May 16, 2013

How can I teach shapes to my toddler or preschooler? What is a fun preschool shape activity?

Smiley Man is getting into this stage where he really likes scissors. I’m in this stage where I like to ban scissors because of a few scissors cuts that have happened somewhat recently (cuts in the couch, haircuts, cuts in my favorite rice warmer). Yeah, let’s just say that not everything is perfect in my household. ;)

 

Anyway, I wanted to capitalize on Smiley Man’s interest in cutting, but I also wanted to provide a controlled environment for him to practice cutting. Luckily, this cutting practice goes perfectly with learning shapes. Not only will this activity help to teach shapes, but it will also give your toddler or preschooler some great cutting practice!

Start with a red piece of construction paper. You don’t have to use red, but we will be using these cut shapes as “pepperoni” to go on our shape “pizzas” that I’ll be posting about next week. Fold the paper into 8 long strips and cut them apart.

Each strip of paper will be used for a different shape. Draw lines on the rectangle to make a bunch of that shape. Okay, I know that sounds really confusing, but here is a picture of Smiley Man cutting my long strip that will be a bunch of squares.

Hopefully that makes more sense now. For the non-straight shapes (circle, heart, oval, star) you can just draw lines to make squares and then draw the shapes in the squares. Here is my long strip for circles.

Once you are done prepping the rectangles, get your toddler ready and pull out the scissors. Usually toddlers will need help with holding the paper and sometimes they will need help with opening and closing the scissors. Try to let your toddler do as much as he can by himself, but don’t worry if he needs a lot of helping.

 

When you finish cutting a long rectangle into the shapes, talk about that shape and its characteristics (look at these squares, they all have four sides, let’s count the sides, etc.). We made little piles of all the shapes to keep them separate, then we put them into baggies to save for our shape “pizzas” that we’ll do next week.

 

This was a great way to give Smiley Man some controlled scissor practice and it was also a great way to teach shapes!

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

May 14, 2013

How can I teach my kids or preschool class about the wind?

It has been awhile since I’ve done a dollar store finds on this blog and last week I finally had a chance to run to the dollar store and search for items to make the perfect dollar store finds post. Luckily, I was only looking for about two minutes before I found the perfect items. I first saw a little wind chime, and then I saw a cute flower pinwheel. Little Bear has been asking a bunch of questions about the wind recently so when I saw those two items, I knew they were perfect for a lesson on wind.

I didn’t write out a formal lesson plan, but this activity is perfect for preschoolers and even Kindergartners  If I have a bunch of people request a wind lesson plan, then I will make one. For now, here is the fun process we went through to have an awesome lesson on the wind.

Materials (all from the dollar store!!)

• Wind Chime
• Flower Pinwheel
• Palm Leaf Table Topper
• Hula Skirt

Begin the wind lesson by asking students a simple question, what is the wind? Ask, Can you see it? Can you hear it? Can you feel it? Get a quick discussion going about the wind. Tell students (or your kids) that they will be making observations about the wind.

Start by choosing one item (we did the wind chime first, but in retrospect, I would have done the hula skirt first. It wasn’t extremely windy outside and the wind chime didn’t really chime.). Hold up the item while inside and have your students observe what the item looks like. Now ask students how they think the item might change when they take it out in the wind.

Go outside and hold the item up and observe the item. Have students explain how the item is different now that it is in the wind.

Go back inside and observe the last three items while inside. Go outside and observe the items while they are in the wind. Through the lesson, talk about what the wind does and answer the questions, Can you see it? Can you hear it? Can you feel it?

This lesson is perfect for a preschool class, but it is also perfect to do just with your kids. I did this activity with just my two children and they really loved it. I was surprised at how much Little Bear learned and how much he observed. This was a perfect activity for a slightly windy, but warm day.

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

May 9, 2013

What is a fun way to teach shapes to my preschooler or toddler?

I have been working on shapes with Smiley Man for several weeks now and he really having fun. For this week, I really wanted to have an activity that could fit in a busy bag. If you don’t know what a busy bag is, check out this great post on hosting a busy bag exchange. Or just search busy bags on Pinterest and you are sure to find a wealth of information.

I don’t use busy bags a ton with my kids, but I do use them. Unfortunately, Smiley Man has been getting a little bored of the busy bags that I currently have for him, so I wanted to make a new one. Since we are already learning about shapes, I figured it would be perfect to have a shape themed busy bag. I found some great ideas like this felt shape matching game, these hot glue crayon rubbing designs (4th one down), or this clothespin and popsicle stick shape matching game (9th one down)

In the end I decided to go with something simple that I knew Smiley Man would love. I just made some shape lacing cards. Making these cards is very simple. First, print off the shapes using this printable that I made. Next, laminate the shapes. Usually I say laminating is optional, but I have tried lots of different options (using contact paper, using packing tape, gluing the picture to cardboard or a cereal box) and honestly, nothing works as well as lamination. If laminating is absolutely not an option, I would glue the picture to a thin piece of cardboard (like a cereal box), then cover both sides with packing tape.

