Spatial reasoning: why its an essential everyday skill

Let's start with some real-life spatial problems

You're going camping and need to figure out how to fit everything into the car.

Or you've bought a new couch and need to maneuver it through your house.

Or you're going to an appointment on the other side of town and need to work out how to get there.

Visualisation of the situation is critical

For these problems you need to be able to visualise how an object fits or moves in relation to space and the objects around it.

• How can I fit the awkwardly shaped tent into the car with the bags and bikes?
• How do I need to twist the couch to get it through the doorway?
• What is the quickest way to my appointment?

These important life skills all use spatial reasoning and spatial awareness.

Practice practice practice

Like all skills you can improve spatial reasoning through practice. The good news is you don't need to do it by packing and unpacking the car or dragging the couch through the house.

Mind puzzles with a spatial focus can help to build these skills in a fun way.

Where to next?