Teaching shapes to kindergarteners

25 Creative Activities and Ideas For Learning Shapes

Learning shapes is one of the earliest concepts we teach kids. This readies them for geometry in the years ahead, but it’s also an important skill for learning how to write and draw. We’ve rounded up our favorite activities for learning shapes, both 2-D and 3-D. They all work well in the classroom or at home.

1. Start with an anchor chart

Colorful anchor charts like these are terrific reference tools for kids learning shapes. Have kids help you come up with examples for each one.

Learn more: A Spoonful of Learning/Kindergarten Kindergarten

2. Sort items by shape

Collect items from around the classroom or house, then sort them by their shapes. This is a fun way for kids to realize that the world around them is full of circles, squares, triangles, and more.

Learn more: Busy Toddler/Shape-Sorting

3. Snack on some shapes

Everyone loves a learning activity you can eat! Some food items are already the perfect shape; for others, you’ll have to get a little creative.

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Learn more: Chieu Anh Urban

4. Print with shape blocks

Grab your shape blocks and some washable paint, then stamp shapes to form a design or picture.

Learn more: Pocket of Preschool

5. Go on a shape hunt

These “magnifying glasses” make an adventure of learning shapes! Tip: Laminate them for long-term use.

Learn more: Nurture Store UK

6. Hop along a shape maze

Use sidewalk chalk to lay out a shape maze on the playground or driveway. Choose a shape and hop from one to the next, or call out a different shape for every jump!

Learn more: Creative Family Fun

7. Assemble a truck from shapes

Cut out a variety of shapes (excellent scissors skills practice!), then assemble a series of trucks and other vehicles.

Learn more: Little Family Fun

8.

Teachers and kids love geoboards, and they’re a great tool for learning shapes. Give students example cards to follow, or ask them to figure out the method on their own.

Learn more: Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station

9. Drive on shaped roads

Use these free printable road mats to work on shapes. Bonus: Make your own road shapes from sentence strips!

Learn more: PK Preschool Mom

10. Find shapes in nature

Take your shape hunt outside and look for circles, rectangles, and more in nature. For another fun activity, gather items and use them to make shapes too.

Learn more: Nurture Store UK

11. Put together craft stick shapes

Add Velcro dots to the ends of wood craft sticks for quick and easy math toys. Write the names of each shape on the sticks for a self-correcting center activity.

Learn more: Surviving a Teacher’s Salary

12.

This is a STEM activity that’s sure to fascinate everyone. Make 3-D shapes from straws and pipe cleaners, then dip them in a bubble solution to create tensile bubbles. So cool!

Learn more: Babble Dabble Do

13. Prep a shape pizza

Cover a paper plate “pizza” with lots of shape toppings, then count the number of each. Simple, but lots of fun and very effective.

Learn more: Mrs. Thompson’s Treasures

14. Construct shapes from toothpicks and Play-Doh

This is an excellent STEM challenge: how many shapes can you make using toothpicks and Play-Doh? Marshmallows work well for this activity too.

Learn more: Childhood 101

15. Outline shapes with stickers

Kids adore stickers, so they’ll enjoy filling in the outlines of the shapes they’re learning. They won’t realize it, but this gives them fine motor skills practice too!

Learn more: Busy Toddler/Sticker Shapes

16.

Lacing cards have long been a classic, but we really like this version that uses drinking straws. Just cut them into pieces and glue them along the edges of the cards.

Learn more: Planning Playtime

17. Make shapes with LEGO bricks

LEGO math is always a winner! This activity also makes a good STEM challenge. Can your students figure out how to make a circle from straight-sided blocks?

Learn more: Pocket of Preschool

18. Categorize shapes by their attributes

Work on geometry terms like “sides” and “vertices” when you sort shapes using these attributes. Start by placing shapes into paper bags and asking students questions like, “The shape in this bag has 4 sides. What could it be?”

