Can you draw a circle, circle, circle?
Can you draw a circle nice and round?
I can draw a circle, circle, circle.
I can draw a circle nice and round.

Square… 4 equal sides.
Triangle…3 sides that slant.
Rectangle…2 long and 2 short sides.

Activities:  Let children draw shapes in the air with elbows, feet, noses, and other body parts.

Divide children into groups of 4 and challenge them to lay on the floor and make various shapes with their bodies.

Shape-a-Loo  (“Totally Math” CD)

(Give children paper shapes to hold up as you sing.)

Here we go shape-a-loo  (Roll hands and put up right hand.)
Here we go shape-a-lay. (Roll hands and put up left hand.)
Here we go shape a loo,  (Roll hands and put up right hand.)
All on a happy school day.  (Roll hands and put up left hand.)

You put your triangle in.  (Children hold up triangle and put it in front.)
You take your triangle out.  (Children put triangle behind them.)
Give your triangle a shake, shake, shake  (Shake triangle.)
And turn it all about.  (Circle it in front of them.)

Circle….square…rectangle…diamond…oval

Shape Art - Cut geometric shapes out of construction paper and let children use them to make a collage.

Cut sponges into geometric shapes and have children dip them in paint and stamp on paper.

Cut poster board into geometric shapes.  Hole punch around the edges.  Children can take shoe laces and sew around the shapes.

Draw and Eat -  Give children a paper plate, a piece of paper, and a pencil.  Have them draw a circle to represent the paper plate on their paper.  Put a triangular nacho chip on the plate.  Ask them to draw what it looks like on their paper.  Next, give them a square graham cracker and ask them to draw it.  Place a round cookie and a rectangular cracker on the plate for them to draw.  Finally, they get to eat their shape snack.

3 Dimensional Shapes - How about eating three dimensional shapes?  Write “spheres” on one lunch sack and put cheese balls inside.  Write “cubes” on another sack and put caramels inside.  Put marshmallows in a sack labeled “cylinders.”  Put Bugles in a sack labeled “cones.”   Have children identify different three dimensional shapes, and then guess what they could be eating for each one.

Shape-O

Skills:         shape recognition; visual matching; spatial skills

Materials:   felt squares, poster board cut in 8” x 10” rectangles, construction paper, glue, scissors

Directions:    *Cut shapes out of felt using the patterns on the attached page. (Click here to download.)  Cut similar shapes out of construction paper.  Glue the construction paper shapes to the poster board to make objects similar to those shown on the next page.  Children look at the objects and then try to reproduce them with their shapes.  Encourage children to create their own objects from the shapes.

Adaptations:  Mix up the felt pieces, and then ask children to sort them.  Can they seriate them by size?

Hint!    You can make a simple flannel board by stapling the sides of a file folder.  Glue a piece of felt to the front.  Store felt pieces inside.