Compass Rose and Directions Worksheet
Kindergarten students match compass direction names to their meanings and fill in direction words to describe where places sit on a simple neighborhood map.
10 questions · Matching · Fill in the blank · Recognition
Learning to read a compass rose is one of the first map skills children build in school. This worksheet gives Kindergarten students practice with the four main directions — north, south, east, and west — as well as the intermediate direction northeast. Part A asks students to match each direction word to the position it names on a compass rose. Part B asks them to read a short description of a neighborhood layout and fill in the missing direction word. No prior map experience is needed before starting. The Fact Box at the top of the sheet gives students all the framework they need. Print one copy per student and read the Fact Box aloud together before students work on their own.
Compass Rose and Directions Worksheet — Kindergarten
Use the Fact Box to help you. Do Part A and then Part B.
Word bank
- east
- north
- northeast
- south
- west
Remember
- A compass rose shows four main directions: North, South, East, and West.
- North is at the top, South is at the bottom, East is on the right, and West is on the left.
- Directions between the main four are called intermediate directions, like Northeast.
Part A — Match each direction to its meaning
Write the letter of the matching meaning next to each direction word.
Choose from
- A. Northeast
- B. West
- C. South
- D. North
- E. East
- 1.
The direction at the top of a compass rose
- 2.
The direction at the bottom of a compass rose
- 3.
The direction on the right side of a compass rose
- 4.
The direction on the left side of a compass rose
- 5.
The direction between north and east on a compass rose
Part B — Fill in the blank with a direction word
Use the word box at the top of this section to fill in the blank in each sentence.
- 6.
On the map, the school is in the middle. The park is at the bottom. The park is ____ of the school.
- 7.
On the map, the library is above the school at the top. The library is ____ of the school.
- 8.
On the map, the store is on the right side of the school. The store is ____ of the school.
- 9.
On the map, the fire station is on the left side of the school. The fire station is ____ of the school.
- 10.
On the compass rose, there is a direction between north and east. That direction is called ____.
Answer key
Part A — Match each direction to its meaning
- 1.North
- 2.South
- 3.East
- 4.West
- 5.Northeast
Part B — Fill in the blank with a direction word
- 6.south
- 7.north
- 8.east
- 9.west
- 10.northeast
What this sheet teaches
- Name the four main compass directions: north, south, east, and west.
- Identify the intermediate direction northeast on a compass rose.
- Describe where one place is relative to another using direction words.
Notes for the adult
- Students often mix up East and West, placing West on the right because they read left to right.
- Teach the phrase Never Eat Soggy Waffles — N, E, S, W clockwise — to anchor East and West in place.
- A student is ready to move on when they name all four directions correctly without the mnemonic or a visual aid.
What is on the page
Compass Rose and Directions Worksheet is in two parts and comes to ten exercises in total. Matching and fill-in-the-blank work, in that order, so a student who has understood the material has to show it in more than one form before the page is finished.
Part A Match each direction to its meaning sets five items against five lettered options, one lettered option per item, which means the last pair can be reached by elimination. Part B Fill in the blank with a direction word is fill-in-the-blank work off a printed word bank — five words for five blanks, an exact fit.
What it asks of the student
Compass Rose and Directions Worksheet puts about 232 words of reading in front of the student — the fact box, the directions, every question, and every printed option. That is the number worth checking against a class before it goes out, because a sheet that is pitched right on the history and wrong on the reading fails for the same child either way. The longest single prompt on it runs to 22 words.
Nothing on Compass Rose and Directions Worksheet is answered on ruled lines — every response goes in a blank, against a printed option, or on the rule beside the question — so the whole of it fits on one side of paper and the full answer key runs to 10 words.
Where this one sits
Compass Rose and Directions Worksheet is one of nine Map Skills sheets on this site and one of one written for kindergarten. two of them share its topic, compass rose and directions, which is worth knowing before printing two that overlap.
The closest things to it are Scale and Distance: Bar Scale and Map Proportion (grade 6) and Charts, Graphs, and Timelines Skills Worksheet (grade 8). If Compass Rose and Directions Worksheet lands well, those are the ones to reach for next; if it lands badly, the recognition sheets a grade either side are usually the adjustment rather than a different topic altogether.
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Compass Rose and Directions Worksheet
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Compass Rose and Directions at other grades
This sheet: Kindergarten, 10 questions — matching, fill in the blank. The same topic is also written for:
- Compass Rose and Directions Worksheet — Grade 1 · 10 questions, matching, fill in the blank · recognition work