Visually discriminating things is one of the most elementary ways in which little children make sense of the world around them. It is, indeed, what helps them differentiate between things like letters and numbers. At the very core of that discrimination, lies their ability to sift through the various shapes that we adults take for granted in our lives. It’s not all that simple for kids, but with the right activities, you can be sure to help them see the world around them, with a greater sense of clarity.
When do kids learn about shapes?
The good news is, you can start teaching your kids about shapes right from the age of 2. You want to start with the basics, really: circles, squares and triangles. Only when they are 3 years of age, might you wish to introduce them to the ‘tougher’ shapes, like hearts, ovals and diamonds.
You need not be discouraged if you find your child is not learning as fast as you think they should. Children take their own time, and with some gentle assistance from you, they will get those shapes to register well in their minds before you even know it.
Creative Shape Crafts for Preschool Children
Here are some of the finest craft ideas that will help your preschooler make sense of the shapes they encounter in their daily lives.
Block Painting
Want children to get creative with shapes? Just toss them their favorite blocks!
What to do: Get blocks of all shapes: triangles, squares, circles, etc. Give your child a sheet of paper and some paint they can dunk those blocks into, before making an impression of the shape on paper.
Nature Hunt
This one’s a craft idea that is partly done outdoors, for an efficient learning of shapes.
What to do: You’re on a nature hunt with your kid. The goal: to collect items in as many shapes as possible: things like rocks, leaves, twigs, etc. Then get them back indoors and glue them onto paper. While these might not be perfect ‘shapes’ per se, they will be good representations of shapes you want to teach your kid: like, a circular rock will represent a circle, etc.
Overlapping Shapes
Want to up the Shape Identification Challenge? Using shapes, you can effectively create pictures for kids that will challenge them to ‘find the shapes’ in the larger picture.
What to do: On a sheet of paper, trace out various shapes. One shape should overlap with at least one other. Then have your child identify each shape. It might seem a bit tricky to navigate past that ‘overlapping effect’, but the challenge will help them solidify their perception of shapes.
Collage Creativity
This craft activity for kids takes the love of shapes and gives it a creative twist.
What to do: Give your kids paper cutouts of as many shapes as possible, and have them create a collage on a large white sheet of paper, of anything that comes to mind. For instance, a house using a square for the main structure and a triangle for the roof. Let their creative juices flow as they interact with the shapes.
Paint the Shape
Craft ideas using shapes are great when accompanied with a dollop of paint!
What to do: Trace outlines of shapes onto a large white sheet of paper. Then, give your children a paintbrush and different colors. Ask them to paint each shape in a different color. Sticking to the confines of each shape as they attempt to fill it with paint, is a focused activity that will imprint that ‘shape’ well into their young minds.
No ‘string’ attached
This one’s a great craft idea for kids to learn about shapes.
What to do: Take a piece of string, dip it in a box of glue and then place it on a sheet of paper. Tell your child to create whatever shape they like with it. After that’s done, ask them to paint the shape they have created.
Home Object Shape Fun
When looking for shape activities and crafts for your preschool children, you don’t want to give this one a miss.
What to do: This one’s a craft idea that you can execute anytime within the confines of your house. Ask your child to find objects in your house of as many possible shapes as they can. Then, get them to use those objects and create some really wonderful masterpieces of art. You will be surprised at the level of creativity this brings about in your children.
Thinking ‘Out of the Box’
Want a craft activity that will teach kids about shapes, and get them to think creatively, too? This one’s it!
What to do: Take things like old cereal boxes, empty milk cartons or any other box or something resembling a box, and give them to your kids along with some glue or a roll of tape. Have them create anything they like – for instance, a castle or perhaps a monster truck!
Making a choo-choo train
If you’re looking for a cool craft idea using shapes, why not create something that all children love?
What to do: Make some rectangular and circular paper cutouts, and one triangular one, too. Give them to your child and show them how to assemble them to form a train. The triangle can be the engine in front, the rectangles, the train compartments and the circles, the wheels.
Playdough Shaping
Looking to get uber creative with shapes? Playdough is the perfect answer!
What to do: Show your child how you squish that playdough into the shape of your choice. Then, pass the baton to them and have them create any shape they like.
Hot Tip: You can even use cookie cutters to cut out shapes from that playdough.
As your kids experiment more and more with shapes, they will gain a better understanding of them. Using the crafts activities outlined in this article, you will find their ‘shape discriminating abilities’ getting sharper by the day.
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