Plastic shapes for math


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Fun with recognition, symmetry, patterning, and fractions!

  • 250 solid plastic pattern blocks
  • Ideal STEAM product linking art and math, stimulating imagination and creative thinking skills
  • Comes in a convenient clear plastic jar with a handle for easy storage
  • Each measures 1/5" thick

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More about Plastic Pattern Blocks Learning Manipulative for Early Math and More:

This massive set of 250 standard plastic pattern blocks includes 25 yellow hexagons, 25 orange squares, 50 green triangles, 50 red trapezoids, 50 blue parallelograms and 50 tan rhombuses. These Pattern Blocks are precisely cut to easily fit together in every possible shape, combination, and pattern. No awkward gaps or holes! Use these math manipulatives to demonstrate math concepts such as: symmetry, fractions, measurement, and shape attributes. Additional learning concepts include angles, fractions, perimeter, and area. Pattern Blocks work hard for budding brains! Grow problem-solving skills, spatial awareness, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and logical thinking.

These Pattern Blocks are the standard shapes, sizes and colors and will compliment other standard sets or cards. Pieces are 0.5cm / 1/5" thick. The trapezoid measures 1.87" on the longest side. With 6 different shapes and colors, Pattern Blocks offer endless creative possibilities. Children can create flowers, cars, bugs and whatever else they imagine! This Pattern Block set is packaged in a plastic jar with a handle for easy storage. Take them with you to playdates and lessons!
Pattern Block Manipulatives inspire children to play with purpose. Play is the best teacher!

Made from solid plastic, these 5mm thick pattern blocks are tough enough to withstand years of classroom use. Essential & valuable educational tool for all nurseries, kindergartens, and schools. Ages 4+.

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Related Categories:

  • Ed Supplies & Early Childhood : Math : Patterns & Sorting
  • Ed Supplies & Early Childhood : Manipulatives : Building

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Quantity Per Pack 250 Primary Brand S&S Worldwide

Allergen Information

Allergen - Latex No

Marketing Attributes

Instructions Included No Instruction Language(s) English
Youngest Recommended Age 5 years

Book Attributes

Book Language English

Review of Learning Resources' Plastic Pattern Blocks For Learning Colors, Shapes, and Math!

By Mama Posted in Reviews, Special Education May 26, 2016, 9:48 AM

This post may contain affiliate links. See our Privacy Policy and Affiliate Information page.

12 comments

Brand: Learning Resources Product: Plastic Pattern Blocks

Review Topics: Educational, Toys

One of my all time favorite things to play with was the pattern blocks we had in elementary school. I remember sitting in the back of the classroom and making things all the time. I made houses and dogs and stars and flowers and all sorts of fun things. I wanted to relive that experience with Froot Loop, so I put them on his Christmas list. 

I have had these pattern blocks sitting around for over a year because Froot Loop just never seemed ready enough to use them. recently, I remembered I had them and pulled them out since Froot Loop seemed to be in a constructive and learning mood. 

We have the plastic set, but I remember the wood blocks we had in elementary school. These are the same shapes, but are a lighter plastic. Basically, it’s your preference if you want wood or plastic as there's a different set that is wood. The only difference is that the wood set is a little more expensive. 

I put them out and showed him all the different shapes of blocks. He was able to identify all of the shapes, which I was pleased about. Then, I showed him how two half hexagons (trapezoids) make a full hexagon just like the yellow one. Then I showed him how three blue diamonds fit together to make another hexagon, and then how two triangles make a diamond and six triangles make another hexagon. He was fascinated by this and spent a few minutes making more hexagons. 

I asked him if he wanted to make some more shapes with the blocks and showed him how to make a sun and a flower and a house, etc. (all the things I used to make as a kid). He loved these and then tried to make his own designs. He put two skinny diamonds together to make butterflies and two diamonds together to make birds. He then helped me make mosaics and flowers and more. We had a fun time. Froot Loop loved figuring out how the different shapes fit together.  

