Letting kids touch shapes employs their senses and aids learning.
Even kindergartners know that geometric shapes such as circles, triangles and squares are all around us. Now try expanding their understanding of geometry by showing them shapes such as the hexagon, octagon and pentagon and explaining where they might find these shapes as they go about their day. Doing so will bring math and shapes to life with hands-on activities are bound to remember.
Pretend to Set Tile
Kindergartners have likely seen tile on a bathroom floor or on a wall in the kitchen, but they might not have ever seen anyone lay tile before. Explain the basic concept to students: how a person applies glue to the floor and then puts the tiles in position. Allow students to pretend that they are tiling the top of their desk with plastic cutout shapes or shapes cut from card stock. Show students that a tile installer most likely sets the pieces together in the same direction, but that they can also create a pattern, such as two rectangular pieces going long ways, then two going up and down, then two going long ways.
Shape Hunt
Go hunting around the classroom and school looking for geometric shapes in everyday items. For example, point out that the window is a large square but has four smaller squares inside of it. Or look at the basketball court; it is a large rectangle, divided into squares with some circles and smaller rectangles inside for the "key" of the court. Walk in near the front of the school to look at street signs; ask students if they see any rectangular, triangular or octagonal shaped signs.
Make Shapes with Shapes
Pass out plastic shape pieces and allow students to make new shapes from the shape pieces. For example, students can make the shape of a house by stacking a triangular piece on top of a square piece. Students can also make something that looks like an ice cream cone by placing a triangle pointy side down, with a large circle sitting on the top flat part. Allow students to experiment as to what other shapes or pictures they can create with the shapes.
Body Shapes
Help kindergartners work off some energy by letting them form shapes with their hands, arms and bodies. For example, students can make a small circle with their hands, a medium circle with their arms or a giant circle by lying down on the ground in a circular shape with the help of other classmates. See how large or small of a circle they can make. Quiz students on their knowledge of shapes by asking how many students it would take to make a pentagon, octagon and hexagon.
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