Learn more: Susan Jones Teaching

19. Count and graph shapes

These free printable worksheets challenge kids to identify shapes, then count and graph them. Lots of math skills, all in one!

Learn more: Playdough to Plato

20.

Add arms, legs, and faces to create cheery (or scary) shape monsters! These make for a fun classroom display.

Learn more: Fantastic Fun and Learning

21. Sift through rice for shapes

Sure, kids can identify their shapes by sight, but what about by touch? Bury blocks in a bowl of rice or sand, then have kids dig them out and guess the shape without seeing them first.

Learn more: Fun With Mama

22. Craft an ice cream cone

Ice cream cones are made up of several shapes. Encourage kids to see how many different ways they can make a sphere of “ice cream.”

Learn more: Extremely Good Parenting

23. Ask “What does the shape say?”

If you don’t mind the risk of getting that song stuck in your kids’ heads, this is such a neat way to combine writing and math.

Learn more: Around the Kampfire

24. Piece together shape puzzles

Use wood craft sticks to make simple puzzles for kids who are learning their shapes. These are inexpensive enough that you can make full sets for each of your students.

Learn more: Toddler at Play

25. Feed a shape monster

Turn paper bags into shape-eating monsters, then let kids fill their hungry bellies!

Learn more: Teach Pre-K

From teaching shapes to long division and everything in between, these are the 25 Must-Have Elementary Classroom Math Supplies You Can Count On.

Plus, 22 Active Math Games and Activities For Kids Who Love to Move.

21 Creative Ways to Teach 2D Shapes in Kindergarten – KindergartenWorks

Teaching shapes to kindergarten is part of many standards-based curriculums.

When you teach 2D shapes, you're covering some basic geometry skills your kinders will build from for years to come.

Let's look at how to teach 2D shapes and dig into some 2d shape activities and games to help you cover this topic.

How to teach 2D shapes

If you're wondering how to teach shapes to kindergarten - then here are the essentials you need to cover.

1. Teach the names

Teach the names of the shapes. You could consider this vocabulary, but they need to identify the name of each shape no matter the orientation (which way the shape is turned).

You can always use a fun hook like these 2D shapes owl craft to get them started on learning the names of the shapes.

I recommend these 2D shapes kindergartners should know the best: circle, triangle, rectangle, square and hexagon.

You could easily add some free shape posters or poems to your daily routine until your kiddos know them by heart.

And this is totally my opinion - but forget teaching 2d shapes like the heart and the star (those are almost like "gimmes" in today's kindergarten).

Remember: if you use pattern blocks for any activities - don't shy away from teaching the trapezoid, rhombus and parallelogram. It's an easy way to get extra shape names with what you're already using.

2. Teach what makes a shape unique

Teach the unique characteristics of each shape. What makes the shape unique?

You can use 2D shape bingo, a hide-n-feel game or even a little mini booklet to help cover how to describe the 2D shapes.

I made a mini 2D shapes booklet to use with my guided math groups.

I like that students pick up on the basic book pattern:

• The first page asks a question based on a shape's attributes.
• The second page answers it.

But you can even create shape puppets to get them talking about what makes the shapes unique.

Consider using videos as well to teach describing 2D shapes - like how many sides and vertices each shapes has.

3. Teach what makes a 2D shape a 2D shape

Teach what makes the circle, square, triangle rectangle and hexagon all 2D shapes in a simplified fashion.

I like teaching this when I introduce 3D shapes (we compare the difference) and my students can already name and describe all of the 2D shapes for kindergarten accurately.

4. Teach shapes in the world

Teach real-life examples of shapes. Students should be able to pick out shapes in the world from the environment around them but also create real-world things by combining 2D shapes.

This quick shapes in the world video for kindergarten is perfect before going on a shape hunt. It reinforces a circle, square, and triangle in everyday items and has kids draw shapes in the air.

You'll find a few more examples of how to teach shapes in the world with some of the activities listed below.

