As the world is on pause, many of us are looking for engaging activities that we can do at home, with a limited amount of resources. But we want it to be fun and engaging right?! Of course! Here are just a few activities that we’re doing at home to extend our learning about colors and shapes.
The best part is they can be adapted for any age between Preschool – 2.
Shape Scavenger Hunt
Searching for shapes! Once your learner is familiar with the properties of different shapes, send them on a scavenger hunt to find you a particular shape. Don’t forget to give the appropriate prompts like “circles are round like a ball!” “a book is shaped like a rectangle.”
For instance, send them to find you something that is a circle, (or if you’ve started with 3D shapes a sphere) and they may bring you ball or even an apple! You’ll be surprised at how creative little learners can get.
Grades 1 – 2: Include both 2D and 3D shapes and make it a timed activity!
Describe the Shape
Learning shapes helps your learner organize and visualize important information. So its beneficial for them to start learning shapes as early as possible.
Teaching shapes doesn’t have to be difficult or really complex! They’re literally all around us. It can be as simple as giving your learner examples of real objects of a particular shape. For instance, you could say a simple phrase like “circles are round like a ball.”
Extend this by asking your learner to help you find similarities and differences between shapes, or by finding more examples within your learning environment. Start by asking “What else is round like the ball?”
Younger learners may not have the vocabulary to correctly name something that is a similar shape. Help them by giving the proper vocabulary for naming objects, or by helping them find another object. Don’t forget to emphasis why they are the same or different.
Grades 1 – 2:
- Using the cards provided, describe both the 2D and 3D shapes by their attributes. e.g., color, size, number of faces, vertices.
- Describe similarities and differences between everyday objects and 3D figures. “The water bottle looks like a cylinder, except the bottle is thinner on top.”
*** Download 2D shape fact cards here!
Color Tour
Go on a color tour! Instruct your learner to choose a color card. Hunt around your learning environment or home for something with that color, and continue until you find all the different color cards. If your using the free color cards at the end of this post, then try extending the learning by asking your learner to find a shape as well. Can you find a shape with the same color too???
Colour Mix Ups
There are many different skills that can be developed through discussion about colours and shapes. For instance, you could further develop your young learner’s memory, expressive language skills, and symbolic thought with a ‘colour mix up’ activity.
Introduce the activity by selecting a colour, either through conversation or with the use of cards/objects, and talk about other objects that are the same colour.
Make a silly mistake by naming something that is obviously the wrong color. Tell your learner that the sky is green! Let them catch your mistake, and tell you the real color. If you’re using flashcards, have them show you the real color and verbally identify it.
Be silly, and have fun! This is a chance for your learner to be the ‘teacher’ and educate you by showing what they already know!
Grade 1 – 2:
- Sort all the shapes by colors, and then mix them up and sort them by shape!
- Find similar objects in the environment that are different colors
Hands-on and Fun Activities! Building Shapes
The best way to teach any concept to your learner, is provide them with lots (and I mean lots) of chances to engage with hands-on activities with the given concept. With hands-on activities your learner will use their senses and motor skills to learn about and engage with the concepts.
So make some playdough and build some structures! Use 2D and 3D shape cards to build structures with playdough and toothpicks.
These activities are low prep and don’t involve alot of materials… just imagination, dialogue, and engagement! The perfect recipe for laughing and learning.
But here are some printables that will help you extend at home learning of colors and shapes. And if you’re look for more free geometry and spatial sense activities, check out this post!
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