North, south, east and west are some of the first “big” geography words children learn, and they turn up everywhere: on maps, in the weather report and in every good treasure hunt. Here’s how to explain compass directions to kids, the memory trick almost every Australian knows, when children learn it at school, and simple games that make directions stick.
What are the four compass directions?
The four main compass directions are north, east, south and west. Going around clockwise from the top of a compass, they come in that order: N, E, S, W. North and south are opposite each other, and so are east and west.
A compass has a needle that swings around to point north, so you can work out the other three from it. Maps usually have a north point, a small arrow that shows which way north is. Once a child can find north on a map, they can describe where anything is: Darwin is north of Adelaide; Perth is west of Sydney.
In between the four main directions are the in-between ones: north-east, south-east, south-west and north-west. Children usually meet these later, once the main four are steady.
Never Eat Soggy Weet-Bix: the memory trick
Ask an Australian how they remember the compass and there’s a good chance they’ll say: “Never Eat Soggy Weet-Bix.” The first letter of each word gives the directions in order going clockwise: North, East, South, West.
It’s a common memory trick rather than anything official, and plenty of families make up their own. Ask your child to invent one: “Naughty Elephants Squirt Water” works just as well, and children remember the ones they make themselves.
- Draw a cross. Write N at the top, then go clockwise: E on the right, S at the bottom, W on the left.
- Say the trick. Point to each letter as you say “Never Eat Soggy Weet-Bix”.
- Check the opposites. North is opposite south; east is opposite west.
- Use it for real. Find north in your home or yard, then name the other three.
When do kids learn compass directions at school?
Directions build up over several years, starting with everyday position words and moving on to compass points around Year 3. The curriculum puts it this way:
| Year | What children learn |
|---|---|
| Prep | In maths, children “describe the position and the location of themselves and objects in relation to other objects and people within a familiar space”: words like next to, under and behind. |
| Year 1 | Children “give and follow directions to move people and objects within a space”. |
| Year 2 | Children “move position by following directions and pathways”. Victoria adds quarter, half, three-quarter and full turns. The Australian Curriculum suggests direction words such as “north” and “south”. |
| Year 3 | The Australian Curriculum suggests reading maps using “titles, map symbols, north point and compass direction”. |
| Years 3 and 4 (Victoria) | Geography covers how the world is represented “by using compass directions and different map projections” (VC2HG4K05). |
In Victoria’s Geography curriculum, the Levels 3 and 4 band suggests “using the terms ‘north’, ‘south’, ‘east’ and ‘west’ to describe direction, such as describing the direction for landmarks in and around the school”. Some of these lines are curriculum suggestions (elaborations) rather than requirements, so schools may teach them at slightly different times. In NSW, Kindergarten children learn to describe position and give and follow simple directions too.
So if your Prep child uses “next to” and “behind”, and your Year 2 child can follow “turn left, then go three steps”, they’re right on track for compass points.
Games to teach compass directions at home
Directions are best learnt with the whole body. Try one of these for five or ten minutes:
- Label the room. Work out roughly where north is, then stick paper signs on four walls: N, E, S and W. Call out a direction and your child walks to that wall.
- Simon says north. “Simon says face east!” “Simon says take two steps north!” Swap so your child is Simon.
- Treasure hunt. Hide a toy, then give clues: “Four steps north, then two steps east.” Older children can write the clues for you.
- Map your street. Draw your street from above with a north point in the corner. Where is the park from your house? Which way is school?
- Be a robot. Your child gives you directions to reach the couch, using turns and steps. It’s a lovely link with coding: see our unplugged coding games.
- Map of Australia. Which state is north of Victoria? Which capital is furthest west? Our guide to Australia’s states and territories has a map game to go with it.
Turning words help too
Turns are the other half of following directions. A quarter turn is like turning from north to east; a half turn faces you the opposite way; a full turn brings you back to where you started. Practising turns with the whole body, then with a toy on a map, makes compass work much easier later. For more everyday ideas with numbers, shapes and position, see everyday maths talk.
Questions parents ask
What are the four compass directions?
North, east, south and west. Going clockwise from north they come in the order N, E, S, W. North is opposite south, and east is opposite west.
What does Never Eat Soggy Weet-Bix mean?
It’s a common memory trick for the order of the compass directions going clockwise. The first letters, N, E, S and W, stand for north, east, south and west.
What age do kids learn compass directions?
Children learn position and direction words from Prep, and follow directions and turns in Years 1 and 2. Compass directions on maps come in around Year 3, and Victoria’s Geography curriculum covers them in the Levels 3 and 4 band.
How do you teach compass directions to kids?
Use the whole body. Label the walls of a room N, E, S and W, play “Simon says north”, give treasure hunt clues with steps and directions, and draw a map of your street with a north point.
Which way does a compass point?
A compass needle swings around to point north. Once you know where north is, you can find east, south and west from it.
What is between north and east?
North-east. The other in-between directions are south-east, south-west and north-west. Children usually learn these after the four main directions.
Sources
- Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0: Geography, Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA)
- Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0: Mathematics, VCAA
- HASS F–6: Year 2, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
- HASS F–6: Year 3, ACARA
- Mathematics: Foundation Year, ACARA
- Mathematics K–10 (2022): outcomes, NSW Education Standards Authority
