Need a shape matching activity for toddlers that includes movement?
Me too! My three-year-old is always on the go, and this toddler shape matching activity is a great way to combine shapes and movement to learn through play!
RELATED: Like learning through play as much as we do? You have to check out these kid activities at home!
Begin to teach your toddler shapes by:
- Having toys of different shapes – find our favorite toy list here
- Point out shapes in the environment – street signs, doors, traffic lights, etc
- Create shape activities
- Practice drawing shapes
- Play shape matching games
- Create shapes with train tracks
- Design pumpkin-shaped faces
Having your toddler surrounded by different shape activities will help him become familiar with shape names and what each shape looks like.
Playing is how toddlers learn, so this will be a huge hit for shape recognition.
My toddler likes to move, so this shape activity also included gross motor skills.
My toddler bent down to pick up each shape airplane and then flew it to land in the correct shape parking lot.
PRO TIP: begin to call what we know as a diamond a rhombus. This vocabulary will help build prior knowledge as your child grows older and enters grade school.
RELATED: Have a toddler? These 40+ activities for two-year-olds will keep them busy!
This toddler shape activity is easy to make and a blast to play with!
Sometimes we set it up for our morning Breakfast Invitation, and other times it works great post-nap.
Make this shape activity ahead of time and pull it out when you need it most!
Here’s what you will need:
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2D shape airplane
Here are simple directions on how to make this shape activity for your toddler.
Draw a shape on either side of your craft stick.
Attach the clothespin to the center of the craft stick.
Draw corresponding shapes on your paper. Here, I used kraft paper and also used the white easel paper shown above.
Allow your toddler to fly in their shapes!
Share with your toddler the different shapes they are landing.
We had so much fun with this game as I called out a shape, and my two-year-old flew it around the kitchen table before landing into its correct shape parking spot.
One of the best things about this gross motor shape matching game is that your preschooler is moving!
Both my two-year-old and four-year-old loved flying their shape planes around the house.
Once your toddler grasps 2D shapes, you can begin to add 3D shapes to your sensory play!
RELATED: Looking for toddler toys? You will love this list with open-ended, timeless ways to play.
Your website has so many great ideas, but I especially like this one! I plan on creating it with my granddaughter, but may include letters and shapes, since she’s still working on recognizing those. Please keep sharing your ideas! Thanks! ~Barbara @ peaceofmyday.com
Thanks for the great idea! I did a variant of this today with my almost 2.5 year old. I cut four different shapes out from four different colored pieces of construction paper as the “airports” then I drew each shape on two airplanes but made sure to draw the shapes in two colors that were different than their corresponding airports. This way we flew the airplanes either to their shape airport or to their color airport. We played with this for over an hour but I did have to play too the whole time:)