Forming Geometric Shapes with Popsicle Sticks

Since we had our Popsicle sticks out for the Math Color Sorting and Graphing Activity, we decided to make shapes with Popsicle sticks. This is a tactile activity that goes a long way to teach the concept of Shapes.

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For us, this was an introductory activity to learn about "Shapes". We will progress by talking about corners and how many corners does each shape have.  

For the following activity, you will need Colored Popsicle sticks, and a diagram of practice shapes. Here is what we did:

1. I did a demonstration by making a square shape using the Popsicle sticks. We discussed how to do this by placing Popsicle sticks in a similar pattern.

2. Then I let my preschooler experiment. Notice how he is still in the learning process, as he has not joined all of the Popsicle sticks together to form the shape.  At the moment, we are exploring "Shapes" so I let him have the free rein. For the next lesson, which will be the same activity again, I will talk about connecting the Popsicle sticks together and possibly talk about how many corners does each shape have. It is always nice and easy to start off with basic shapes like square, rectangle, or triangle and then move on to other harder shapes. You can use a shape manipulative if you have it or you can always draw it nice and big on a piece of paper.

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3. Activity Extension: you may also incorporate another hands-on activities to teach the concept of Shapes such as "Shapes I SPY" or Form Shapes with your hands or body.

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Early Math practice is crucial in strengthening your child's future math learning.

Annie