My First Shapes
Through bright colors and fun shapes, students will learn how to spell and recognize a circle, square, triangle, rectangle, half circle, rhombus, kite, and trapezoid. The following activities cover PreK through Kindergarten concepts.
Have your students start with the Pre-Test below to check what they know before they jump! Then, spend some time jumping on the mat, using the activities below to guide you!
PRE-TEST
Before hopping on the mat:
Ask your child how many of the shape names they know. (Mark it off and try to remember for the final survey!)
NOW, LET'S TRY SOME ACTIVITIES!
Have students start on “start here.” Have them jump on each shape and shout the shape as they jump. Make sure they are on the shape they are shouting out. If they move too quickly, take their hand and slowly walk with them saying the shape name as you walk towards the end of the mat.
Divide the students into two teams. They will rotate turns having one student draw a shape on the board and another find it on the mat and say its name. The team that gets to the shape their teammate is drawing first wins a point. Play until everyone has had a chance to have a couple turns.
Have all of your students stand on their favorite shapes. Which shape has the most students on it? The least? Do any shapes have equal numbers of kids standing on it? Make a simple bar graph on the board to demonstrate their answers.
Describe a shape’s position on the mat and have students figure out which shape you are describing. For example, “This shape is below the kite and above the half circle.”
Cover up the words on the mat. Have students jump the mat naming the shapes. Then, cover the shapes and have students draw or match shape cards to the names.
Have your students crawl along the mat while tracing each shape with their fingers.
PRACTICE PROBLEMS
POST-TEST
After hopping on the mat:
Ask your child how many of these shapes they know now!
Please record your answers in the survey below.