the junctions in the maze (and on the maps). In both conditions all but the youngest age group performed much better than chance expectations and were able to use the maps successfully.