I would like to find some pattern block cards so he can place the blocks on the cards. I found some on Amazon, but I don’t really want to spend that much money on them. I’m sure there are tons of bloggers out there who have made these cards and we can just print them out. I was just hoping to find some nice, laminated cards or a spiral bound book or something. Anyone out there have one they can recommend? 

Soon, Froot Loop got tired of playing with these blocks, but he told me he already wanted to play with them tomorrow. I’m so glad he’s ready for them now at 3 ½. I’ve been looking forward to playing with him. I enjoyed playing with them too. It was fun making designs and oddly relaxing. I’ll have to get them out while he’s napping. 

Remember to keep them away from babies and young children who still put everything in their mouths. I’d also keep them away from curious pets who tend to eat things (LOOKING AT YOU, LUCKY CHARMS!). 

My only complaint is that I wish we had more of them! I’m thinking of purchasing another set if we really start getting into these blocks.  
So much fun! They were a blast from my past and I thoroughly enjoyed introducing one of my favorite things to my favorite oldest son. 

What was your favorite toy/activity in elementary school?

Categories: Reviews, Special Education

Review Topics: Educational, Toys

Tags: Children, Educational, Family Fun, Preschool, School, Sensory Tools, Toys & Games

Mathematics for preschoolers: 3 educational games

How to learn to count, understand the composition of numbers, develop logical thinking? Of course, in game form! Here are three great didactic, but not at all boring, tutorials.

Djenes Blocks

Zoltan Gyenes, a Hungarian educator and mathematician, was convinced that the properties of objects are most effectively mastered during the game. There are 48 geometric shapes in the game set, they differ in shape, color, size and thickness.

These are four shapes - circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, three colors - red, blue and yellow, two sizes - large and small, and two kinds of thickness, thick and thin. It turns out that not a single figure is repeated.

The variety of figures allows you to organize a lot of play options, both for two-year-olds and for younger students. Such games perfectly train the ability to classify objects and identify their common features, find cause-and-effect relationships, and learn to think systematically. slack? Of course,

Gyenes notes how important it is not to jump into classes right away. Let the child examine the blocks, touch them, arrange them to their taste, or build something. Then you can invite him to sort the figures, compare them, find the same block or a block with other properties (for example, a square of a different color) at your request. You can imagine that the figurines are a "cake" for toys: small pieces - small pieces, large ones - more. You can build figures together in sequence, do it at speed, combine into groups, assemble into compositions according to pictures or drawings (house, ship), etc. You can invent games and exercises on your own or use didactic materials - albums with tasks and illustrations and video lessons .

Voskobovich's games: "Geocont"

Engineer Vyacheslav Voskobovich came up with these manuals for his own children, but then there were so many of them that they turned into a whole developmental technique, which they began to use in kindergartens. There are not only games for developing mathematical thinking, but also for learning to read, developing memory, attention, and creative abilities. The tasks are formulated in the form of fairy tales: children help the characters solve secrets, travel and reincarnate.

Geocont will help you learn the basics of geometry. Carnations are fixed on the playing field, marked with a grid of coordinates (letters and numbers), between which you can stretch multi-colored elastic bands in different combinations. Thus, the child creates figures, silhouettes, shapes of objects, etc. - either by himself, experimenting, or according to fabulous tasks of varying complexity. You can discuss not only the names of geometric shapes, but also get acquainted with the concepts of "segment", "ray", "straight line", or try to create shapes according to an encrypted task, in which it is indicated by alphanumeric coordinates.

Cuizerin's counting sticks

Belgian teacher George Cuizener came up with the technique, in his opinion, it is perfect for children from 1 to 7 years old. This set contains 119 or 144 (241 enlarged) plastic or wooden sticks: 10 colors, 10 lengths. Each stick is a number expressed in color and size, the smallest is 10 mm, then the sticks consistently “grow” by 10 mm. Sticks of the same length - the same color, common sticks form "families": for example, the "red family" includes numbers that are divisible by 2, the "green family" includes numbers that are divisible by 3, etc.

