This Kindergarten shape build activity is a must.
Have a big kid at home? Me too! This Kindergarten shape build is a great activity to explore shapes and have some fun!
RELATED: Have children at home and unsure where to start? Our Startup Guide was written to help you!
How do you explain shapes in Kindergarten?
The best way to explain shapes to your kindergartener is by:
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touching the shapes
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identifying the names of shapes
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finding the shape activitiesaround them
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connecting objects to the shapes that they are designed from
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recognizing sides and vertices in shapes
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touching the faces of 3D shapes
You can find so many shapes examples in your home for your child to begin exploring! Just take a walk around and you will be surprised how many turn up.
RELATED: Looking for activities for 5-7-year-olds? I made this list of Kindergarten activities that you will love! We even have then written on BIG KID activity cards so you have ideas in a flash.
This shape activity includes 2D and 3D shapes.
I wanted my six-year-old to have both in front of him so he could begin making comparisons.
I also wanted to allow this activity to be child-led as I watched him pick from the shapes in front of him.
RELATED: Want an entire collection of kid activities for the home? We have that!
How do you teach 3D shapes in Kindergarten?
The best way to teach 3D shapes in Kindergarten is to build them.
When children begin to build 3D shapes, they can better understand how the different faces and corners come together to make a complete solid figure.
We want Kindergarteners to name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size correctly. We also want Kindergarteners to analyze and compare two- and three-dimensional shapes.
Children are to recognize the number of sides and vertices/corners. When my six-year-old finished building his shape, he counted the sides and vertices and marked them on a sticky note.
Here, we are asking our child to model shapes in the world by building shapes from popsicle sticks and playdough.
RELATED: Working with playdough is a fantastic way to improve pencil grip. Read about the ages and stages of pencil grip here.
Setting up this shape activity took a few minutes.
I checked the cabinet for some fresh playdough (good news, I found some!) and then gathered our jumbo craft sticks from the art cart.
Some craft sticks had stickers from previous activities, and that is okay. If you have some already in your stash, use them!
If you are looking for a playdough recipe, I love this one from A Crafty Living.
Simple supplies:
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It was up to my six-year-old which shapes to build and how to put them together.
And he did great!
I would also begin to build shapes with my preschooler this way to help begin exposure to 2D and 3D shapes.
Having great math toys at home helps build creative young minds!
Try this Kindergarten shape activity today!