Making 3D Shapes (PreK Math)

Shapes are an integral component of the early learning math curriculum. There are two types of shapes 2D (two dimensional; height and width) & 3D (three dimensional; height, width and depth). It is important to be first aquainted with 2D shapes before moving onto 3D ones. We are now building shapes and looking for shape patterns in things around our part of the world. We will move onto learning about how many sides does each shape have and making more 3d shape structures. Here is what we did today:

• Since, my preschooler only learns well with repetition or repeated practice. We started off by reviewing 2D shapes using flashcards. We are practicing the square, triangle, rectangle, circle, oval, diamond, star and heart.
• We then went on a "I Spy Shape Hunt", where I pulled out a shape card and then we went looking/spotting for that particular shape around the house. I did that for all shapes.
• Then we returned to our learning center where I had previously set up the following materials: toothpicks, shape cards and playdough. I did a demontration by placing toothpicks around the shape and then making play dough balls to link the toothpicks together. 

© Everything Family Guide

© Everything Family Guide

© Everything Family Guide

© Everything Family Guide

© Everything Family Guide

Overall, it was a fun project and it can be done with other straight line shapes as well (no curvy lines like circles or ovals). I have also seen many variations of this game where they make a 3D standing triangle or use marshmallows/popsicle sticks. It all depends on what materials you have available and the learning needs of your child.

Have an awesome weekend! 

Annie

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.

© Everything Family Guide

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.

© Everything Family Guide

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

Connect The Dots

Connect the Dot activities are a great time filler. They can be used during quiet or transition time in the day. These activities teach the concept of alphabet, number, symbols, and shape identification and recognition. They also serve as a great writing practice tool.  For this activity, I drew a helpful teaching tool to accompany the activity. I wrote alphabets in a row with arrow keys to show where to go next. Then I pointed to the next alphabet to guide my son along as he connected the dots using a pencil. At first, I had let him try it himself but he was confused. Then I gave him the visual guide and he flew through the rest of the page. 

© Everything Family Guide

© Everything Family Guide

Lesson learned: Visual tools or cues go a long way in teaching the learner.

Any suggestions,

Annie

Reconstructing Shapes

We did an art project today, where we used pre-cut shapes to build another shape or scene. We discussed what to make first and I made a sample to guide my son in the right direction. It is always a good idea to talk or think about what you are going to draw.  This is called brainstorming and it goes a log way for the little guys to clarify their thoughts and understanding.

             © Everything Family Guide

The instructions are pretty simple:

1. To recreate a universe/robot theme, you will need arty items like glitter, liquid glue, markers, construction paper, and any other embellishments like stars and pom poms.
2. To prep for this project, we cut shapes like squares, rectangles and triangles, in advance.
3. My son picked out the background color and the color of the shapes.
4. He reconstructed the shapes on the construction paper before gluing them on.
5. After gluing the objects on the paper, he added other details such as embellishments, marker designs, and glittery stars.

And Voila! We had fun doing this project! From a learning point of view, we delved into the math concept of Shapes. We learned to identify the name and appearance of a shape. From a hands-on perspective, we cut the shapes and assembled them together to make another shape.

Keep on learning,

Annie