How to Teach a Child Shapes
Identifying circles, squares and triangles is second nature for you, but your young child needs practice learning the differences. The colors and shapes of objects are some of the earliest traits kids notice and use to categorize items, according to Scholastic. Early shape recognition sets the stage for understanding geometry and other math concepts when your child gets older. Your child's environment supplies a variety of shapes that provide natural learning opportunities. Helping your child tune in to those shape differences sets her on the path to learning.
Things You'll Need
- Shape posters
- Colorful paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Stampers
- Cookie cutters
- Stencils
- Paint
- Painter's tape
- Blocks
- Toys
Instructions
Post pictures of basic shapes, including circles, squares, rectangles, ovals, diamonds, triangles, stars and hearts, around your house. Point to the shapes and say the corresponding names frequently for practice. Give your child a chance to point to and name the shapes. Identify shapes you see in the environment. Say "Look at that drawer. It looks like a rectangle to me." Guide your child's finger around the edges of the shape to reinforce how it looks. Send your child on a shape hunt. Ask him to bring back objects in various shapes. When you're running errands, ask him to spot different shapes. For example, he might see a square box at the grocery store or a circular bike wheel at the park. Create shape-based art. Cut colorful paper into different shapes. Let your child glue the shapes onto a large piece of paper. Use stampers or cookie cutters in different shapes to press into paint and stamp onto paper. Stencils in the basic shapes also work for shape-art projects. Read shape books at story time. Try "A Circle Here, A Square There" by David Diehl, "Mouse Shapes" by Ellen Stoll Walsh, "Ship Shapes" by Stella Blackstone or "Shape by Shape" by Suse MacDonald. Name the shapes you see on the pages of the children's books. Incorporate shapes into play. Make a shape on the floor using painter's tape. Have your child walk, drive toy cars or place small toys along the lines of the shape. Build with blocks in different shapes, or use blocks to make buildings in a specific shape.