Position, Direction and Turns
Position, Direction and Turns extends Year 1's everyday position language into Year 2's more precise vocabulary of movement: clockwise and anticlockwise turns, and turns measured as fractions of a full turn.
Method
- Start with the child's own body: practise left and right, and clockwise and anticlockwise, by actually turning on the spot, before applying the same words to a picture or a grid.
- Fix left/right confusion early with one consistent trick and stick to it every time, e.g. the hand the child writes with is always their 'right hand' (or left, if left-handed), since mixing up left and right is the single most common error at this age.
- Teach clockwise as 'the way the hands on a clock move' and anticlockwise as the opposite, using a real clock face as the constant reference point.
- Introduce turns as fractions of a full turn: a quarter turn is 1 of the 4 equal turns needed to get all the way back round to the start, a half turn is 2 of those 4, and a full turn returns to exactly where you started facing.
- Practise every turn physically first, standing up and turning, before drawing or writing about turns on paper, so the fraction language is grounded in something the child has actually felt.
- Combine direction and turn language using a simple grid or a set of instructions for a toy or character, e.g. 'move forward 2 squares, then turn a quarter turn clockwise'.
- Watch for the misconception that 'turn' always means turning all the way round; demonstrate physically that a quarter or half turn stops partway, and only a full turn brings you back to face the same way.
Worked example
A toy robot is facing forwards (north). It makes a quarter turn clockwise. Which direction does it now face?
- Picture the robot facing forwards, which we can call north, at the top of a compass.
- A clockwise turn moves in the same direction as a clock's hands, from the top round towards the right.
- A quarter turn is 1 of the 4 equal steps needed to turn all the way round, so turning a quarter turn clockwise from north moves the robot to face east, to the right.
- The robot now faces east, to the right of the direction it started in.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Stand up and turn a half turn. Which way are you facing now compared to when you started?Show answer
Answer: Facing the opposite way (behind where you started)
Q2Which direction do the hands of a clock move: clockwise or anticlockwise?Show answer
Answer: Clockwise
Q3A door is to your left. Which hand would you use to point at it?Show answer
Answer: Your left hand
Q4How many quarter turns make one full turn?Show answer
Answer: 4 quarter turns
Q5You are facing a wall. You make a full turn. Which way are you facing now?Show answer
Answer: Facing the wall again, the same way you started
Q6A toy car faces forwards and makes a half turn. Does it now face forwards or backwards?Show answer
Answer: Backwards, the opposite way to how it started
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a KS1 Maths exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A pointer starts facing up (north) and makes a quarter turn anticlockwise. Which direction does it face now: east, south or west?
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A robot faces east. It makes two quarter turns clockwise, one after the other. Which direction does it face at the end? Show your working.
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Explain the difference between a clockwise turn and an anticlockwise turn, using the hands of a clock in your answer.
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Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the position, direction and turns worksheet pack - 6 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
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