What is Spatial Reasoning?
Spatial thinking, or reasoning, involves understanding and remembering the location and movement of objects and ourselves, either mentally or physically, in space. There are a number of sub skills and concepts that are interrelated among each other. It also includes being able to show and communicate thinking in a variety of ways.

Visualisation is the ability to see images in your mind and to remember what you see when it is out of view (visual memory).  Spatial Visualisation involves using our imagination to rotate, change, create, organise, and retrieve mental images. Both of these concepts are important in the development of spatial reasoning.

Ways to Promote Spatial Reasoning for Students K-12
We know spatial reasoning is important and can be improved with a variety of activities across all ages. Studies have shown that improvements in one area of spatial reasoning will often transfer to other types of tasks.

Below are some examples of ways spatial reasoning can be promoted in the home environment:

1. Visualisation skills:
   Provide opportunities for your child to use their visualisation skills to better understand solutions to problems.  Try asking your child to explain what they are seeing in their mind or what they visualise when solving a problem.
2. Emphasise spatial language:
   Model the use of spatial words in the home environment.  For younger children, this language will include words related to location, distance, orientation and direction (i.e. left, right, over, under, above, below, parallel, tall and short).  For older children this language will include geometrical rotations (i.e. rotations, translations, and transformations)
3. Provide playful opportunities for your child to exercise their spatial reasoning. There are many activities children can engage in that require spatial reasoning.  Some examples are jigsaw puzzles, many board games, block- playing with geometric shapes.
4. Using technology:
   Digital technology allows students to manipulate and see space and spatial relationships.  Some examples include: GIS, GPS, Google Earth, and any tools that allow students to manipulate and rotate objects that is not possible with a paper and pencil.