Spatial thinking trainer

Follow the arrows: where will the token end up?

Also known as: graphic dictation, follow the arrows game, grid directions game

A token sits on the board, then it disappears and arrows appear one by one, showing where it moves. Tap the square where the token stops. A round lasts a minute and a half, and you can play 10 minutes a day without signing up.

Go to the game ↓
  • 1.5 minutesper round
  • 5×5 and 6×6the board grows
  • No sign-up10 minutes a day
  • Progress30-day chart
What it trains

Why play Follow the Arrows

The exercise trains spatial thinking and working memory. You can’t see the token, so you have to track its path in your mind, step by step, without losing where it is now.

A correct answer earns as many points as the route had steps, so long routes are worth more. Sign up and your rounds are saved, with a chart for the Spatial skill in your account.

  • Your child mixes up left and rightDirections aren’t automatic yet
  • Multi-step instructions lose you“Two left, then right” slips out of your head
  • Following spoken directions is hardWithout a map in front of you, it’s unclear where to go
  • Getting ready for schoolGrid direction tasks are a classic school-readiness exercise

Spatial thinking

Picture every step on the board.

Working memory

Keep the token’s position in your head until the route ends.

Orientation

Up, down, left, right, with no hints on the board.

Attention

Miss one arrow and the token is already on another square.

Rules

How to play

  1. Memorize

    Press “Start”. A token appears on a 5 × 5 board; remember its square.

  2. Arrows

    The token disappears and arrows appear one at a time: →, ←, ↑, ↓. Each one means one step.

  3. Answer

    After the last arrow, tap the square where the token stopped.

  4. Check

    If you get it wrong, the game shows where the token was. Then a new route begins.

  5. Longer

    Two correct answers in a row add a step, up to 12. A mistake removes one step, but never below two. From 7 steps on, the board becomes 6 × 6.

Play online

Follow the Arrows online

Press “Start”, remember where the token is and follow the arrows. Play 10 minutes a day with no sign-up.

Follow the Arrows

A token sits on the board, and arrows show one by one where it steps. Tap the cell where the token ends up.

Free play left today without signing up: 10 min

Method

What the exercise is based on

Graphic dictation is a well-known school-readiness task in Eastern Europe: an adult dictates “one square right, two up” and the child draws a line on graph paper. The task was described by the psychologist Daniil Elkonin. In the game there’s nothing to draw: you follow the route in your mind and answer with a single square.

On the site this exercise is also part of the Memory section. A similar task for remembering positions is Corsi Blocks, and for mental rotation, Shape Rotation.

3→12Steps in a routeStart with 3 steps; two correct answers in a row add a step, a mistake removes one, but never below two.
5×55 × 5 boardWhile the route has up to 6 steps.
6×66 × 6 boardFrom 7 steps the board gets bigger.
Who it’s for

Which ages

Adults

A short spatial and memory task: holding a 10-step route in your head is harder than it sounds.

Kids

A familiar school-readiness task, just without the notebook. It starts with three steps on a 5 × 5 board. Suitable from age 6. Kids set

60+

Not in the “60+” collection. The arrows come at a fixed pace, about one per second, and you can’t speed them up or slow them down.

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Questions

Frequently asked questions

How is it different from graphic dictation on paper?

There’s nothing to draw. The token disappears, you follow its path in your mind and at the end answer with a single square.

How fast do the arrows appear?

About one per second: each arrow is visible for less than a second, then there’s a short pause before the next one.

Can the token go off the edge or step back?

No. The route always stays inside the board, and the token never goes straight back to the square it just came from.

Do I need to sign up?

No, you can play 10 minutes a day right away. A free account lets you keep playing, save your results, track your progress and unlock the daily workout.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes, the trainer runs in the browser on phones, tablets and computers. Nothing to install.

Save your results and track your progress

Free sign-up: round history, a chart by skill and a daily workout of 5 exercises. No credit card needed.

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