Activities to do

Here are some fun ideas for how to teach 2D shapes with kinders.

There is a variety to pick from that can help accomplish the goals we mentioned above.

Create a lift-the-flap riddle book with your students. Have them dictate the text and cut out shapes. Let them show what they know to make a class book.

Teach how to draw the shapes - by teaching how many points to draw. I learned this tip from our district's leading preschool teacher.

Kids that came from her preschool program came in knowing how to draw shapes in kindergarten and I learned this was her secret method of teaching them! {wink}

If you're teaching 2D shapes during Christmas, create a Rudolph at the window art project using construction paper shape pieces. It sticks to basic shapes. I love the finished product.

You could also use this free shape reindeer card activity and adapt it a bit since it was designed for first grade.

Take the shape your class is having the most difficulty with and let them get creative! Have them turn the shape into something in our world simply by adding details.

Use whatever shape manipulatives you have and create 2D shape scenes or real-world things. Snap photos with your phone and print them as example cards.

Students can try to recreate yours or build their own 2D shape real-world things.

If you only have pattern blocks, try to add in some circles, squares, and rectangles made out of craft foam from the dollar tree.

Speaking of making your own 2D shape manipulatives - this teaching 2D shapes dinosaur activity is a perfect example. Cut your own shapes and let your students create.

Grab toothpicks and marshmallows (or playdough) with these printable build a 2D shape cards. Students can focus on the number of vertices each shape has.

Play 2D shapes games

Play games that involve looking at shapes in different ways.

Play this little roll-a-shape 2D shapes in the world game. It's perfect for beginning kindergarten.

It's simple to play and students can do it independently. They roll a die, say the shape's name and color or trace a matching shape in the picture.

This shapes in the world printable board game is a simple way to play in small numbers.

If you just need something that works on naming and identifying - then this quick shape game is what you're looking for. Add a pencil and paper clip as a makeshift spinner.

I've found a way to turn bingo into a super-effective way to work on describing shapes in kindergarten. So check out this describing 2D shapes bingo game that is free.

It's a classic game that's easy to share with parent volunteers too since they usually already know basic bingo rules.

Here's an alternate naming shapes game that is styled after chutes and ladders. I think they'd like this format.

Go on a shape hunt around the classroom simply by following the directions in this secret agent shapes detective video.

Play what's hiding under the rug. This is the easiest game to teach and play with kindergarten. I love turning it over to pairs of students to play in our small group sessions so I can listen in on how accurately they are describing 2D shapes.

It's an ideal way to informally assess how well students are doing on this skill.

Let students each play at their own pace and graph their results with this 2D shapes game.

Find the shapes hidden in these landscapes to bring back color to the black-and-white pictures. This interactive, online shapes game reminds me of the old school Highlights for Kids magazines {wink}

Let's wrap it up

There you have the basics of how to teach 2D shapes and creative activities, games, and videos for teaching 2D shapes in kindergarten.

I hope you've found exactly what you need to complete your lesson plans. It's my goal to help you organize, think and teach your best.

You may also enjoy this short list of 2D shapes videos.

If you like what I do here on KindergartenWorks, then be sure to subscribe today. I look forward to sharing ideas with you weekly.

More Math in Kindergarten

• 10 Activities for Describing 3D Shapes in Kindergarten
• Monster Numbers – Easy Tools to Teach 0-10
• Making 5 Fluency Ideas and Games

12 Fun Shape Activities for Toddlers

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Teaching shapes to kids is another very important area of ​​the subject. Teachers at school or parents at home use and think of various figure education activities for children to make the learning process fun and lively. There are a huge number of body shape activities for toddlers that you can add to your toddler's routine as learning through games and activities can be fun for your child. You can include forms in his leisure or creativity time, or come up with games to get him to learn forms without even making him think he's learning. Your child can create images using basic shapes. nine0005

Don't worry about how to teach shapes to little ones. We offer you a list of different fun activities for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarteners to make the most of them and enjoy learning in a playful way.

