Shapes

Children should be able to recognize similarities and differences in shapes, and to name shapes.

Make shapes out of different textures, such as fabric, sandpaper, glitter, foil, cotton, cardboard, Styrofoam, felt , etc. Encourage the child to manipulate these.

Put cardboard shapes or three-dimensional shapes in a paper bag. Let the child take turns reaching in and identifying the shapes by touch.

Plan shape snacks, such as round crackers, triangle sandwiches, square cheese, and rectangle cookies.

Use shapes in various art projects. Cut sponges into shapes for printing, cut construction paper into various shapes for collages, create people and animals from shapes, do crayon relief pictures of shapes, construct a mobile from shapes, or make shapes with clay and play dough.

 

Give the child blocks of various shapes to experiment with and build with.

Draw pictures of circles, triangles and rectangles on cardboard. Make several different sizes and colours of each shape then let the child categorize them into groups that are alike.

Make a lotto shape game where the child draw cards and match them up to shapes on their game board. You can also make it as a bingo game where the child cover up the shape of the appropriate colour when you call it out.

 

Make a concentration game out of different shapes. Make two of each of the shape below for the child to remember and match.

Encourage the child to verbalize and describe the different shapes. For example, “A circle is round like a ball.” “A square has four sides that are all the same, and it looks like a picture frame.”

Have the child trace, draw, and cut various shapes.
Take a shape walk and look for different shapes around the house and playground.

Make books of shapes as you study them. The child can practice drawing the shape on one page, cut out magazine pictures of the shape to paste on another page, cut out the shape and glue it on a page, and make animals or objects from the shape.