Triangles, circles, diamonds, OH MY!
What better way to teach preschoolers about shapes then by letting young
children build them?! Sure, you could read some fun books and point them out
in your homeschool or classroom, but enjoy this play-based shape exploration
activity using play- dough! It's a great way to learn & play
today!
Grab the playdough and start building shapes! Kids of all ages will
love the opportunity to roll, mold, and build shapes, but especially your
preschool, Kindergarten, and 1st graders will LOVE this hands-on geometry
activity!
I love making learning fun in our homeschool...I try anyways! In an effort to do that, I find myself online a lot
looking for inspiration. My search led me to TeachersPayTeachers, where
I found some cute printable shapes cards.
And I decided right then we had to use them!
You just need a few materials and you are ready to explore geometry with the
little ones by building shapes with playdoh; and you will see that this
activity is easily adaptable for older kiddos learning 3D shapes.
And if you homeschool with toddlers underfoot you can just let them explore
with playdough or add in some pipe-cleaners or straws.
post may contain affiliate links.
What is Geometry?
Geometry is all about shapes and their properties
For my non-math mind, the term "geometry" sounds really
scary.
You say "Geometry", I say "Huh?!"
But really, geometry is just a fancy word for
learning about shapes-- 2D "flat" shapes, angles, symmetry, and 3D
objects, where you can visibly see ALL around the shape, are just some of
the concepts that encompass the term, geometry!
Teaching Shapes to Preschoolers
Learn about shapes through hands-on, playful learning activities like building them!
What better way to get little kids learning about geometry than by building shapes
with a fun, hands-on manipulative like play doh?!
Supplies:
- craft sticks
-
play dough
- shape cards (grab this FREE resource HERE)
- laminator*
Who knew teaching shapes to preschoolers could be so fun?!
And wouldn't you know it, my oldest (who's too cool for playdoh) wanted a
chance to build, too!
Using playdough for this activity is great for fine motor skills, too!
There is a lot of pinching, rolling, and squishing involved, requiring use of
pincer grasp, thumbs, palms, etc!
BUILDING SHAPES WITH PLAY-DOH
Head over to Teachers Pay Teachers to print the shape cards.
Run them through your trusty laminating machine. You could forgo this
step, but sticky playdoh + little hands = printable that won't last
long!
Grab a tub or two of play dough and a stash of craft sticks {ours came from
CraftProjectIdeas}.
Start with one of the shape cards and manipulate the playdough to make
several balls.
Next add in the craft sticks and continue until your shape is made!
I worked on some basic shapes with Little Sis-- the triangle, square, and rhombus.
This was also a great opportunity to expand my preschooler's vocabulary, as we typically call a rhombus a diamond.
SIMPLE CONVERSTATION EXTENSION IDEAS
As you construct the shapes talk about the different characteristics of each shape, its sides, and corners.
What makes a triangle a triangle?
How is a triangle different than a rhombus?
On the other side of the table, Big Brother went to work building a hexagon and then kept building off of it. He ended up creating quite a creation of his own!
Below is his completed play dough and craft stick sculpture! With the
toothpicks on top, it reminds me of a castle or fortified city.
Pretty cool!
I just love how presenting my kids with just a few materials sparked an
afternoon of learning through play! After all, my motto is
LEARN & PLAY TODAY!
It proved to be a great activity to work on math skills, but also allowed for
lots of exploration!
A winner for all ages! You could easily eliminate the shape cards and just allow for free play. Let your little engineers in the making build to their hearts content and see if they figure out how to make a shape all by themselves.
This hands-on shapes activity is a great way to add a little STEM to your day.
If you gave your child three balls of playdough and 3 craft sticks, what shape could they build?!
See! Teaching geometry, which is a fancy word for learning about shapes, doesn't have to be scary!!
..... Now, trigonometry is a whole other issue. Let's simply not go there : )
A winner for all ages! You could easily eliminate the shape cards and just allow for free play. Let your little engineers in the making build to their hearts content and see if they figure out how to make a shape all by themselves.
This hands-on shapes activity is a great way to add a little STEM to your day.
If you gave your child three balls of playdough and 3 craft sticks, what shape could they build?!
See! Teaching geometry, which is a fancy word for learning about shapes, doesn't have to be scary!!
..... Now, trigonometry is a whole other issue. Let's simply not go there : )
More Ways to Teach Shapes to Preschoolers:
This activity was originally posted as part of our Fine Motor Fridays Series.
More fine motor activities from our friends:
Learn about our book!
-
Personalized Photo Finger Puppets
from Still Playing School
-
Outer Space Box Fort
from Lalymom
-
Environmental Print Puzzles
from Little Bins for Little Hands
How fun! I like the sculpture, it reminds me of a castle with little flags on top!
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