SHAPES




Shape Art

Give each child a large triangle shape. Now give them lots of smaller triangles and let them glue them onto the large triangle. Adapt this activity to different shapes.




Block City

Read Block City to the children. As a follow-up activity, give each child a sheet of construction paper and several different colored paper rectangles. Let the children glue the rectangles onto the construction paper to form a cityscape. Using crayons they may add windows, doors, or turn the picture into a daytime or nighttime scene.




Friendly Shapes

Cut a circle, a square, a diamond, and a triangle out of felt and place them on a flannelboard as you recite the poem below.


Little Cindy Circle rolls along the ground.

She has no corners--she just spins around!


Sammy Square is his name.

He has four sides, all the same...1,2,3,4!


Danny Diamond is shaped like a kite.

He has four points--I know that's right...1,2,3,4!


Tracy Triangle with corners three.

Count the corners now with me...1,2,3!




Shape Collage

Draw large shapes on construction paper. Have the children fill in the shapes using pictures cut from magazines. Fill a circle with circular shapes, etc.




Shape Sort

Make a set of four cards (5- by 8-inches). On each card draw or paste a shape. Collect objects that conform to each shape, such as circular toy dishes, bottle cape, square blocks, rectangular dominoes, books and triangular hangers (plastic) and musical instruments. Ask the children to sort through the various objects and place them on the card with the appropriate shape.




Sort the Shapes

Place wooden blocks on the floor and ask the children to help you sort them. Think of as many ways to sort them as possible--by color, shape, and size.




Triangles and Rectangles

Cut out two 4-inch rectangles for each child--one white, one colored. Cut the colored rectangle into four rectangles of equal size. Give each child a white rectangle and four triangles. Ask them to fit the triangles into the rectangle and paste.




Shape Book

Give each child a piece of paper with the name of a shape written on the bottom. Now give the child several shapes and let them glue the right one onto the right paper. When done and all the shapes are glued on the right pages, give them another paper but on it write "My Shape Book". They can decorate this cover if they want. Now staple all the pages and cover together. Kids can take this home and read their Shape Book to their parents.

Variation: Substitute "colors" for "shapes" to make "My Color Book".




Shape Detective

Take a plain sheet of paper. Down the left hand margin, draw a circle, square, triangle, and rectangle. Now it's time to be a shape detective and go on a shape hunt. Walk slowly through your classroom, school, or house. Each time you find something that matches one of the shapes, make a check mark next to that shape. When you have finished your shape hunt, count all of the shapes you found. Which shape did you find the most times? Which did you find the least? How many shapes did you find all together? This is an excellent visual discrimination activity in which children pick out shapes hidden in common objects. Beginning detectives may want to focus on only one shape at a time.




Shapes

Sung to : "Frere Jacques"


This is a square.

This is a square.

How can you tell?

How can you tell?

It has four sides all the same size.

It's a square, it's a square.


This is a rectangle.

This is a rectangle.

How can you tell?

How can you tell?

It has two long sides and two short sides.

It's a rectangle.

It's a rectangle.


This is a circle.

This is a circle.

How can you tell?

How can you tell?

It goes round and round.

No end can be found.

It's a circle, it's a circle.


This is a triangle.

This is a triangle.

How can you tell?

How can you tell?

It has three sides that join to make three points.

It's a triangle, it's a triangle.




Shape Hunt

Divide the class into groups, assigning each a different shape. Have them go on a shape hunt to search for classroom items that have their assigned shape. Later, let each group display the items they found.




Shape Concentration

Play a variation of Concentration by preparing eight or more index cards, each bearing a circle, square, rectangle, or triangle (each card should have a match). Lay the cards face down. Players take turns turning two cards over in an attempt to make a match. A player keeps the cards if they are the same shape and the player can correctly name it.


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Visitors since July 4, 1998