Preschool Education - Shapes

Teaching Preschool Children Shapes

Did you ever stop to think about how shapes shape our lives?  They are everywhere and make up everything.  Preschoolers begin to learn about shapes at a very early age yet they have no idea they are working with a circle, square or any other shape until we bring it to their attention.  Teaching preschoolers about shapes and how they play a part in our day to day lives is important. 

There are many ways to teach preschoolers their shapes.  Games, books and even toys are helpful when it comes to showing children the shapes of the world. 

There are numerous picture books available to teach children shapes.  They show the shape and then tell you in a large word what the shape is.  Children love to look at pictures and can learn quite quickly by word and picture association.  Go to the library and see if you can find some of these picture books to share with the children.  Better yet go to a used bookstore and buy a few to keep in your classroom.

Toys are available that help young children with learning their shapes.  There is a toy that includes a ball with areas cut out in different shapes.  This toy includes blocks that are made in those shapes.  By placing the correct shape in the correct hole you can fill the ball with all the different blocks.  Hold a shape up next to the correct cut out and tell the children what the shape is.  Have them repeat it back to you.  Then show them how it fits in the hole.  After several times of doing this the children will be able to tell you the shape and the correct hole to place it in.  There are also numerous block sets that include different shaped blocks.  These are helpful in showing children how shapes come together to build things. 

There are also games you can play to help children learn their shapes.  One game is a version of I See Something You Don’t See and the Shape Is________.  By picking out something in the classroom that is a circle and asking the kids to guess what it is can help the children learn their shapes and have fun at the same time.  You could also do a type of scavenger hunt where the children have to find certain things hidden in the classroom.  After they have found these items ask them to identify their shape.  Whoever finds the most items can win a prize and whoever identifies the most shapes could win a prize.

Teaching children their shapes is very important and can be a lot of fun also.  It may not seem as if shapes are all that important but when you look at life you will realize just how important they are and why the smallest of children need to learn and know that shapes are how we shape our world around us.