Shape-Themed Trays for Toddlers — Square Toddler Trays

What are some Montessori inspired square toddler trays that will teach my toddler shapes?

After our very short break from toddler trays, we have started up again with some square toddler trays. Look out for the different shapes in the coming posts in the next 6 weeks. This week is all about squares and we are excited to share these activities with you!

Support Teach My Toddlers by using the affiliate links in our articles to shop. We receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) so we can continue to create helpful free content. Thank you, we appreciate it!

Find out how to use these square trays to teach your toddlers shapes

Discover how to use these square trays to teach your toddlers shapes

Learn how to use these square trays to teach your toddlers shapes
Learn how to use these square trays to teach toddlers shapes

Shape Activity

What you need

How to Play

Print the lacing cards, get them ready and set aside all the shapes besides the square for this week. For more detailed instructions check out this post about lacing cards.

These square trays are exciting to use to teach toddlers shapes

Decorating Shape Craft

What you need

How to Play

Check out this post for more details and variations on the activity. Print out the Shape outline pages, or at least the square page. Have your toddler glue around the outline of the shape and then put pasta on the glue to make the square.

These square trays are exciting to use to teach your toddlers shapes

Beading

What you need

How to Play

Bend pipe cleaners into various sizes of squares. They don’t need to be perfect, feel free to eyeball the shape. Bead pipe cleaner squares onto pencils stuck in an egg carton. This is a super simple beading activity that is perfect for very young toddlers. This activity is so your toddler will get a lot of experience touching and feeling squares.

Discover how to use these square trays to teach toddlers shapes

Matching

What you need

How to Play

This toddler tray has a white piece of paper with a large orange square and a small orange square taped to it. It also has several large orange paper squares and small orange paper squares loose on the tray. Have your toddler match the loose squares to the squares that are taped onto the paper.

These square trays are so fun to use to teach your toddlers shapes

Stickers/Stamping

What You Need

How to Play

Many toddlers love stickers which makes this a toddler tray that will love. Just draw a simple square outline on a piece of paper. Put this paper and the stickers on the tray. Have your toddler put stickers around the edge of the square. This is great find motor practice even if some of the stickers end up on their hands and arms instead of the paper.

These square trays are so exciting to use to teach your toddlers shapes

Small Spaces

What you need

How to Play

For this tray, put the cardboard squares and the empty wipes container on the tray. Have your toddler put the squares into the container. Putting things into a wipes container can be really fun for toddlers. (See our beach toddler trays and space toddler trays for other examples of this).

These square trays are so fun to use to teach toddlers shapes

This was a really fun set of square toddler trays. They may not be very challenging but your toddler will get to look at a lot of squares. Hopefully this helps them understand the concept of a shape.