Math Shapes - Activities
for Preschoolers
I
love teaching kids about math shapes. I think it's because when I was a
preschooler I used to try and see the 'shape' of things around me.
Trees, stop signs, flowers, cars, whatever I saw I classified in my
mind according to its geometrical shape.
When
playing these math shape games, keep in mind the following shape
vocabulary:
▪ round
▪ flat
▪ curved
▪ straight
▪ corner
▪ point
▪ line
Preschoolers
who master the understanding of math shapes are able to:
- Recognize
and name the shapes.
- Classify
the shapes (e.g. circle with circle, square with square).
- Describe
the shapes (e.g. a circle is round, a square has 4
straight sides).
Math
Shapes Activities
 "I spy" with a
math
shapes twist
Do
you know the game, for example, "I spy with my little eye something
that is red?" Now that your child already knows their colors, you can
change
it to a shape: "I spy....something that is a triangle!"
Math
Shape Guessing Bag
Hide
an item in a dark bag. Let your child feel the item through the bag and
describe it to you. It is a round smooth object that is larger than
a golf ball. If your child is just enquiring all these new descriptive
words it is a good idea for you to let the child feel the item while
you describe it for them. Can they guess what it is?
Body
Shapes I
Kids
love to use their body and to move around. Use different body parts to
create a shape. Use your whole arm to draw a circle in the air. Now use
your elbow to draw a circle in the air. What about your head?? Can you
draw a square with your foot on the floor?
Body
Shapes II
Instead
of using one body part to 'draw' a shape with, transform your whole
body into a square, e.g. a triangle, a circle, etc.
Body
Shapes III
Get
your preschooler to follow your instructions and tell them to lie down
straight, stand up straight, curve their back, have their back flat
like a table and so on..
Shape
Sorting
Sort
objects from around the
house with your child according to their shape. Describe the
similarities between the items. For example, CD
cases have straight sides that are all the same. What do you call that
shape? DVD cases have straight lines but they are not all the same
length. How do you call this shape? CDs and DVDs are made out of a
curved line....
I
remember that as a child I enjoyed looking at items from
different
directions. A water bottle from the front looks like a rectangle but if
you look at it from the bottom it is a circle! Now we are beginning to
get into volumes, i.e. 3D shapes.
Shape I am
This
game can be played at home or in class. Cut out shapes and tape them on
your shirt. Perhaps your preschooler would like to help you cut them
out. You are the shape you are 'wearing'. My son, who loves imaginary
games, loves calling us circle mommy and triangle daddy instead of just
plain old mommy and daddy. You can also add big, small, and colours
into the mix.
In
Class, you can direct the children and say "circle tap a square" so
that all
the children wearing circles need to find a square.
Shape
Match Up
Every
pot has it's cover and so does every box and plastic container. Put out
various sizes and shapes of pots and containers and see if your child
can match them up.
Return from Math Shapes Activities to Math
Games for Kids
"A teacher affects
eternity"
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