Invitation to play: Follow the arrows

Arrows and signs imply that they need to be followed. In this invitation, you will need to think of areas to place arrows within your setting or in a wide open space. Some should be easy to find and others more difficult, depending on the age of your children and the amount of times they may have played this in the past.

Using the arrows, made of sticks on the ground or printed on paper, make a trail for the children to follow by placing the arrows approximately 10 metres apart and pointing the children to the next one. Make sure the arrows form a loop that keeps going around and around. As some arrows may be difficult to find, it could take the children some time to complete the loop. 

If children do not immediately notice the arrows, look at the arrow together, making sure that child understands what it is and what it means. After pointing them in the right direction, let them explore and find the next arrows in the loop. 
If in a field, using arrows made of sticks hidden in the grass can be a great way to extend the activity. You can also turn this into a treasure hunt, with a large X at the end of the final arrow with ‘treasure’ at the end (painted rocks or toys) that they need to find.