Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Quiet Places Passport: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 2
- ForYear 2
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Quiet Places Passport is a free printable geography worksheet for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7). Children imagine each peaceful place on the cards, write what they would see, hear and smell, then add a stamp. It needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help ideas, a stretch idea and answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children use cards to cut out, a checklist to tick off and a table to fill in. The cards name places including loch, beach, bay, forest, fell and meadow, each with a short meaning. For each place, children imagine being there. They write what they would see, hear and smell, then draw a small stamp, such as a tree or wave. The checklist reminds them to use a landscape word from the cards.
- Loch: a lake in Scotland
- Beach: sand or pebbles by the sea
- Bay: where the sea curves into the land
- Forest: lots of trees growing together
- Fell: a high, bare hill in the north of England
- Meadow: a field of grass and wild flowers
- Place
- I would see
- I would hear
- I would smell
- Stamp
- I used a landscape word from the cards.
Why describe places with the senses?
Geography is not only maps and names. It is also about what places are like. In Key Stage 1, children learn simple words for features of the land and coast, and they begin to describe places they know and places they have never visited. A word such as forest or meadow gives a child a clear picture to share with others.
Using the senses takes a child beyond the name of a place. Asking what they would see, hear and smell turns a word on a card into a scene they can picture. Imagining is a gentle way into writing, because children can draw on photos, trips and stories. Short notes in a table also keep the task manageable.
Quick facts about quiet places
- The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- People use the five senses to notice the world: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
- A smell can bring back a memory of a place, even a long time after you were there.
- Geographers use special words for features of the land, such as hill, valley and coast.
- Many places in the United Kingdom are close to the sea, so coastal words are useful ones to know.
Skills and curriculum link
- Using landscape words
- Describing with the senses
- Writing short notes
- Using imagination
- Knowing places in the United Kingdom
Ideas to help you guide the activity
- Start with picturesFind photos of each place in books or on a printed page before writing. Children write more when they have something real to picture.
- One sense at a timeAsk about seeing first, then hearing, then smelling. Taking the senses in turn stops children feeling overwhelmed.
- Use the card wordsPoint back to the meanings on the cards. Children can borrow a landscape word and use it in their own writing.
- Make the stamp personalThe stamp is the child's own drawing. Let them choose something that sums up the place for them.
Key words
- LandscapeThe land you can see around you, such as hills, fields, trees and coast.
- LochA lake in Scotland.
- BayA place where the sea curves into the land.
- FellA high, bare hill in the north of England.
- MeadowA field of grass and wild flowers.
- SensesThe ways we notice the world: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Read the cards together first. Talk about what each place word means and look at pictures if you can.
- Let your child fill in one place at a time. They write what they would see, hear and smell, then draw a small stamp in the last box.
- Talk about each choice. Ask, "What made you pick that?" Then check the notes on page 2.
- Come back to it another day and try a new place or add more detail. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Look at pictures of each place first. Let your child say their ideas aloud before writing anything. Write just one word in each box, and add more later if they want to. Do one place at a time and take a break between places.
To stretch confident children
Write a full sentence using a landscape word, such as: I would sit by the loch and listen. Then try a sentence for each sense. Or invent a quiet place of your own and describe it on a spare piece of paper.
Make it a game
Close your eyes while an adult describes one place without saying its name. Use only what you would see, hear and smell. Guess which passport page it belongs to. Then swap, so the child describes a place and the adult guesses.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child writes only the word nice or quiet in every box.
Try thisAsk, "What is the quiet made of?" Talk about one thing they would see or hear. Then help them write that word instead.
Watch forA child describes what they see but leaves the hearing and smell boxes empty.
Try thisClose your eyes together and imagine the place. Ask what you can hear first, then what you can smell. Say ideas aloud before writing.
Watch forA child ticks the checklist without using a landscape word from the cards.
Try thisPoint to the cards and ask them to pick one word. Help them find a place in their writing where that word fits.
Talk about it
- Which of these places would you most like to visit, and why?
- What is the quietest place you have ever been to?
- What sounds do you notice when you stop and listen where you are right now?
- How is a place with lots of trees different from a place with open grass?
- Why do you think we call a place peaceful?
- What would you draw for your stamp, and why did you choose it?
Take it off the page
Sound map
Sit quietly by an open window or outside for one minute. Draw or list every sound you hear. Compare lists with someone else.
Landscape hunt
Look through books, magazines or printed photos for a place that matches each landscape word. Cut them out and make a poster.
Mini landscape
Use paper, card and crayons to make a small model of one place from the cards. Tell someone what you would see, hear and smell there.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first place, then let them lead. Read the cards together and talk about the pictures in your head. Praise good ideas, not only neat writing.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, a plenary, an early finisher task or a table activity in geography. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and the support and stretch ideas on page 2 suit mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Pair it with a walk, a trip to the coast or a book about the outdoors. Use it again for brothers and sisters, or come back to it a few weeks later to see how the writing has grown.
Where this fits in geography
Before this sheet, children learn to talk about their own surroundings, the weather and the seasons. They also use their senses in everyday play and in science, so noticing what they see, hear and smell is already familiar.
After this, children can use maps and atlases to find places like these in the United Kingdom. They can also learn more landscape words and write longer descriptions of places, using more detail from the senses.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Quiet Places Passport for?
It is written for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7), in Key Stage 1. Younger children can join in with help and picture talk. Older children can try the stretch idea on page 2.
- What will children practise?
Children practise using landscape words and describing places with their senses. They also write short notes, which helps build early writing skills. The geography focus is peaceful places in the United Kingdom.
- How do I use it?
Read the cards together first. Children then fill in one place at a time, writing what they would see, hear and smell. They finish each place by drawing a small stamp, such as a tree or wave.
- What if it feels too hard?
Let your child say their ideas aloud first, or write just one word per box. Showing pictures of each place helps a lot. You can also do one place now and come back to the rest another day.
- How long does it take?
It depends on the child, so there is no set time. Let them work at their own pace, one place at a time, and stop when they need a break. You can return to the sheet on another day.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has notes, help, a stretch idea and answers.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Children can add colour to their stamps with pencils or crayons if they would like to. It is free to print for home and classroom use.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.