Living in cities, as most of us do, we get around pretty easily, either by habit, by landmark, or by street name. Walking, driving in the car, or on public transportation, we have been doing it for so long, we can do it with our eyes closed. We can tell cardinal direction and time by the sun and shadows instinctively after a bit of life experience. We have absorbed all of this in a pretty natural and organic way, and by necessity.
Knowing that digital natives, our young children, are more and more reliant on digital resources as a first source for all information, we are finding out that certain analog endeavors no longer come so naturally, and may need to be taught.
Urban wayfinding is one way to help build analog independence in children. We may be able to find our way around without the help of the our devices, because we once lived in a world where we had to, but kids could use some extra practice. Wayfinding can actually become a fun part of family life, even during the stress of a global pandemic, where our kids can take the lead.
Time in the car is an ideal classroom for this. When the commute to and from school starts back up again, ask kids to stash their screens. The driver is already setting the tone by stashing their phone. Kids should too. They may not be behind the wheel yet, but they will be eventually. Let them try out being a back seat driver. See if they can navigate turns to get you there. Ask them to direct you when to make that right or left to get to your destination, then build on the directions by reading street names and noticing landmark buildings. In vibrant urban settings, this can lead to some great discussions about architecture too, which is always good. See if they can direct you to Renzo Piano’s new museum!
Once they get good at it, try a different route, see if they can navigate moves using cardinal points of north, south, east and west. Ask them to point to the direction of the Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic. Once they are ready for a real challenge, see if they can plan the most efficient freeway, subway or bus route to take next time.
On a beautiful day, when you head outside for a walk, ask them to lead the way to the park, the beach, or the playground. Even very young kids will rise to the challenge, and soon be the wayfinding expert in the family. On a beautiful day, you will not even mind if you end up lost.
Bringing the kids into the planning for a road trip can build anticipation and make it even more fun. Have they ever actually seen a map? Do they know that north is always at the top? What do all of those symbols in the legend mean? Where is their home on the map?
Spreading maps out on the table, locating home and the destination, highlighting routes, and noticing all of the landmarks along the way is fun. The map itself is always there in case there is no GPS en route, or in case the kids just want to follow along instead of asking ‘Are we there yet?’ When you do get there, let them help find the hotel room, the hotel pool, or the main attraction.
In an airport, older kids can use the directional signage to find the baggage carousel, the subway, or the ground transportation. You know you are right there with them, just in case. At this high level of wayfinding, they are probably already experts, thanks to you.
Obviously, the internet can hold your hand, or theirs, and get them where they want to go. But it is amazing how empowering it is for kids to be able to take charge of small things, like urban wayfinding, on their own. It could even be life saving.
Independence from digital input can be as important as any other life skill or academic subject we encourage them to master. Our kids may be children at the reading of this article, but soon they will be driving, living in new cities, navigating huge campuses, trying out new modes of transportation. They may even explore new countries and cultures in their young years. They may not always have 4 bars.
Children born after the dawn of the iphone, are experiencing childhood like no one ever has in the history of time. It is truly staggering to compare our kids daily lives, especially in pandemic life, to what all of us adults lived in our day. But sooner than we think, they will need to be independent, sometimes without devices.
It is a scary thing, always has been, to grow up, move out, take on ‘adulting’. If fear comes from the unknown, as we know it does, we should try to make the unknown just a little bit less scary for our kids, in any way we can. They will thank us for it.
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