Year 1 maths · Key Stage 1 · Geometry – position and direction
Year 1 position, direction and turns: a guide for parents
In Year 1 children learn to describe where things are, which way to go and how to turn. They use words such as left and right, above, between, forwards and backwards, and they describe turns as whole, half, quarter and three-quarter turns. This is the beginning of mapping, coding and understanding angles, and it is learned best by moving, giving instructions and following them.
Position, direction and turns, explained
The first part is position language. Year 1 children learn words for where things are: left and right, top, middle and bottom, on top of, in front of, above, between, around, near and close, far, up and down, and inside and outside. They are asked to put these words into whole sentences, such as “The red car is between the garage and the tree”. The words only make sense from a point of view. What is in front of a child depends on which way the child is facing, so teachers often talk about “who is looking”.
The second part is direction and movement. Children give and follow short instructions, such as “Take two steps forwards, then turn to the right, then take three steps backwards”. They do this with their own bodies, with a partner on a mat, and in many schools with a programmable toy that moves in straight lines and turns. Telling a robot or a friend exactly where to go shows how much precision is needed. Missing out a turn, or saying “left” when they meant “right”, is the best way for children to find out why exact words matter.
The third part is turns. Children describe a turn as a whole, half, quarter or three-quarter turn, and practise making each one by turning their body on the spot. They link turning to the clock: the way the hands of a clock move is called clockwise. A quarter turn clockwise takes the minute hand from 12 to 3, a half turn takes it from 12 to 6, a three-quarter turn takes it to 9, and a whole turn brings it all the way back to 12. Children make turns in both directions. The word anticlockwise, and the link between a quarter turn and a right angle, appear in the Year 2 programme of study, although many schools use the word anticlockwise in Year 1 as well.
Turning also uses the fractions children are learning, because a quarter turn is one of four equal parts of a whole turn. Two quarter turns make a half turn, and four quarter turns make a whole turn, which returns you to where you started and facing the same way. These early habits of describing where something is and how to get it somewhere else are the foundation for reading maps and grids, for coding, and for angle work later in primary school.
Words your child will hear
- Position
- Where something is, described with words such as above, between, near or on top of.
- Direction
- The way something moves or faces: forwards, backwards, up, down, left or right.
- Between
- In the space with something on either side, as the ball is between the two cups.
- Clockwise
- Turning the same way as the hands of a clock.
- Quarter turn
- A turn through one quarter of a whole turn, like a clock hand going from 12 to 3.
- Half turn
- A turn through half of a whole turn, so you end up facing the opposite way.
- Three-quarter turn
- A turn through three quarters of a whole turn, such as a clock hand going from 12 to 9.
What the National Curriculum says
In Year 1, pupils should be taught to:
- Describe position, direction and movement
- Describe movement including whole, half, quarter and three-quarter turns
Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
A worked example
A toy robot is facing the door. It makes a quarter turn clockwise, then another quarter turn clockwise. Which way is it facing now, and how much has it turned altogether?
- Clockwise means the same way as the hands of a clock. Looking down from above, a robot turning clockwise swings round to its own right-hand side.
- After the first quarter turn clockwise, the robot is no longer facing the door. It faces the side of the room that was on its right.
start: facing the door quarter turn: facing its right
- The second quarter turn is in the same direction. The robot swings round a second time and now has its back to the door.
second turn: back to the door
- Two quarters make a half. The robot has made a half turn altogether, so it now faces the opposite way to where it started.
- Check with a clock. A minute hand at 12 makes a quarter turn clockwise to 3, then another to 6. Moving from 12 to 6 is a half turn. To face the door again the robot needs two more quarter turns the same way, making a whole turn.
The robot is facing away from the door. It has made a half turn, which is two quarter turns.
Common mistakes and how to help
Mixing up left and right, especially when facing another person
Left and right depend on which way you are facing. If a parent is facing a child, the parent’s left is on the child’s right, and children copy the picture rather than turning it round in their heads.
What helps: Put a sticker or a bracelet on your child’s right hand for a while. When giving directions, stand side by side and facing the same way. Play games like “Simon says touch your left ear” until it is automatic.
Thinking a turn means moving, so a quarter turn becomes a few steps or a circle
In everyday language we say “turn left” when walking around a corner, which includes moving forwards. In maths a turn is a rotation, so the position stays the same and only the direction changes.
What helps: Stand on a spot marked with a cross of masking tape indoors, or a chalk cross outside, and turn without leaving it. Ask “Are you still in the same place? What has changed?” Then add steps separately: turn first, then walk.
Ignoring the direction of a turn, thinking a quarter turn clockwise and a quarter turn the other way are the same
Both turns are the same size, so children say they end up in the same place. They do not: one faces right and the other faces left.
What helps: Mark the starting direction with an object, then turn clockwise and note what you are facing. Return to the start and turn the other way. Point out that the size is the same but the direction is different.
Describing positions with “here”, “there” and “over there” instead of exact words
In daily life we point and rely on the other person seeing the same thing, so exact words feel unnecessary. A friend on the other side of the room cannot see where we are pointing.
What helps: Play a game where your child must describe where a toy is hidden without pointing. Offer words to use: between, behind, next to, in front of, on top of. Praise the exact word, not just the right answer.
How to help at home
- Play Simon says with turns. Give quarter, half, three-quarter and whole turns, and say clockwise. Add moves such as “Take two steps forwards, then make a half turn”. Take turns being the one who gives the instructions.
- Hide a toy and give directions. Hide a toy somewhere in the house and give directions indoors: “Go forwards to the sofa, turn left, look under the table”. Swap roles and see if your child can give clear, exact instructions.
- Describe where things are. At tidying up or snack time, ask “Where is the cup? Where is the spoon?” and expect a sentence with a position word, such as above, between or next to. Rearrange the objects and ask again.
- Make a clock-hand turn. Draw a clock on a paper plate and add a single arrow on a split pin or a pencil. Show 12, 3, 6 and 9 and ask your child to move the arrow a quarter turn, a half turn, and so on, clockwise.
- Build an obstacle course. Use cushions and boxes in the living room or garden. Your child follows or gives instructions to get through the course: forwards, backwards, a quarter turn to the left, under, over, between.
Related topics
Leads on to
- Year 2: Patterns, sequences and turns
Updated .