1) Teaching form with diagram:

The most common form teaching activity for children is when you present a diagram with different shapes and names written on it. This is a study of what each figure looks like. There are things you can do to strengthen his learning skills:

• After reading the names of all the shapes, ask him to point to a specific shape when you say its name.

• Use the chart to identify the shapes in your child's room, for example, a window is a square, a mirror is a circle, and so on.

• Start by having your child circle each shape. This will give him a clearer vision of each form.

2) Practice Forms:

After teaching and showing the pictures, ask students to practice writing words by marking the pictures on the worksheet or making sentences for each picture. For example, which shape includes a round clock? students can write "Circle" and if there is a picture of a window, students can write "Square". You can also continue this practice to study the form by pointing to different objects and having him observe and think. You can start with basic shapes like circle, square and rectangle with these fun exercises. nine0003

3) Shape Collage:

Cut out each shape in a different color, eg red circle, blue rectangle and green square. Give the child a sheet of cards and ask him to make a picture using these shapes. It would strengthen his thinking ability, as if he knew that if he made a car, the tires would be round and the windows would be square. Looks like fun little ones are shaping the activities that await you and your little one!

4) The figure hidden in the salt box:

If you're studying figure classes for toddlers, you might not want to miss this. Start by taking a piece of paper and making prominent images of various shapes and colors. Place it in the bottom of a rectangular dish and sprinkle with salt. Give your little one a paintbrush and shake off the salt to find out which picture he will show. When he names it, discuss it so that he learns more about it.

5) Sandpaper Shape Matching:

Create shapes with chalk on sandpaper and cut each out of a different sandpaper. Set aside the shapes you have cut out and play with your child to match them with the drawn shapes by placing them on top. These shape classes for toddlers give them more understanding of different shapes along with fine motor skills. nine0003

6) Geoboards:

Make learning fun for toddlers with geoboards. Lay out the double-sided geoboards and the jar of rubber bands on one side. Kids can use rubber bands to make shapes on geoboards. Just let kids explore it and create shapes with them.

7) Shape boxes:

You can try to teach little ones how to shape lessons with papier-mâché boxes with lids, which are easy to find in craft stores. They usually come in basic shapes such as square, circle, rectangle, and oval. Children must match the shape of the lid to the correct box. nine0003

Shape Sorter is an educational app designed to teach shapes to kids. This app includes the best exercises for toddlers that will make learning shapes fun, interesting and easy. There are also various exercises for toddlers so they can easily learn and memorize shapes.

Presentation of information

8) Sort the shape of household items:

You can focus on the lesson of learning squares and circles for your baby. Gather round or square items from around the house, then place them on a tray for your toddler to sort through. All objects are square on one side, round on the other, and so on. nine0003

9) Tangrams:

Children match the shapes of the tangrams with the shapes on the tangram rugs. You should place these tangram shapes together in a large square, rectangle, or triangle. The layout can also be rotated for complex shapes later. There are many ways to play with tangrams, such as tangrams online games. These shape activities for toddlers are a fun way to let kids create their own intricate shapes. But most often tangrams are treated as puzzles. The child will be shown the target shape in an outline and will need to recreate it by following the shape. nine0003

10) Book shape:

When teaching shapes to children, have your child create a book of shapes by cutting out pictures from magazines and pasting them onto the page to make a book. For example, a moon on a circle page, a door on a rectangle page, and a window on a square page. He will begin to enjoy this activity and will more often observe the world around him.

11) Funny faces create activity:

Give children fun emotions in the lesson using shapes. Ask them to choose a shape and draw an emotion on that shape (try different shapes). For example: try to make a happy circle? Sad rectangle? He would find this activity the most fun for toddlers, because it involves human emotions, and children are careful observers of emotions. nine0003

12) Shape Hunt:

Look for different shapes around the house, in class, or even when you are not at home. Look at toys, dishes in the kitchen or in the bedroom: you will find that they are similar to the shapes you have learned. Gather a collection of each and determine the shape of each object. After walking around the shape, focus on the shapes that were easiest to find and which were the hardest, using questions such as:

• Are there more circles inside or outside?