Once the shape is laminated hold punch holes in the edges about one inch apart. Now, add a shoelace or yarn with tape on the end. I always use yarn and tape because I like to save money, but you can usually find a big pack of shoelaces at the dollar store and shoelaces do work better. You can tie one end of the yarn or shoelace to the lacing card if you want, but that is optional. I usually tie one end to the lacing card because my kids are still young and I don’t like the yarn getting lost.

Now, show your toddler (or preschooler) how to thread the end of the shoelace or yarn through each hole. Smiley Man requires a lot of help with lacing cards, but for some reason he still absolutely loves them. I usually try to cover most of the holes except the one he needs to put the yarn through. He also has a really hard time switching hands when it is time to pull the yarn through the other side, but I just show him how each time and he gets it. Someday he’ll be able to do it alone. ;)

This is a great way to teach shapes because Smiley Man really explores the edges of each shape while using the lacing card. Plus, these lacing cards fit perfectly in a gallon size ziplock bag which is what I use for busy bags.

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

May 2, 2013

What is a cut and paste activity my child can do that will teach shapes?

I’ve been itching to do some cut and paste and activities with Smiley Man for awhile and I realized it would be the perfect activity for practicing shapes. Smiley Man is way too young to use scissors by himself, but he does like to use them when I help him. And he LOVES using glue sticks. He doesn’t necessarily use them correctly, but it takes time to learn. I made some shape sorting color, cut, and paste pages and they are a great way to teach shapes.

Of course, when it came time for picture taking, Smiley Man was no longer excited about this cut and paste and activity and he refused to do pictures. Luckily, these are also a great to teach shapes to kids of all ages, so I had my preschooler, Little Bear do the pictures instead.

There are four cut and paste shape sorting pages. I suggest doing one at a time and if your child is older (preschool or Kindergarten age) and wants to do another page, then let them do another page.

This color, cut, and paste activity is very simple. Just cut out the squares on the bottom of the page. Next, glue them onto the correct side of the sorting chart. If you child wants to color the shapes, then have him color them.

This activity is wonderful because it give practice in so many different areas. You child is learning shapes and what they each look like. He or she is also learning how to sort or discriminate differences which is a very important math skill. And of course, you child is getting some great fine motor practice by cutting and gluing.

I was excited about how these cut and paste pages work so well for toddlers and preschoolers. Granted, my toddler needs a lot of help with the cutting, gluing, and even with the sorting. I make sure to talk a lot about the differences between the shapes and why each shape goes in a certain place. Little Bear loves doing this page all by himself and I love that he gets practice strengthening his fine motor skills and practice with sorting. Enjoy the shape sorting cut and paste activity!

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

April 25, 2013

How can I teach shapes using puzzles?

Puzzles are a great way to teach any topic and 2 part puzzles are perfect for the toddler crowd. Print these free 2 part shape puzzles and you’ll be on your way to teach shapes to your toddler or preschooler very soon.

Using these puzzles is pretty self-explanatory, but here are some simple directions for use with toddlers. Simply, put 2-3 shapes on the table at a time. You will have 4 or 6 pieces on the table since each shape has two pieces. Spread the pieces around so they are all mixed up. Have your toddler choose one piece and then have them look for the other piece of that puzzle. When your toddler has both pieces, let them put the puzzle pieces together to complete the shape.

 

Sometimes Smiley Man has a hard time actually putting the pieces together to make the shape, so I help him. Then, we talk about what shape was just made.

 

These puzzles also work great for preschool shape activities. When using with preschoolers, put all the shape pieces on a table at a time. Have your preschooler sort through the shapes to find matches and to put the puzzle pieces together. Both Smiley Man and Little Bear love playing with these shape puzzles.

 

Once all the puzzles are completed, I tell my kids to mess up one shape at a time. I also usually have them say the name of the shape out loud as they are messing it up. This gives them some extra practice at saying the shape name.

One last thing, I want to emphasize that right now I am only teaching Smiley Man the four basic shapes (circle, square, triangle, and rectangle). Whenever I do shape activities with him, I only use those four shapes. We will do lots of preschool shape activities when he gets older and he is still really young, so I don’t want to confuse him by teaching him too many shapes. He is the perfect age to learn 4 shapes so that is what we work on.

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me