I made these shape cards this week and I knew they would be fun, but I wasn’t sure how to use them at first. I had to get creative, but I was able to think of 5 different shape activities for preschoolers and toddlers. All of these activities help teach shapes, but they are also fun.
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Find It
Place one set of shapes face up on a table. Also have a bowl on the table. Call out a shape and have your toddler find that shape, then put it in the bowl. If your toddler gets it right, give them a high five. If you play this with preschoolers, you can set a timer and see how many shapes your preschooler can get in the bowl before the timer goes off.
Sorting
Place one set of shapes face up on a table. Have your toddler or preschooler sort the shapes according to different attributes. We first sorted by shapes with straight lines and shapes with curvy lines. You can also sort by long and short, or even by similar colors. Be creative. 🙂 This will help teach shapes because it will help your child identify the different attributes the shapes have.
Matching
Place both sets of shapes face up on the table. Have your toddler pick up a shape, then have him find the match for that shape. Once he has found a match, he can put the shapes in a bowl and he can get a high five. A great shape activity for preschool is to just play memory with the shape cards. If you want to do this, I suggest printing the cards on cardstock, or covering the back with colored construction paper before you laminate the cards. I planned to play memory with Little Bear, but I realized after the shape cards were already laminated that they were completely see-through. Ooops. 🙂
Shape Hunt
Here is a great shape activity that is perfect for toddlers and preschool. Have your child choose a shape card. Now go around the house and try to find objects that are that shape. Collect all the objects in one place so you can see them all.
Montessori 3 Part Cards
To use these shape cards like Montessori 3 part cards, you will need to cut the set of cards that have a line separating the word from the shape. Cut on the line. You will end up with a set of shape cards that have the shape and the word, a set of cards that just has the shape, and a set of cards that just have the word. Set the cards that have the shape and the word down on the table. Under that set, put all of the other cards. Have your preschooler match the shape onto the matching shape, then match that shape word onto the matching shape word.
Don’t forget to download the free shape cards! All five of these shape activities are sure to teach shapes to your toddler or preschooler. Both Smiley Man and Little Bear had fun playing with these and we were able to get a lot of learning in before they got bored of the cards. I can’t wait to think of more ways to use them!