Arranging sticks in different combinations helps children not only learn to count, but also understand the composition of a number, understand the basics of mathematical operations, get acquainted with the concepts of length, width and height, and learn how to measure and compare other objects.

Tasks can be either simple (group by color and size, build a labyrinth or a figure according to a pattern), or more complex: for example, lay out a sequence, find a large stick equal to several small ones (these are already simple addition examples), compose numbers in different ways (5 is 4 and 1, 2 and 3).

Read also:

The Star Logic program on the Oh!

Mental arithmetic: how and why to solve 10 examples per second

5 logic puzzles with matches

Photo: Shutterstock

development

games, puzzles, patterns, some geometric images 9000 –1 the first skills that a yearling masters. By the age of three, he not only says “kitten - meow,” but he can also tell a lot about a pet from the feline family. In the knowledge of geometric figures, the child also advances significantly in two years - from naming simple flat figures to drawing and constructing them from cubes. But all these skills need to be gradually developed.

Learning basic geometric shapes is more interesting and effective in a playful way. Let's look at a few proven games for children 1-3 years old.

Audio version of the article "LEARNING GEOMETRIC FIGURES WITH CHILDREN 1-3 YEARS OLD" The audio tag is not supported by your browser. Download. We study geometric shapes with children 1-3 years old

Content

Learn geometric shapes with a baby at 1-2 years old

Games for children 1-2 years old

  • See around
  • Poster Poster
  • Sorter
  • Item sorter

Learn geometric shapes with a child at 2-3 years old

Games with geometric shapes for children 2-3 years old

  • Toy-lodge
  • Drawing with stencils
  • Games with illustrations
  • Sorting
  • Constructor
  • Game "House for figurines"
  • Treasure hunt
  • Geometric lotto

Download coloring for children

Application of geometric shapes for kids

For children 1-3 years old, when learning new information, consistency and gradualness are very important. The perception of squares and circles helps the baby to use logical thinking, improve their spatial perception and determine the shape of objects in everyday life. Start with simple games and gradually make them more difficult, improving your baby's math skills.

We made a selection based on the age of the children and their average abilities. But you need, first of all, to look not at the age, but at the skills of your child. Start with the simplest games and gradually move on to more complex tasks.

Learning geometric shapes with a 1-2 year old baby

During this period, it is worth teaching a child only the most basic differences, it is unlikely that he will immediately understand how a circle and an oval differ from each other.

Therefore, it is worth starting with such figures as a square, a triangle and a circle. And after the baby has mastered this basic trinity, you can move on to more complex forms.

Games with geometric shapes for children 1-2 years old

Look around

The most accessible way to study figures is to look around and note what shape this or that object has. For example, you lay out plates on the table with your child and say: “The plates are round, this shape is called a circle.” Take a book for the night and note: “But the book is square, this shape is a square,” and so on.

Over time, you yourself will be able to ask your child what shape this or that object is at home, on the street. Compete on a walk who will notice more round objects, for example, the sun, a round puddle, a hollow in a tree.

Wall poster

Print geometric shapes on A4 sheets. Posters can be hung in the children's room at the level of the child's eyes.

During the day, ask your child to show where this or that geometric figure is.

You can also print small cards with geometric shapes from the link below. And during the day, look for objects similar to a square, circle, rectangle or triangle.

Gradually, the baby will begin to easily distinguish the main geometric shapes.

Download cards

Sorter

A variety of sorters are on sale - plastic and wooden, small and with a huge set of figures. To begin with, it is better to choose a toy with a modest number of main figures.

But if you already have a sorter, maybe presented to a child as a gift, in which there are a lot of crosses, hearts and crescents, for a baby of one year of age it is better to temporarily remove most of the figures. You can add them as you grow older, thereby complicating the game.

At about a year old, the child begins to realize that the figurine fits easily through one hole, but does not fit at all into another. Therefore, he begins to be interested in the sorter. At first, the game will be very long, the baby clumsily picks up the figures and slowly rotates them, not always noticing the patterns. With practice, the child will begin to match the figure and the hole for it faster than adults.

