In preschool, children can learn to identify and name circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, and ovals. By using materials such as posters, blocks, books, and games, teachers expose children to various shapes and help them analyze two- and three-dimensional shapes in various sizes and orientations.
The following strategies and activities can help preschoolers learn to recognize and compare shapes.
- Identify shapes. Introduce children to different kinds of triangles, such as equilateral, isosceles, scalene, and right. After finding them in the classroom or outdoors, children can outline the triangles with colored tape. For example, they might make right triangles red and scalene triangles blue.
- Introduce math words. Create a math word wall or incorporate mathematical words into the existing word wall—color-code the math words to make it easier for children to notice them. Be sure to write math words in English and in children’s home languages. Teachers can use real objects, photos, and black line drawings to define the words.
- Compare shapes. Ask children to identify different sizes of the same shape. For example, in the classroom they could search for rectangles, such as windows, doors, books, shelves, cabinets, computer screens, tabletops, and cubbies. Next, help children think as they compare the sizes of rectangles. The door is bigger than the cubbies. The cubbies are bigger than the book, but they are all rectangles. Encourage children to do the same with triangles, circles, and other shapes.
- What’s the difference? Explain the differences between two-dimensional (flat) shapes and three-dimensional (solid) shapes. How are the book and piece of construction paper the same? How are they different?
- Create a shape-scape. Teachers and families can collect three-dimensional objects such as cans, cartons, boxes, and balls to create a shape-scape. Children can use cylinders (paper towel rolls) as tree trunks, spheres (balls) as treetops, and rectangles (cereal boxes) as buildings. Teachers and children can work together to label the shape-scape, count the number of shapes used, and plan additions to the structure.
- Go from 3-D to 2-D. Preschoolers can dip three-dimensional objects in paints and press them on paper to make prints. Cans, spools, candles, and drinking glasses work well. The children will see the flat shapes that make up the sides of the objects.
- Discover shapes outdoors. Look for manhole covers, flags, windows, signs, and other distinct shapes. Working together, children and teachers can take photos of the shapes, label them in the photos, and assemble the photos into a class book.
- Play a shape guessing game. Have preschoolers play in pairs. Explain that one child will hide the shape behind her back and the other will ask questions about the shape. Does the shape have three sides? Does the shape have four angles?
Check out how our Pre-K One students made shapes of their own. They learned what shape it was, how many sides it has, and also worked on colors along with the shapes.