• Do you see more squares or circles? Why is this? nine0003

You can also have them watch the basic shapes if it's a learning shape for toddlers. Ask them to draw each one, if they tell you about a round object, have him draw a circle and continue with the other shapes in the same way.

Figures are the first impression children get when they begin to get to know the world around them. They observe every object such as clouds, fruits, and other basic everyday objects for how they look, and begin to identify and observe the shape of all facial features in order to identify their family members. To sum up, children begin to perceive the forms around them, even when they have no idea about their names and purposes. We offer you some fun and educational toddler learning and learning activities to make his learning more fun and exciting. nine0003

You may also like some online figure games.

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How to teach a child to play chess, and why it should be done

published on poznaii. ru according to the materials 1gai.ru

Understanding how to teach a child to play chess.

If after watching the mini-series The Queen's Move, produced by American screenwriter/director Scott Frank and Allan Scott for Netflix, you started to get interested in playing chess, that's very good news! It can only be better to start teaching the child the basics of this magnificent, one of the oldest intellectual games. nine0003

In general, if you have small children and you are thinking about whether it is possible to teach them chess, and most importantly, how to do it and when to start in order to instill a love for the logic game on a 64-cell board, we will try to answer all your questions right here and now. So, let's begin!

Let's discuss four basic questions:

1. At what age do you start learning to play chess?

2. How to get a child interested in playing chess? nine0003

3. How to start teaching a child to play chess?

4. Play regularly and have fun!

At what age should a child start learning to play chess?

Having studied the relevant literature and Internet articles, we will answer the first important question as follows: start learning while the child is still small. Do you want to know how much is "still small" in years? No one will give an exact answer - everyone is individual, but the general criteria are as follows:

1. From the age of 3, you can introduce the child to the rules of playing chess;

2. At the age of four, you can try to start the game, showing how the figures move, where they need to be placed, how they differ;

3. From the age of five, if a child was trained, he, according to the observations of many coaches, will already be able to anticipate some steps and simple combinations of an opponent;

4. But the most fruitful age for learning is from 6 to 8 years. It is at this age that the talents and predispositions of children are most fully revealed. It is at this age that they will already be able to play thoughtfully and know what it means to play "e2 - e4", absolutely ironically. nine0003

See also

7 free virtual drawing lessons from Russian and foreign illustrators

Chess is a game not only for adults and schoolchildren. Young children are great at absorbing knowledge from the world around them, and playing chess will help them hone their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

“Not all experts identify the optimal age to start teaching children chess. Some simply say that the sooner the better. I believe that the younger the child, the stronger the impact of playing and learning,” says Dr. Ferguson from the US Chess School, who taught the game to kindergarteners. nine0003

“In young children, the brain is like a sponge, absorbing everything,” he adds.

"I've had mixed results teaching kindergarteners and first graders, but by second grade they're ready for active learning," says co-specialist Tom Brownscombe, who is the School Director of the US Chess Federation.

How to get a child interested in playing chess?

photo: unsplash.com / Eugene Chystiakov

With age, it became clear that this developing classical intellectual game is useful and even important for the development of the child (including motor skills - remember how difficult it was for you to walk as a child the letter "G", moving the figure of the horse), so its training is worth it, it is even strongly recommended to teach children. It remains the case for small things ... how to interest a child if he does not have an interest in the pieces on the checkered board? nine0003

We found an interesting piece of advice on the Runet, on the site razvitie-vospitanie.ru, here it is (read more about the method in the source material entitled “Teaching a child to play chess from scratch: a step-by-step method”):

“Before introduce the child to chess, periodically take out the game, arrange the pieces, you can even play a few games with a family member or friends in front of the baby.