Your task is to constantly pronounce the names of geometric shapes during the game. “This is a circle. The circle doesn't fit here. Let's see where the circle fits?".

Sorting items

This game works on the principle of finding common ground. The child needs to attach the figure to the already typed number of the same forms. My guys, both Misha and Lyosha, showed interest in sorting closer to a year and a half.

Parts can be sorted not only by shape. When we mastered folding triangle to triangles, we began to come up with other bases for sorting, for example, by color or by size. To make it more interesting, I introduced a game format by connecting soft toys. The task immediately became a game, I asked: "Give the dog all the mugs, because she loves to play with the mugs most of all." So each of our toys has favorite geometric shapes.

To play with two children at the same time, the task had to be a little more complicated. So the youngest, Lyosha, I asked him to give his brother all the squares. And Misha, having received all the squares, laid them out from smallest to largest or came up with his own sorting system. In general, you can add a sorting element to a variety of games and activities, even household ones.

Learning geometric shapes with a 2-3 year old child

By the age of two, you can increase the number of shapes studied by adding a star, a trapezoid, a rhombus, an oval. During this year, it will be possible to master the concept of volume and basic shapes, for example, a cube, a ball, maybe a cone.

The previous games can be left with slightly more complicated rules. And also it is worth adding other entertainments from the list below.

Games with geometric shapes for children 2-3 years old

Closer to three years, visual-figurative thinking begins to develop, while earlier object perception was much more important. If at 1-2 years old the baby needed to touch everything, hold it in his hands, he literally “thought with his hands”, then by the age of three he already begins to be more interested in pictures, images. Therefore, starting from 2-3 years old, cards and other additional materials can be used more often.

Insert toy

This logic toy is designed for simple manipulations - to take out and then put back the object in a suitable cell.

Frame insert can be made from wood or plastic parts.

Small toy includes free-standing geometric shapes.

But there are also more complex frames in which, like in Tetris, you need to put all the figures to each other so as to fill the entire space.

Drawing with stencils

First, you can teach your child to paint over the stencil completely, for example, with gouache, and then show how to outline the figure along the contour. Stencils can be different - with an inner side or with outer edges.

You can buy plastic cards, use a special ruler for drawing, or make your own stencils. With Misha we had home-made stencils made of thick cardboard, and with Lesha I bought more durable plastic cards. The figures can be of different sizes, although for a start it is better to take 3-4 basic shapes.

Games with illustrations

In fact, this is the same search for objects, only not in the surrounding space, but in the picture. This is great for training attention and observation. And most importantly, you can play with any children's book, for example, during evening reading before bedtime.

The child's task is simple - to find all the square, triangular or round objects in the picture. If there are too few geometric shapes in ordinary books, you can find special pictures.

Find the excess

You can develop logical thinking with the help of the game "Find the excess". The kid will need to choose from the proposed series of figures the one that does not fit.

To start with, you can use the cut out geometric shapes by putting 3 squares and one triangle. Ask the child to choose an extra figure.

Then, when he has already understood how to work with this kind of tasks, complicate the game. Lay out cards with images of square and triangular objects, again offer to remove the extra picture.

Be sure to ask why he chose this particular card.

Remember that children's logic does not always work in the same direction as yours, usually the child's eyes are wider. So the kid can take another justification for excluding the subject, for example, the color or the characters in the picture, so you need to select images made in the same key. By the way, you can download the cards from us at the link below. To make logical rows, you will need to print this template in several copies.

Download cards

Lay them out correctly

The child will need to sort the cards with pictures according to the figures that are depicted on them.

First, take two geometric shapes, 3-4 cards for each of them. Have your child divide the cards into two piles.

When the child copes with the task, increase the number of figures and, accordingly, cards.

It's okay if the kid makes mistakes, tell him how to complete the task correctly. After a while, he will easily cope on his own.

