Activity CalendarS

Shapes

Information:

The activities on this page can be used when teaching any shape or shape review. Multiple meaningful exposures to shapes can and should be fun and engaging.

For more information, please refer to the Early Learning Standards Ages 3 to 5.

Books:

If you have the books on hand, please use them. If not, you will find the links attached for the following books:

Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Shapes Are Everywhere by Charles Ghigna
Big Box of Shapes by Wiley Blevins

Shapes for Lunch by Deborah Schecter
Tangled by Anne Miranda

Songs:

The Shapes Song

Games & Activites:

Use Cookie Cutter Shapes with Playdough (Math 3 & 4 yr. 4.4)
Create Shapes using rubber bands on geoboards (Math 3 & 4 yr. 4.4)
Have the children use their own bodies to make the shapes. You could talk about which shapes they can make themselves (circle) and which ones need more people. You could also make the shapes extra large by adding lots fo friends.
Go on a Shape Hunt - similar to Going on a Bear Hunt - find and locate shapes, identity the shapes by their characteristics (triangle has 3 points and 3 sides, a circle has none) (Math 3 & 4 yr. 4.1, Math 4 yr. 4.2)
Pattern Block Mats
I Have, Who Has Shape Game
Make vehicles out of shape blocks or stickers (Math 3 & 4 yr. 4.6)
Sort shape buttons onto construction paper with that shape and name written on it. (ELA 3 & 4 yr. 1.6)
Shape Bag Activities:

Put shape blocks (or attribute blocks) in a bag. As the child puts their hand see if they can identify the shape by touch prior to pulling it out of the bag. Ask them to justify their guess before removing the shape from the bag. After they have removed the shape, talk about the number of sides, number of corners, etc.
Put a variety of shapes in a bag. Ask your child(ren) to find a (shape) without looking. Ask them to justify their responses.
Give each child a shape -- shapes could be paper shapes pinned to the child or on a piece of yarn. Give instructions to perform an action related to the shape, such as circles stand up, triangles hop, rectangles crawl under the table.
Hide a shape in your hand, give clues (one at a time) and have the children guess/tell what the shape is/could be. (ex. the shape has straight sides, there are 4 sides, 2 sides are short while 2 sides are long).

Snacks:

Circle Day:
sliced bananas, grapes, scoop of ice cream, Ritz crackers, muffins, cookies, sandwich made on round bread, pineapple rings, gumballs, donuts, m&m's.
Triangle Day:
triangular chips, cheese slices cut into triangles, triangular crackers, ice cream cones, sandwich cut into triangles, pizza, pop tarts.
Square Day:
cheese cubes, crackers, rice krispie squares, sandwiches cut into squares, saltines, cheese slices, square cereal
Rectangle Day:
celery sticks, carrot sticks, rectangular crackers, granola bars, sandwich cut into strips, graham crackers

Websites

Shape Preschool Printables
Shape Packs:
Perfect for teaching or reviewing shapes
Sammy Snack Story:
Fun online book for children to review their shapes.

PBS Shapes Games:
Games that help kids learn shapes.
Roll and Race Shape Games:
These shape games were designed with 2nd grade in mind, but older or younger learners may also enjoy them.

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