Teaching shapes to toddlers

13 Fun Ideas to Get Started

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Toddlers are always learning, and when your toddler is around two-years-old, it’s time to start teaching shapes to toddlers.

My toddlers always love to learn shapes, and with so many fun activities, you’ll find plenty of ways to teach your toddlers all the shapes. It’s best introduced as simple activities and games, along with shape toys that your child can enjoy for months.

Ready to get started? Here is what you need to know about teaching shapes to toddlers.

This post may contain affiliate links which I would receive a small commission should you make a purchase.

Why Teach Shapes to Toddlers

Have you ever looked around you and realized that shapes are one of the most noticeable attributes of the world around us? Teaching shapes to toddlers gives them a way to recognize and understand the world around them.

Learning shapes has several benefits for toddlers.

1. Same or Different

Are triangles and circles the same? Are these squares the same or different?

Discriminating same vs different is a big deal for toddlers, and it helps them start to visually discriminate and learn the world around them. Kids start learning how to scan their environment and notice important differences. It also helps your children follow directions better.

For example, you might tell your toddler to grab the blue circle on the floor. That’s much easier for them to understand than just saying get the toy on the floor.

2. Teaches Categorization

Looking and learning about shapes teaches your children about the attributes off objects. Children learn how to make observations about similarities and differences.

For example, toddlers might compare two different squares. He will notice they’re the same shape, but they might be smaller or different colors.

3.

Playing with a shape sorter helps your child determine where the blocks fit. This is an early example of problem-solving for toddlers.

Learning and discriminating shapes also works with spatial relation skills. Does the block fit into the same well? How do objects fit together? These are future math and science skills!

4. Early Math Skills

Shapes is a big part of early math skills. Building with blocks and working on shape puzzles are early geometry lessons. Your toddler learns geometric concepts like shapes, sizes, space, and position.

5. Early Letter Recognition

Shapes are also part of early letter recognition. Have you ever noticed the triangles made up A, V, and W? A circle is an O.

Learning about basic shapes helps your children learn about letter recognition and numbers, and it also helps them to draw shape, a precursor to writing.

6. Use Descriptive Vocabulary

Learning shapes helps to build your toddler’s descriptive vocabulary, encouraging your child to describe and express what they see.

She might notice the square cookie (hey, it happens!), red flowers, or the triangle-shaped toy. This is a gradual step, but it’s an important benefit of learning shapes.

13 Tips for Teaching Shapes to Toddlers

1. Play with Shape Puzzles

One of my favorite ways to teach shapes to toddlers is to play with shape puzzles. While it’s good for your child to play with puzzles alone, make sure you take the time to play with them and give them the names of the shapes regularly.

There are all kinds of awesome shape puzzles that your toddler will love. If you have a toddler who is around one-year-old and you want to introduce shapes, the Melissa & Doug First Shapes Jumbo Knot Puzzle is perfect. It has easy-to-grasp knobs and an understandable picture for toddlers.

If you have a toddler who is a bit older, the Melissa & Doug Shapes Wooden Chunky Puzzle is perfect. The puzzle has eight shapes total and large, chunky shapes that is easy for toddlers to grasp.

2. Be Repetitive

Repetition is a big deal. When your toddler is learning anything, you have to repeat the information several times.

Think about how many times you need to repeat directions, even for older kids!

Repeating the information for your toddlers is crucial, so when they hand you a puzzle shape, make sure you say the shape name. If you see a shape around the house – like the dining room table is a rectangle – make sure to tell your toddler!

3. Tracing and Coloring

One of the easiest tricks for teaching shapes to toddlers is tracing and coloring. Grab some crayons and let your child color some shapes.

If you can’t find coloring books that have shapes, there are plenty of shape printables or make your own. Toddlers aren’t picky at all!

4. Use Shape Sorters

I used to assume that shape sorters were an outdated toy that kid don’t need anymore – WRONG. Shape sorters give your child an opportunity to hold and learn the shapes, but it also works on problem solving skills.

At first, take away a few of the shapes to reduce the overwhelm your toddler might feel as they learn the shape sorter.

If you don’t have a shape sorter at home, I love the Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube. It’s a classic sorting cube with 12 different shapes, ideal for kids two to four years old.

5. Cut Shapes with Play Doh

What kids don’t love Play-Doh? My kids are totally obsessed, and it’s an easy way to keep them occupied and engaged in learning. We have several Play-Doh sets and accessories around our house; mama needs a break sometimes!