Sorting

Cut colored cardboard into colorful geometric shapes in different sizes. Now invite the child to arrange them in piles, for example, small blue squares in one direction, and large green triangles in the other.

Along with the study of geometric shapes, you will be able to improve your knowledge of colors and consolidate the concepts of more / less.

Constructor

To get out of the plane to study three-dimensional figures, you can simply play with the constructor or cubes. While building, address the child by naming the figures.

For example: "Give me a green cube, please", "Let's put a red arch here?" or “Where do we have round wheels?”. Designing helps to study geometric shapes, develop logical thinking and imagination.

Game "House for figurines"

When the child has already got acquainted with the main figures, you can play with him a game on the ratio of objects to the image. To do this, print out the cards and cut out the shapes. The child will need to put multi-colored figures in pre-prepared places on the cards - in their houses.

You can fill in the fields with ordinary geometric shapes, or you can fill in square, round or triangular objects. Cards for playing with the baby can be downloaded from the link below.

Download flashcards

Treasure hunt

You can start playing this game from 2-2.5 years old. Moreover, you can deal with both one child and several children, then a competitive moment will be added. If you study at home, then pick up voluminous geometric figures, for example, from a sorter or from a designer.

Put them in a deep bowl and cover with any cereal. Invite the kids to dig for grits and look for treasures. When a child finds a figurine to pick it up, he must name it. And if it's warm outside, and you go out to the playground, you can repeat this game in the sandbox, then you need to bury the forms directly in the sand. And the child should be equipped with a spatula.

Geometric Lotto

Print two copies of the cards with drawn geometric shapes. Leave one sheet whole - this will be the playing field. Cut the other, cutting out all the figures. Let the kid lay out all the shapes on the card, placing them in the designated fields. When he masters this procedure, you can play loto, taking out one figure at a time and naming it. For example, you say "square", and the child must take out the square and put it in its place.

You can download cards for the geometric lotto from the link below. By the way, at first it is better to paint the figures with soft colors so that they do not distract the baby from the main task. And over time, you can replace multi-colored geometric shapes with pictures.

Download flashcards

Download coloring pages for kids

Geometric shapes have simple outlines for coloring - straight lines, clear angles, so they are often used as the first coloring pages. Using felt-tip pens or paints, the child remembers geometric shapes well, especially if parents give their names. You can do this unobtrusively, like this: "Now let's color this little square red" or "What color do you want to make a triangle?".

You can choose your coloring pages with geometric shapes or download a ready-made selection from us.

Download 10 coloring pages

Application of geometric shapes for kids

Applications - a simple form of creativity that develops figurative thinking, imagination, as well as fine motor skills of hands. This useful activity becomes quite interesting for children closer to two years, when the child handles the glue stick without any problems. Moreover, at first, it is not so much the drawing up of pictures that causes interest, but the process of gluing itself. Therefore, there is no need to take complex figures and pictures, cut out different geometric shapes from colored paper and simply stick them to the canvas, so the child will quickly and firmly remember them.

When the stage of chaotic gluing of figures is over, you can determine specific places and ask the child to place the part exactly here. From this moment on, you can already connect your imagination and make simple compositions from geometric shapes - flowers, houses, trees, a sailboat, a train, etc. You can create images yourself or use our templates for download.

Download applications

There are also a variety of books for creativity, they include everything you need for applications, you just need to cut out the part and stick it in the designated place.

Among the teaching aids, the book “Color and Shape” from the “School of the Seven Dwarfs” series for children 1-2 years old should be noted separately. With it, in a game format, you can learn geometric shapes by gluing details to pictures.

And if you don't want to mess around with glue, sticker books can be used. I really liked the books with stickers from MOSAIC kids "Collect the picture". Bright pictures must be completed by sticking a sticker in the space provided.

With the use of educational games, the child will remember the names of geometric shapes much faster, learn to compare them, determining which of them is larger and which is smaller. Games with shapes develop spatial thinking and logic, they are aimed at forming a mathematical mindset, although sometimes they also involve imagination and fantasy.


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