Abstract
Maps are not just a visual artifact, but the physical representation of a process. Maps provide insights into ways of thinking that are reflected in not only what the map looks like but also their social and political purpose. Thus, mapping with and for children has changed over time. The mapping process has changed from mapping as testing children’s knowledge towards the more participatory mapping techniques, now commonly used when working with children. These techniques, which include but are not limited to mental maps, route maps, sensory maps, and qualitative GIS, widely aim to acknowledge children's participation rights as required by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Mapping provides opportunities for children's voices to be heard and seen by gaining and presenting insights in children's lived and felt experiences, their place attachment, use and perceptions of place as well to indicate social connections and general well-being as it relates to their micro- and macro-geographies. In other words, mapping with children shifted from a focus on spatial cognition to spatial literacy.