I found a large set of play dough accessories, and several of the cutters are shapes. Give your kids some tubs of Play-Doh and these shape cutters. Show them a shape and tell them to cut out a square or triangle.

Trust me; your toddlers will love this!

6. Find Shapes Around You

Shapes are everywhere, but it’s easy to adults to forget that. Toddlers need to understand that shapes are part of their world, so look for shapes around you.

The table is a rectangle, a tall cup is a cylinder, the plate is a circle, and a cellphone is rectangle.

Shapes are everywhere, and parents need to point them out regularly. It helps your child know that learning shapes is a big deal!

7. Use Q-Tips to Build Shapes

One of the easiest ways to teach shapes is to build them with q-tips, something most people have and is super cheap.

Some shapes cannot be made with q-tips, like circles, but most can be made with them.

8. Draw Shapes with Sidewalk Chalk

We always have a bucket of sidewalk chalk sitting around, and it’s a great way to teach your toddler shapes. Draw the shapes with the chalk and tell your child the name of each shape. You can even call out shapes and have your child jump from shape to shape.

9. Don’t Learn Too Many at Once

Make sure you don’t introduce too many shapes at one time. That leads to overwhelm, and your goal is mastery. It’s impossible to master skills when the focus is spread out too thinly.

10. Draw Shapes in Shaving Cream

If you’re worried that your toddler will eat the shaving cream, whipped cream or peanut butter are edible substitutions that work as well.

Spread the shaving cream over the table and have your child draw the shapes in the cream. You’ll need to show them the shapes first and how to draw them.

11. Use Geoboards

Geoboards are a fun little tool that I have for my toddlers. All you need is the geo board and some rubber bands. Then, they “build” the shapes on the boards.

It keeps them entertained for quite awhile, and it’s even fun for you to enjoy.

12. Paint the Shapes

Here’s an easy and fun idea for toddlers.

Cut out shapes from a kitchen sponge, dip them into washable paint, and stamp paper with the shapes. You can start off with one or two shapes and gradually build up to more sponge stampers.

13. Shape Hunt

Try hiding shapes around a room for your toddler to find, or bury shapes in a box of rice or beans for your child to discover. Making a sensory bin with shapes is a great way to teach your toddler shapes while also engaging their other needs.

When Should Toddlers Learn Shapes?

Naming shapes takes longer to develop then learning colors. Children typically reach the stage when they can grasp the concept of shapes around two years old, but that doesn’t mean they’ll fully grasp shapes at that stage.

By the time your child is three to four years old, your child should be able to identify most of the basic shapes. Advanced shapes, like octagons, will be learned much later.

What Shapes Should a 2 Year Old Know?

An average two-year-old is just starting to learn shapes, so your child might not know any shapes yet. At this age, toddlers are starting to learn the basic shapes like circle, square, triangle, and rectangle.

What Shapes Should I Teach First?

Start by teaching your child the most common shapes: squares, circles, and triangles. After your child understands these three shapes, move to rectangles, stars, diamonds, and ovals.

Teaching shapes to toddlers should be fun and engaging; this shouldn’t be sit-down lessons that bore your child. Focus on making learning shapes as fun as possible and remember that repetition is necessary to help your toddler learn the names of the shapes.

Related posts:

6 PROVEN Ways To Teach Your Toddler Shapes (2023)

Why is that?

“It’s because color and shape are two very noticeable attributes of the world around us. Color and shape are ways children observe and categorize what they see. These very recognizable characteristics encourage children to define and organize the diverse world around them”. – Scholastic

For example, we have a bunch of colorful eggs currently around the house since it’s close to Easter. My son will see the eggs and say purple or oval every time he sees them.

We are surrounded by shapes!  It only makes sense that this is the first subject that you are teaching your child.

Since I have been on the adventure of teaching shapes to both my kids,

Tip #1. Play with toys!

When you walk down the toy aisle at Target, do you see your child’s eyes light up at all the different toys?

Most of the time, I try to distract my kids as we walk by this section!

But, all kidding aside, there are times throughout the year when I buy new toys. I especially love buying educational toys because children learn through play every day.

Side note: Most of these toys don’t say the shapes out loud, so your involvement in playing with these toys is crucial for them to learn!

Melissa and Doug puzzles have worked wonders with my children. These puzzles are the first thing that I introduce when starting to teach things like shapes, alphabet, numbers, etc.

