Preschooler Week 56

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Fun Ways To Learn About Shapes

One of the milestones that four year olds kids reach is identifying and selecting  basic shapes from a group.  Draw some basic shapes on a piece a paper and cut them out.  Start by using three shapes: A circle, a square and a triangle.  Place them in a row in front of your child.  Ask her to pick up the shape that you call out and put it behind her back.  Don’t forget to praise her when she makes a correct choice.  Continue until all the shapes are gone.  For the next round of the game, ask her to point only to the shape so that all the shapes remain on the table for the duration of the game.  See if she continues to make correct choices.  Add another element to the game by showing her an item shaped like a circle and see if she can match the object to the shape and identify it.  As you see your child’s confidence grow introduce more shapes such as a rectangle, oval, star, crescent, diamond and octagon.  Playful activities turn learning into fun for four-year olds.

When my children were younger we played the shape game when we were out and about. Shapes are all around us if we look for them.  My children enjoyed playing this game during downtimes in our day.  I recall a day when we were caught in a huge traffic jam and spent an unexpected time in the car. (It’s good to have a repertoire of activities tucked away in your “bag of tricks” for unplanned moments.)  We looked for shapes around us.  I began the game by saying, “Who can find me a circle?”  Soon one of my children was shouting, “I see lots of circles!  See the wheels on all the cars!”  My daughter said, “If the moon was out that would be a circle.”  My other daughter said, “The steering wheel is a circle and so is the button on the radio.”  The game helped pass the time quickly as we waited patiently to move along on our journey. The children not only developed vocabulary and communicated with each other, but they were also able to share their ideas and praise each other.  I have to admit that I enjoyed the game too!

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