How to Run a Navigation Activity for Scouts

Navigation is one of the most useful outdoor skills Scouts can learn. Being able to read a map, understand direction and work out where you are can turn an ordinary walk into an exciting adventure.

The best way to teach navigation is to get Scouts actively involved. Instead of spending the whole session explaining maps and compasses, turn the skills into a game with checkpoints, clues, decisions and teamwork.

This guide shows how to plan and run a navigation activity that can be adapted for beginners or made more challenging for experienced Scouts.

What Scouts Can Learn

A navigation activity can introduce or develop:

The activity doesn’t need to teach every navigation skill at once. It is usually better to choose two or three skills and give Scouts plenty of opportunities to practise them.

For beginners, use a familiar area with clearly defined boundaries. More experienced Scouts can be given larger areas and more complicated routes.

Equipment

Depending on the activity, you may need:

Each team should have the equipment it needs before setting off.

Start With a Navigation Warm-Up

Before sending teams outside, spend a few minutes checking their existing knowledge.

Give everyone a map and ask them to identify a few simple features.

You could ask:

Keep this quick and practical.

If the group struggles with a particular skill, spend a few minutes demonstrating it before starting the main activity.

Game 1: Map Symbol Hunt

Give teams a list of map symbols to find.

For example, they might need to locate a path, road, building, water feature or woodland area.

Teams can write down the grid reference or mark the location on their map.

This is a simple way to get Scouts looking closely at their maps before introducing a more complicated navigation task.

For younger Scouts, use easily recognisable features. Older Scouts can work with less obvious symbols.

Game 2: Find the Checkpoints

Set up a series of checkpoints around your chosen area.

Each team receives a map showing the location of the checkpoints.

Their task is to plan a route and visit as many checkpoints as possible within the available time.

At each checkpoint, they can find a letter, number or code.

Once the team has collected everything, they use the information to solve a final puzzle.

This adds a reason for navigating rather than simply walking from one point to another.

Give Teams Route Choices

Don’t always give Scouts a single route.

Instead, create several possible checkpoints and allow teams to decide which ones to visit.

Some routes might be shorter but require more accurate navigation. Others might involve easier paths but take longer.

This introduces an important part of navigation: choosing an appropriate route.

Ask teams to consider distance, terrain, time and the experience of their group before setting off.

Add Grid References

For groups learning grid references, use them as part of the game.

Give each team a series of locations to find on their map.

Once they have located the correct point, they can travel there and search for a checkpoint.

You can reverse the activity too.

Place a checkpoint at a known location and ask Scouts to work out its grid reference.

This gives them practice both reading and communicating locations.

Add Compass Skills

Once Scouts are comfortable with maps, introduce the compass.

Start with simple direction-finding activities.

Ask teams to identify north, south, east and west before progressing to bearings.

For experienced groups, give each team a bearing and distance that leads them towards a checkpoint.

Keep the distances appropriate for the area and make sure the route remains within your planned boundaries.

The goal is accurate navigation, not seeing how far a team can travel.

The Navigation Relay

For a more competitive session, create a navigation relay.

One member of each team completes a short navigation task before returning and passing the next task to another team member.

Tasks could include:

Rotate the roles so everyone gets a chance to navigate.

Award points for accuracy rather than simply rewarding the fastest team.

Introduce Navigation Problems

Once the basic skills are working, introduce fictional problems.

For example:

Your team is following a planned route when the path ahead is blocked. What should you do?

Give teams a few minutes to look at their maps and decide on an alternative.

Other scenarios could include:

These situations encourage Scouts to think about navigation as a decision-making skill rather than simply following instructions.

Make It a Team Activity

Navigation works particularly well when everyone has a role.

One Scout could carry the map, another could use the compass, another could look for landscape features and another could record checkpoint information.

Rotate the roles throughout the activity.

This prevents one confident navigator from doing everything while everyone else simply follows.

Encourage teams to discuss decisions before moving on.

Scoring the Activity

If you want to introduce competition, use a scoring system that rewards good navigation.

For example:

Checkpoint completed: 5 points
Correct grid reference: 5 points
Navigation question: 5 points
Good teamwork: 5 points
Safe decision-making: 5 points

You can include a time bonus, but don’t make speed the main objective.

A team that arrives first after making several navigation mistakes shouldn’t automatically beat a slower team that navigated accurately and safely.

Make It Suitable for Beginners

For beginners, keep the area small and familiar.

Start with:

1. Map symbols
2. Finding simple features
3. Understanding direction
4. Short routes
5. Basic checkpoints

Only introduce bearings and more complicated navigation once the group is comfortable.

You can also place adults or helpers at key locations if additional supervision is needed.

Make It Harder for Experienced Scouts

Older or more experienced Scouts can be given greater independence within the boundaries of your planned activity.

Try adding:

You can also give teams a destination and let them plan the entire route themselves.

Navigation Safety

Navigation activities need careful planning.

Inspect the area beforehand and establish clear boundaries. Make sure leaders and participants know the planned area, meeting points and what to do if someone becomes separated from their team.

Consider roads, water, steep ground, dense vegetation, weather, visibility and other local hazards.

The difficulty of the activity should match the group’s experience.

Don’t deliberately make the activity so difficult that teams are likely to become genuinely lost.

Every participant should know how to stop the activity and seek help if something goes wrong.

For larger areas or more advanced activities, make sure your supervision arrangements are appropriate for the group and location.

Accessibility

Navigation activities can be adapted so that everyone has a meaningful role.

A Scout who doesn’t want to walk the full route could act as the team navigator, map reader or checkpoint coordinator.

You can also shorten routes, use a smaller area or create stationary navigation puzzles.

Team roles mean that navigation doesn’t have to depend entirely on physical ability.

Finish With a Navigation Debrief

Bring everyone together at the end and ask what they learned.

Useful questions include:

The discussion is particularly valuable because it encourages Scouts to think about why a navigation decision worked rather than simply whether they reached the checkpoint.

Final Thoughts

A good navigation activity should feel like an adventure rather than a classroom lesson.

Give Scouts somewhere to go, something to find and a reason to make decisions along the way.

Start with simple map-reading games, then introduce checkpoints, grid references, compass work and route planning as the group becomes more confident.

Most importantly, reward accurate navigation, communication and sensible decisions rather than simply speed.

When Scouts learn to look at a map, compare it with the landscape and make their own decisions, they’re developing a skill that can be useful on countless future outdoor adventures.