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Hands-on learning is the way your child will learn best! By repeating these shapes daily, your child will start to pick up the names of the shapes.

Who doesn’t love a great on-the-go toy? I am always looking for great toys to take in the car, on long weekend trips in the hotel, or events where I know that my kids will be bored within 10 minutes :).

What makes this toy so great is that it packs up easy, and it’s small, so it’s easy to carry around! 

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I love buying a toy that can be used for several years because you can work on different learning skills with it!

This clock is excellent for learning shapes, numbers, and how to tell time!

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Toy #4: Shape Sponges

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I like this toy because it’s different than the other ones that I mention. Plus, I love the fact that these sponges have handles, so it’s easy for little hands to hold and use them.

There’s only so many times that your child will want to play with the same puzzle, so adding in some different tools or toys will keep them engaged in the learning!

I don’t know about you, but my kids are obsessed with Play-Doh!

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In this specific pack of Play-Doh cut-outs, there was an oval, circle, triangle, and square! These are great shapes to start with, especially for little ones!

Does anyone else’s toddler enjoy pulling off all the refrigerator magnets at home?  These magnets are also great, so you can get some cooking done in the kitchen while your little one is close by.

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Tip #2.

When you are trying to leave the house, how many times do you have to tell your kid(s) to get their shoes and jacket on before you go?

It seems like hundreds, right? That’s how I feel!

One day they will get it! But until then, I keep having to repeat the directions.

The same goes for learning shapes or any other new skill! Repeating the information, especially to toddlers, is crucial. Even though my son knows his shapes, I still spend at least 5 minutes a day playing with shape toys or checking for understanding, so he remembers the information.

Lucas can finally use stickers because he isn’t putting them in his mouth! This sticker book was a fun and cheap way to review shapes. The best part about this book is that the stickers are reusable!

It is exciting and engaging to also present it in different ways to kids so they don’t get bored with the same toy, which I will explain in the next section.

Tip #3: Shape Learning Activities

Think about how you learn best. If you are learning something new, do you like to use the same program, slide show, or worksheet?

I sure don’t! 

Variety is crucial when teaching kids. You want to make sure they are not just memorizing one toy. By doing different activities every now and then, they will be eager to learn and excited to show you what they know.

You need the following items for this activity:

• Paper plate
• Construction paper
• Glue stick.

I pre-made all of the shapes, so this activity was ready to go for my kids. The best part about the project is you can let their creativity flow! You may have to help with the glue, so your house doesn’t become all sticky 🙂

To differentiate for older kiddos, you can add in more complex shapes like hexagons, trapezoids, and pentagons. On the worksheet, I also added a question on how many sides each of the shapes have. As a bonus, my daughter worked on her handwriting as well by writing the number of each shape she had on her pizza and how many sides each shape has!

• My Shape Pizza- Toddler My Shape Pizza- Preschool

• My Shape Pizza- Preschool

You will need the following items for this activity: Contact paper and cardstock paper.

This activity did take some prep work, but the kids loved it because it was something different that we have never done before! It works on differentiation and sorting shapes.

I drew a circle, triangle, and square, cut them out using the contact paper, and placed an outlining of the shapes with cardstock paper to help with differentiation.

Then, I made smaller circles, triangles, and squares so they could place them on the contact paper.

To do this activity, all you need is sidewalk chalk!

It’s cold out where we live, so anytime that we can get outside, we take advantage of it! This activity is simple; all you have to do is draw a few shapes on the ground with sidewalk chalk. You ask your toddler to jump from shape to shape.

Every time I set up an activity for my son to do, my daughter is right there waiting to be part of the action. I try to differentiate the activities for her to make them a bit more challenging. In this case, I had my daughter work on shape patterns and drawing the shapes. These are two critical skills for her to have in Kindergarten.

Activity #4: Shape Mini-Eraser Worksheets

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with mini-eraser activities.

I’m not ashamed to say that every time I walk into Target, I check their dollar section to see if there are new mini-erasers available. Anyone else with me on this one?

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Directions:

1. First, print my 7 FREE SHAPE MATS HERE!

2. If your toddler is learning shapes, make sure to talk about what shape you are building with them! When working with older ones, ask them to see if they know what shape it is and if they know how many sides it has!

3. Get out your mini erasers and have your child either use their fingers to place the erasers in the circles to make the shapes or use kid-friendly tweezers to pick up the erasers and place them on the circles to improve their fine motor skills!

