Are you looking for a fun way to help kids learn about shapes? After doing a contact paper shape sort and shape hunt a few weeks ago, the kids and I were excited to try this new hands-on shape game for kids. It’s easy to prep and can quickly be tweaked to work with younger or older kids.
For more shape fun, check out our Pattern Block Mats in our shop!
Getting Ready
I grabbed a piece of paper and used a black marker to divide it into four equal parts. Since I was making the sorting board for my three year old, I labeled the sections circle, triangle, square and rectangle. I wanted him to practice the basic shapes first.
When I repeated the activity with my 4.5 year old later, I changed the labels to rhombus {some people call it a diamond}, oval, trapezoid and rectangle. You could use 3-dimensional shapes, different types of triangles {equilateral, isosceles and right}, circles versus ovals… The possibilities are really endless.
The Activity
After talking about the names of each shape and describing what made each one different, I grabbed a stack of old magazines, a pair of preschool scissors and a glue stick. My son and I looked at one page at a time, hunting for our four shapes.
At first, I did most of the heavy lifting. “Look!!” I said. “That dinner plate is round just like our circle. Let’s cut it out and glue it in the circle section.” I showed him how to cut around the outer edge to keep it round.
After snipping several shapes, however, my son started noticing objects on his own. He even took on the task of cutting a few out.
We continued talking about the unique characteristics of each shape and repeating the words circle, square, triangle and rectangle often to reinforce their names.
The cut and paste shape game for kids was a big hit!!
More Fun with Shapes
For even more fun, hop over and grab our Pattern Block Mats in our shop!
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