Sorting Shapes

Your young child has a natural ability to understand shapes— but needs your help to learn what each one is called. So talk it up! Describe the shapes of objects and what makes each one different. For example, you might say, “A circle is round with no corners. A triangle has three straight sides and three angles.” Children learn best by touching objects of different shapes. There are plenty of shapes at home, but a trip to the grocery store offers some fun ways to find all sorts of shapes!

Look Around

Look around—you’ll find shapes everywhere.

• Circles are round with no corners. Look for circles printed on billboards and road signs. Encourage your child to use a finger to trace around the edges of plates and cups.

• Rectangles have four straight sides and four corners. The sides across from each other are the same length. Look for windows, doors, and flags. Trace the edges of envelopes and sheets of paper.

• Squares are a special type of rectangle—all four straight sides are the same length. Look for windows and signs that appear to be square. Help your child trace the edges of square floor tiles or square picture frames and count each side.

• Triangles have three straight sides and three angles. Look for them printed on billboards and yield signs. Cut used envelopes or cards from one corner to the opposite corner to make two triangles. Count the sides as your child traces the edges of each one.

•  Spheres are round, three-dimensional shapes. Find some balls and explore what happens when you drop something that doesn’t have straight sides—it rolls! Look for spheres in the produce aisle of your grocery store.

At the Store

Have your child trace the edges of a box of cereal or crackers and count the sides. Say, “The top of the box is a rectangle” (or square if all four sides are the same length).

Point out the express sign that says “10 items or fewer.” Ask, “Is this sign a square or a rectangle? How do you know?”

When paying for your groceries, point out the different shapes of money. Say, “This dollar bill is a rectangle. What shape is the quarter? Are all my coins the same shape? Are they the same size?”