4.  With preschoolers, set up some erasers in a pattern and see if your little one can finish the entire shape in that pattern!

Tip #4: Focus on a few shapes at a time.

This picture is overwhelming to me; I can’t imagine how difficult it would be for a toddler to differentiate these shapes!

When teaching toddlers, you must start slow, or they won’t understand the information you’re presenting them. Choose one or two shapes to start.

I would start by teaching these to your toddler then move onto more complex shapes.

I did some research and saw that many school districts believe that a child should know these shapes before entering kindergarten: triangle, circle, square, rectangle, oval, star, diamond (rhombus), and heart.

You may want to remove certain shapes from toys or activities when you are teaching, so your toddler can focus on the one you are trying to teach.

Check for understanding to see if they can differentiate between the shapes you started with to see if you can move onto other shapes!

Tip #5: Check for Understanding

I feel like I am always talking to my son. I am either identifying something to him or asking him questions to see what he knows throughout the day.

He is probably so annoyed with me, but luckily he can’t verbalize it to me yet 🙂  

Checking for understanding is crucial to see what your child knows so you can keep building on that knowledge or identify what you need to review with them. 

Take a look at the video below to see one way that you can see what your child is retaining!

In this video, I used a Crayola My First TouchPad. This product entertains my kids, so I knew that it would be a great way to see what my son knows.

If your toddler makes a mistake while you are checking for understanding, make sure to provide them with positive/corrective feedback.

Here’s an example: If you asked your child, “Where is the triangle”? And they touched the circle, all you have to say is “that is a circle.” Then go on to show them the triangle.

If you are seeing that your child is getting one or two shapes wrong each time you check for understanding, try presenting the information differently by using a variety of different toys, books, or drawings to see what works best for them!

Tip #6: Be their biggest cheerleader!

If your toddler is not able to identify shapes or isn’t interested in learning quite yet, don’t get frustrated. The learning process for each child is different.

It’s easy to compare your child’s skills (cognitive or physical) with another child their age. Some children have learned their shapes by 15 months, and others aren’t interested in learning quite yet, and they are 20 months.

THAT IS OKAY!

The important thing is that you keep a positive attitude, play with shape toys daily, and repeat the information. Please try not to get frustrated!

Be patient, and stay confident in your child!

Teaching your toddler about shapes is a fun but challenging adventure!

It’s important to start slow, play with shape toys they can manipulate and practice each day.  Try to mix up the activities that you do with them to keep them engaged and excited to learn!

I would love to help in your journey, teaching your toddler shapes. Whether you need some creative ideas or you need more helpful suggestions, please leave a comment below.

If you have any great ideas that you would like to share as well on what helped you teach numbers to a toddler, please share them with us too!

And I’d love to know:

What is your favorite way to teach toddlers colors?

Learning Geometric Shapes: Games for Preschoolers

One of the important aspects of the development of mathematical concepts in preschoolers is the study of the basics of geometry. In the course of acquaintance with geometric shapes, the child acquires new knowledge about the properties of objects (shape) and develops logical thinking. In this article, we will talk about how to help a preschooler remember geometric shapes, how to properly organize games for teaching geometry, and what materials and aids can be used to develop a child’s mathematical abilities.

At what age can one start learning geometric shapes?

Many parents are wondering if young children need to get acquainted with geometric shapes. Experts believe that it is optimal to start classes in a playful, relaxed form from the age of 1.5. Until this age, it is appropriate to pronounce to the child the names of the shapes of objects that the baby meets in real life (for example, “round plate”, “square table”).

Introducing the child to geometric shapes, be guided by his reaction. If your baby started to show interest in them at an early age (by playing with the sorter or looking at pictures), encourage his curiosity.

At the age of 2, the baby should be able to distinguish between:

• Circle;
• Square;
• Triangle.

By the age of 3 you can add:

• Oval;
• Rhombus;
• Rectangle.

At an older age, a child can memorize such shapes as a trapezoid, a pentagon, a hexagon, a star, a semicircle. Also, children visiting the Constellation Montessori Center get acquainted with geometric bodies with interest.

How can I help my child remember geometric shapes?

Teaching a child geometric shapes should take place in stages. You need to start new figures only after the baby remembers the previous ones. The circle is the simplest shape. Show your child round objects, feel them, let the baby run his finger over them. You can also make an application from circles, mold a circle from plasticine. The more sensations associated with the concept being studied, the child receives, the better the baby will remember it.

