Finding Shapes

This one is straight off Barney!

Finding shapes is a great way to increase shape recognition. Start with a shape your child knows. If they do not know any shapes, start with a square or circle. Walk around the house and find things that are that shapes- for a circle, the pull on the cabinet, a plate, a the doorknob. For squares, a book, a tile on the floor, a window. Make sure you are not labeling rectangles as squares. And don't start with rectangles, they are too confusing for most children- stick to squares. Make sure if you use a sphere for circles (like a ball) you talk about it being "like" a circle- because it really isn't a circle.

Extend this activity to outside and find shapes all around you. You can also take about the "attributes" of the shapes: squares have four sides that are the same size and four corners; circles do not have any sides or any corners.

These real life math skills will help your child grasp what the different shapes are rather than looking at them on a piece of paper. This activity will also help them remember shapes better than a worksheet.