3D thinking: Here’s how to build this new-age life skill

The ability to visualize objects in the way they fit into a space by length, breadth and width, is what experts call spatial awareness. In common terms, we call it 3D or 3-dimensional visualization of objects. We use this everywhere, in learning, building, designing, and even in understanding whether a box can fit on a shelf. Grasping the skill of thinking in 3D makes kids better at all science subjects, art and crafts, maps and design, and simply a better thinker in daily life. Here are some tips on inculcating this skill.  

Introduce kids to 3D gaming  
Video games can be a pain if your child keeps going on for hours. But the ones that spur kids to make cities out of virtual blocks, like Minecraft, or fit together pieces to make a 3D shape, are great for building spatial skills. Jig saw puzzles and Rubik cubes are also good 3D games if you don’t want to opt for mobile gaming.  

Teach them packing, unpacking, rearranging furniture 
Save yourself some time and trouble and keep your kids engaged with household activities that test 3D thinking. Depending on age, ask them to tidy up the kitchen, study or any other room in a way where everything is accessible, but the room looks less cramped. Even teens love this challenge. Also get them actively involved in packing and unpacking just about anything. Not only do these activities spark creativity and trouble shooting skills, they are hand-on ways of realising exactly how 3D works in real life.  

Turn off the GPS 
Turn off the GPS while driving or walking along a route familiar to you but unfamiliar to the child. Get them to set markers on the way, a house, a shop name, an odd shaped tree. Take them along the route again a couple of days later, but let them be the guide. Ask them how far you are yet from the destination. Kids now are so used to GPS that they don’t stop to think about the logic that guides maps. Bring it to life for them, and encourage them to draw routes. Drawing  floor plans is another great way to start kids thinking in 3D.