Learning about shapes

Today Sophie is home as the teachers in her child care are away for their curriculum planning day.

To keep the little one occupied, we read books, played with her toys, read more book, played with more toys then I decided to do a little learning activity to keep her busy.

I recently saw some of my friends teaching their kids shapes from their facebook photos. One of them did a homemade shape chart that allows her son to match the shape in the correct box. The names of each shape was introduced in two languages, English and Mandarin. All of the pieces were done on cardboard and laminated with velcro at the back so that they could be reused. Isn’t this a great idea?

I also attempted to do a little shape activity of our own by drawing some shapes on a piece of paper and naming each one of them.

Next was Sophie’s favourite activity-coloring the shapes! You can tell she really enjoyed it by seeing that look of concentration in her eyes.

Lastly, we transformed each shape into something that she was familiar with. The end result….

When she’s older, we can cut out different shapes and let her use her imagination to create different things. The possibilities are endless.

When it comes to teaching shapes, I’m pretty sure everyone has a good old shape sorter toy. After all, nothing beats exploring each shape with your tot. 3 sharp edges for a triangle, a round smooth shape for a circle. And of course learning to fit the shapes in the correct hole is the final hands on practical after all that theory.

For more resources on learning shapes

• Home school activities on shapes
• Learn shapes with Sesame Street friends
• Learn shape with Fisher Price
• iPhone apps that teaches shapes-Toddler Teaser App

What are some activities you do with your kids to teach them about shapes?

Tagged: activities, learning