Three-dimensional figures can be used to get acquainted with the forms. It can be made by a designer, a sorter, lacing, frame inserts. Since at an early age the visual-effective type of thinking is most developed, various actions with figures will help to remember them better.

How children of different ages perceive geometric figures

The operations that a child can perform with geometric figures and how he perceives shapes depend on the age of the baby. In accordance with age characteristics, the following stages of training can be distinguished:

1. In the second year of life, the baby is able to visually recognize familiar figures and sort objects according to shape.
2. At 2 years old, a child can find the desired shape among a number of other geometric shapes.
3. By the age of 3, babies can name shapes.
4. At the age of 4, a child is able to correlate three-dimensional figures with a flat image.
5. At senior preschool age (and sometimes even earlier) you can start studying geometric bodies (ball, cube, pyramid). Also at this age, the child can analyze complex pictures consisting of many shapes.

Regardless of the child's age, try to pay attention to the shapes of the surrounding objects and compare them with known geometric shapes. This can be done at home and on the go.

Games for learning geometric shapes

For a child to be interested, learning geometric shapes should take place in a playful way. You should also select bright and colorful materials for classes (you can buy them in a store or do it yourself). Here are some examples of games and tutorials for learning geometric shapes:

1. Sorting. Games with a sorter can be started from the age of 1. Invite the child to find its window for the figure. So the child will not only memorize geometric shapes, but also develop fine motor skills, thinking and spatial representations, because in order for the part to fall into the hole, you need to turn it at the right angle. You can also sort any other items, such as building blocks, Gyenesch blocks, or counting material.
2. Insert frames. In fact, this manual is similar to a sorter. For each geometric figure, you need to find its place.
3. Geometric lotto. To play, you will need a field with the image of geometric shapes and handout cards with each figure separately. A child can take small cards out of a chest or bag, and then look for their place on the playing field. This game also perfectly trains the attention of the baby.
4. Geometric appliqué. Cut out various geometric shapes from paper and, together with your child, make a picture out of them (for example, you can make a Christmas tree from triangles, a house from a square and a triangle).

5. Drawing (including stencils).
6. Modeling.
7. Laying out figures from counting sticks.
8. Geometric mosaic.
9. Laces with geometric shapes.
10. Card games.
11. Guess by touch.
12. Active games. Draw geometric shapes on the pavement with chalk. Ask the child to imagine that the figures are houses that you need to run into on a signal. Next, you name a geometric figure, and the child runs to it.

In addition, educational cartoons can be used to study geometric shapes. Here is one of them:

Conclusions

Learning the basics of geometry at preschool age is an important part of developing a child's mathematical and sensory representations. Acquaintance with the figures should occur gradually (first, simple figures - a circle, a square, a triangle). To keep your child interested, study geometric shapes in a playful way. Your assistants in this can be such educational aids as insert frames, mosaics, lotto, sorters, sets of geometric shapes and bodies, stencils. You can also study geometric shapes on the street: just talk to your child about what you see around and what shapes these objects look like. Then the kid will definitely learn to distinguish geometric shapes and remember their names.

Conclusion

Montessori environment has been specially created for the comprehensive and harmonious development of each child in the children's center "Constellation". In the process of free work in it, children not only get acquainted with the basics of geometry, but also develop their cognitive processes, fine motor skills, learn to write, read, and count. In addition, the Montessori environment gives the child the opportunity to fully demonstrate independence and responsibility. We will be glad to see you and your baby at our center!

Prepared by a Montessori teacher
Malysheva Evgeniya

Easily and quickly learn geometric shapes with children

Why teach a small child geometric shapes? Surely, many parents do not even think about this issue, simply paying tribute to fashion and teaching mathematics to the baby almost from birth. Meanwhile, geometric shapes for children, their timely study play a big role in the knowledge of the environment, introducing one of the main properties of objects - shape. This is necessary for the development of logical thinking, spatial representations, and the improvement of mathematical abilities. That is why it is important to start getting acquainted with geometric shapes as early as possible, reinforcing the knowledge of the children with exciting tasks in everyday life.

What a child should know about geometric shapes

Therefore, the home familiarization of the child with the forms should not take place separately, but in the system of sensory (sensual) education. Best of all, the baby will remember the shape when he simultaneously considers the color, size, purpose of the object, since knowledge is actively used in a variety of activities and is better remembered.