Go on a Shape Hunt Adventure
A great way to teach your child about shapes is to go a shape hunt around your house, neighborhood, or town. If you look closely, you and your child will be amazed at how many shapes you find!
Before You Play
Before going on your shape hunt, help familiarize your child with the shapes you'll be looking for. Talk about the characteristics of each shape. You can look at pictures online or a book like Shapes, Shapes, Shapes by Tana Hoban. Some shapes you may want to discuss are: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, pentagon, and hexagon. Ask your child to describe the shapes. How many sides does each one have? Count them together.
Materials
Directions
The Cat in the Hat is going on a shape hunt adventure in his Thinga-ma-jigger. Let your child know that you are going on a shape hunt adventure, too. If possible, bring a camera or a phone/tablet to take pictures of all the shapes you find together.
Begin by pointing out a few shapes for your child, like a clock that is a circle. You can also point out and look for the following 3-D shapes: cube (a square block or dice), rectangular prism (a book or box of tissues), cylinder (an oatmeal container or roll of paper towels), and sphere (a ball or orange).
The next time you spot a shape — for example, a rectangular brick in a brick wall — ask your child, “Can you find a rectangle in that wall?” This will help your child to begin seeing shapes.
If possible, take a picture of each shape you find, or write it down in a notebook.
After your shape hunt, help your child to make a shape book with pictures or drawings.
Use one sheet of paper for each shape. Write the name of the shape at the top of the sheet. Ask your child either to match the photograph to the shape name or to try drawing the shape on the page. Help them remember the characteristics of that shape with prompts like, “A triangle has three sides."
Use construction paper to make a book cover, and ask your child to use a title, like "My Shape Book.” She can use a crayon or marker to decorate the cover of the book with different shapes!
Literacy
Math