To his questions and requests to play, answer that this is for older children and that he will definitely be able to play it, but later, when he grows up. After that, put the game away so that the child cannot get it on his own. nine0003

After some time (from 2 weeks to two months), solemnly inform the child that he has already grown up and is ready to join this great game.

photo: chessbaron.ca

The method seemed to us surprising and ingenious in that it arouses the child's genuine interest in learning chess, the child's psychology itself will work in favor of parents trying to accustom their child to good habits, and the latter will not have to force the child to do something then under pressure, which means that subsequent training, say in the chess section or at home, will be more intense, more progressive and better in all areas. The kid will not only enthusiastically develop the technique of the game, but also develop himself. nine0003

And another important piece of advice given in the source for working with the interest of a son or daughter is that the first acquaintances with the game should not be long in time. Ten or fifteen minutes, no more.

If a child has shown interest in the board, figures, and most importantly, why they are needed and where they are moved, consider that you have succeeded in achieving the goal, intriguing him. Gradually start having mini-sessions of the game with him for no more than 15 minutes and give more and more information about it. nine0003

You can show educational cartoons for children in which chess is involved, look at cartoon pictures with your child or read the history of the game in a form adapted for children if they like it better when you read. There are actually many options to support interest, and over time it will only grow stronger.

How to start teaching a child to play chess?

photo: unsplash.com / Michal Vrba

There are many options for learning this “mind gymnastics”, both paid (there are special learning kits for playing chess for the smallest future grandmasters) and free. nine0003

See also

Checkmate: 24 facts about filming the Queen's Move So, here are the main tips for learning that we found in various sources:

• Classes should be conducted on real chess boards;
• You should not teach your child to play chess through a computer. After all, chess is not only the development of logic, but also of communicative properties (man-man). Plus, in real chess, not only the head works, but also the hands, with their tactile receptors, which allows the child to quickly understand the game and memorize important nuances; nine0205
• Teaching the basics (rules of the game) is the most important part of learning the world of chess at this stage, when a child aged 6 to 8 years old, as they say, “fired up” on the game and its study, or at least shows a moderate interest in the board;
• If you notice that your toddler (under 6 years old) is distracted during class, try either reducing the time of the sessions or including more childish, playful moments. The child should be comfortable playing chess;
• The child should arrange the figures himself, and in parallel with this, teach him the names of the figures, how they walk, and, of course, their correct placement; nine0205
• A child should always have a play partner. Do not refuse the baby if he takes the initiative;
• Always keep an eye on what is being done, and prompt the child only if you see that he is sitting on the same task for a long time.

One of the interesting tricks for teaching very young players or just beginners to play chess is as follows:

• only pawns are placed on the board;
• explain how they need to move, how they need to "eat" the opponent's pieces and why this is necessary; nine0205
• further try to play with the child only pawns. As soon as the skill of the game is fixed in a couple of days, start adding more complex pieces in pairs (knights, bishops, rooks, king and finally the queen), explaining how to move them, how to play them;
• in this way, the complex puzzle will develop gradually for the child and will not cause fatigue or rejection.

The main thing is to take your time and move on to the next figure as soon as you feel that you have been understood. nine0003

Be sure to emphasize the main key elements of the game during the session, including the importance of protecting your king at all costs and that the queen is the most powerful piece in the game. And also do not forget to tell what a check and a checkmate are.

Once the kids get the basics down, you can start teaching them different strategies (if you're good at chess). If this is not your game, but the child wants to continue, give him this opportunity, enroll him in the chess section. This is one of the best leisure activities. True, you should not forget about sports and walking either! nine0003

Play regularly and have fun playing chess!

photo: www.parent.com

Probably the most important thing for a beginner is to play regularly. During the initial training, if possible, play a game or two every day for a couple of weeks, and then, when the child gets comfortable and he has some excitement, you can switch to a couple of times a week so that he does not get bored at the same time, but also attracts this business .

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