What A Child Should Know:
- Think and talk about geometry in the world around them, using ideas about shape, spatial relations, and the way objects are positioned as they explore a variety of shapes.
- Use potential words to describe how one object is related to another.
- Identify, name, and describe a wide variety of 2-D shapes and 3-D solids.
- Sort shapes into groups and tell how the shapes are alike and different.
- Use basic shapes and spatial reasoning to build things and do puzzles.
- Combine what they are learning about geometry, pattern, and number to solve problems.
Geometry Activities:
![]() 1. Hunt for Shapes!
We live in a world of shapes. That window in the living room is also a square, that steaming bowl of chili is a circle, and the bed your son regularly refuses to sleep in at night is a rectangle. Learning to identify and categorize different geometric shapes is a big goal for early learners. And your neighborhood is the perfect place to start! What You Need:
![]() 3. My Shape Book!
At the beginning of the year, kindergarteners spend lots of time on shape recognition. more often than not, kids are introduced to shapes in preschool, but in kindergarten, they’ll start learning more about the way our world is made up of all those shapes. Here's a great way for your child to get ready for the new challenges in a kindergarten classroom. Back in preschool there were lots of books to teach kids about shapes. Now’s a fun time to switch the roles. Help your child make her own shape book. What You Need:
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![]() 2. Make a 100 Shapes Mural
Celebrate the 100th day of school by creating a math-inspired mural! Count shapes all the way up to 100 for each day of school that has gone by this year. Introduce your child to the work of French artist Henri Matisse to help him find inspiration for his mural. Creating a mural is a great way to celebrate this special school milestone while also learning about important art and math concepts. Your child will explore geometry, patterns, scale, and symmetry and use creative thinking and problem solving as he immerses himself in the wonderful world of art and mural making. As he cuts out his shapes, he'll practice counting, shape recognition, and develop those fine motor skills, too! What You Need:
![]() 4. Make a Geoboard!
When it comes to learning, sometimes it's the simplest things that can be the most effective. You and your child can make your very own geoboard with a few simple supplies from your local hardware store. This is a fun and inexpensive project and it's a great way for your child to build basic geometry skills, like shape recognition and pattern and angle familiarity. Plus it's loads of fun!What You Need:
![]() 5. Make a Fall Tree Collage
A simple shape collage can be a great way to explore math concepts and learn about the artistic process. Take this opportunity to teach him some new vocabulary words such as geometric shape, primary color, texture, or collage for an added lesson.Use rectangles, squares, and triangles to collage a tree trunk and branches. Next, attach tissue paper in fall colors full of seasonal inspiration. This activity will not only aid in math skill development, but will also encourage your child to investigate nature, the fall season, and gain knowledge about his environment. What You Need:
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Geometry Books:
1. This book is called, "Shape by Shape", written by Susan MacDonald. This cute book of shapes would be more effective if the cover didn't give away the punchline. The reader is asked "Do you know who I am?, followed by different shaped cut-outs that slowly, spread by spread, reveal parts of the 'mystery beast.'
Level: Preschool- 1st Grade 2. This book is called, "When a Line Bends a Shapes Begins" by Rhoda Gowler Greene. In When a Line Bends A Shape Begins, bouncy verses describe and show 10 shapes that can be created by the simple bending of a line. Each vibrant spread is devoted to a different shape and is packed with examples. Shapes include squares, ovals, rectangles, triangles, diamonds, circles, stars, crescents, hearts, and octagons. Level: Preschool-2nd Grade 3. This book is called, "So Many Circles, So Many Squares". Another Tana Hoban book that provides exactly what teachers need--pictures showing different shapes in everyday objects like teapots, fabrics, appliances, etc. This is perfect to read before a 'shape hunt'. School Library Journal called it "one of Hoban's best books on shapes yet." Level: Preschool- 1st Grade 4. This book is called, "Not a Box", written by Antoinette Portis. Not a Box tells the story of a rabbit who is asked what he's doing in or to a large box, and repeatedly responds that it's not a box, it's a spaceship, a race car, a mountain... This fun, clever book is a great anytime read, but would also be fun to read to children learning shapes.The premise is so simple and the illustrations so unadorned, you'll be shaking your head that it took this long for someone to come up with these creative books! Level: Preschool-1st Grade 5. This book is called, "Captain Invincible and the Space Shapes", written by Stuart Murphy. In this MathStart book, a boy ("Captain Invincible") and his dog travel the universe, encountering all sorts of dangers like asteroids, gases, and alien beings. Luckily, their knowledge of 3D shapes (cones, cubes, spheres, pyramids...) helps them select the right tools to tackle each new danger. Level: Kindergarten- 3rd Grade |