Spatial orientation in preschool education: laterality and relative position
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This article explores spatial orientation in preschool children (aged 3-5 years), particularly in relation to laterality and relative position. The research focused on three main questions: a) What existing knowledge do the children have about relative position? b) How do they describe their environment? c) How do they position themselves in relation to their environment? An 8-session pedagogical intervention was carried out with 25 children from a state-run preschool. The individual and large group tasks focused on spatial orientation, involving notions of laterality (left/right, sideways) and relative position (up/down; front/back; in/out). The results suggest changes in the children’s ability to describe the location of objects and people, with specific terms being used more often and more easily, and a consequent improvement in mathematical communication. In addition, the children demonstrated an awareness of their position in space and that of the objects around them.
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