This foam shape sorting activity is a simple busy bag that helps your toddler practice their shapes. You can grab a big bag of foam shapes at most dollar stores.
This post has a great foam shape sorting activity that will help your toddler practice their shapes. You can find a big bag of foam shapes at many dollar stores. It’s best to find one that has a pretty fair assortment of thin, thick, big and small shapes. They aren’t always as assorted as one might like. They often have too few thick pieces and too many thin pieces. But just choose the best option available to you.
You can support Teach My Toddlers by using the affiliate links from Amazon in our articles to shop. We receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) which allows us to create helpful free content. Thank you, we appreciate it!
These shapes will make the perfect busy bag!
Make the Busy Bag
Start by going through the bag and finding several basic shapes in as many colors and sizes and you can find. Some of the shapes might need trimming before you add them to the busy bag, but most won’t need that. Put about 8 of each shape and include circles, squares, diamonds, rectangles and triangles. Put all the shapes into the bag and it is read to play with!
Playing with your Toddler
To use the busy bag, show your toddler how to put all of the different shapes into different piles. For some toddlers, it might be easier to do just one shape at a time (find all of the circles and put them into a pile, then find all of the diamonds and put them into a pile, etc.).
Make learning shapes simple
If you’re looking for playful, hands-on shape activities, the our downloadable Shape Activity Pack is just the thing! Just print off an activity whenever you want something fun for your toddler that is also educational.
This is a great activity for keeping your toddler busy while you take care of other things. However, if they just want to play with the shapes, that’s good, too.
Looking for more shape activities? You will find them all on our how to teach shapes page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age do toddlers learn shapes?
Most kids start recognizing shapes around age 2 and know several by age 3. Shapes usually come a little after colors, so there is no rush.
How do I help my toddler tell a square from a rectangle?
Count the sides and corners together. A square has four sides that are all the same length, while a rectangle has two long sides and two short ones.
What shapes should I teach first?
Start with circle, square, triangle, and rectangle. Once those feel easy, add the trickier ones like oval, heart, star, and diamond.