Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This isn't really about an age but more about a persons ability in spatial awareness. Some people are born with an innate ability to easily learn and identify their surroundings using things like landmarks or routes while other people are born without this ability. As adults some learn how to maneuver while others may not do so well.
So.....some young children will easily be able to find their way home from a few blocks away while others would be hopelessly lost.
My oldest has no sense of direction and no innate ability to find her way where she needs to be. At 30 she still needs people or GPS to guide her. She was just always along for the ride and never cared about the details along the way. She would have never found her way home if it was left to herself to do so.
My second oldest, now 26, could tell where we were headed at age 3 just by what we were passing while driving somewhere. She paid attention and retained everything she learned. A turn on certain streets and she would announce where we were going. If I took a different route than normal she would watch for a moment and either declare what she thought or she would demand to know where we were going. lol As long as she could locate one familiar sight she'd find her way home without trouble.
My third, who is 14, is somewhere in between. If, and that's a big if, she is paying attention then she can pinpoint where she is and where she's heading. However if she isn't paying attention then she'll have a moment of panic and find herself lost. If she had been alert on the way, she could find her way back easily enough.
My last, son who is 9, can pretty much find his way anywhere with amazing ease. He may not recognize where he is, but using instincts he'd make it back without much trouble.
My husband is more like my oldest and I am more like my son.
Our experiences would mirror Hypocore's. DH and eldest son have no sense of direction at all. We've lived in this state for 7 years, and DH still has trouble finding his way anywhere new. He and eldest are both very reliant on GPS.
Middle (and I) have always paid attention to landmarks, street names, etc. I don't think either of us has ever been lost, except once when middle and his buddy got lost in some woods.
Youngest has recently gotten better about making his way around. I think he developed confidence by taking a solo overseas trip this summer where he had to get from the airport to a very rural lodge, on his own, with no scheduled transportation available.
As a child, I knew every inch of my town. My kids were always very familiar with places we lived, but things look different from a bike or on foot than they do from a car window, so if they were dropped off elsewhere and told to find their way, they might have struggled.
We live on a cul de sac that comes off a busy street with no sidewalk. So we don't do much walking around beyond our street. With that said, my 6 year old can easily give directions from the back seat of the car for places we go regularly. My 1 year old is still rear facing and not talking much... so no.
Ours can, but sometimes when I went to drive some of their teen aged frinds home, they did not know how to get there. More tha once we had to go to the high school and re-trace the bus route to their home, buecase that is the only way then knew how to get there.
Occaisionally some of them cannot find their own house even after they start driving. It is kind of amusing and sad at the same time.
We live in a pretty small town, so my kids have always been able to find their way home when out walking or riding their bikes. I've even asked them where something is or someone's house is and they always know.
When the 2 oldest started driving... it changed a bit. The oldest could drive straight to something and home, if she knew right where it was. If it was a new place that she had to find, she wanted me to take her there for fear of getting lost. The middle one will drive all over creation just for the fun of it. He journeys down dirt roads and into town (meaning the nearest largish city) and always seems to find his way home. All this being said... I think some of it is based on insecurities and not a lack of ability to get home.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
