Your tot can name the colors of the rainbow, she knows her nose from her toes and she’s tackled her ABCs. But if your tot is struggling with learning her shapes, there are ways you can help. Sure, you could sit your little one down to a deck of boring flash cards with shapes, but consider playing these fun shape games first. Lauren Hunt, a teacher and creator of the blog Teacher Types, says, “The keys to engaging your own child in learning at home is fun and play! For young children especially, avoid structure and formal lessons. The child may not even realize they are learning while playing and enjoying themselves.” Learning through a game packs a playful punch when it comes to your child’s shape recognition skills.
Here are seven fun games you can play together to master shapes:
- Shape Up
Get up and get moving! Engage your children’s bodies along with their minds in this partner geometry game. Craft your own extra-large die out of a cube-shaped gift box and draw a simple shape on each side. Have your kids take turns rolling, and ask them to figure out ways to move and bend their bodies into the shapes, working together if necessary.
- Hop to It
The national early childhood organization Zero to Three suggests that children as young as 2 or 3 learn shapes with simple movement games. Make over-sized paper shapes, secure them to the floor with tape and call out a name (such as square or rectangle) for your child to hop on. Can she get from shape to shape without touching the floor?
- Set a Scene
Sure, your child can puzzle together a few random shapes to create a picture, but can she do it with something other than paper? Test those fine motor skills of hers by having your child make three dimensional shapes out of soft modeling clay. After she has a few shapes going, challenge your child to create a picture using them. For example, stack a pyramid atop a cube to make a house before adding a rectangular chimney. Let her explore the building process and create her own make-believe faces or buildings. Hunt says, “Open-ended, hands on, play-based experiences are more likely to engage and motivate your child; therefore, they are more likely to learn!”
- Sort the Shape
She’s got her toy shape sorter out, and she’s putting the cube into the square hole. Take this everyday playtime activity and turn it into something more challenging. Faith Collins, an early childhood educator and creator Joyful Toddlers, an online resource for parents and early childhood educators, says, “Toddlers long to be involved in parents’ household tasks, and when we can incorporate them into activities that they see us doing regularly, then they know that they are making a difference.” Play shape games as you put away the dishes or clean up the toys: sort circular plates by size or stack books from smallest rectangle to biggest. You’ll be done with your chores before you know it!
- Take an Artsy Adventure
Art is packed full of shapes, but you don’t need to go to the museum to see them. Print out a photo or copy of a famous piece of art, and ask your child to spy specific shapes in the masterpiece. Have her circle the shapes as she names each one. Try a variety of works, ranging from easy-to-spy cubist art to landscapes or portraits.
- Matching Magazine Shapes
Break out the shape stickers, or make your own by cutting mailing labels into circles, squares, triangles, diamonds and rectangles. Page through kid-friendly magazines and have your child stop and put a shape sticker on the pictures when she sees a matching shape. A smiling face gets a circle sticker and a photo of a book gets a square. Activities like this can help your little one see shapes everywhere she goes!
- Hunt for Shapes
Reuse cardboard from an old box and cut a few shapes out that are about the size of your hand. Bury them in a sandbox or sand table and have your child dig through to uncover the buried shapes. Set a timer to make the game more of a challenge. When she’s done, have her name the geometric forms that she’s discovered.
For more activities, check out these 7 easy-to-play toddler games.
Erica Loop is a mom, parenting writer and educator with an MS in child development. When she’s not teaching, she’s creating kids’ activities for her blog Mini Monets and Mommies.
