It can be a challenge to keep your little one entertained while stuck inside, but staying at home can be lots of fun with the right arsenal of activities. This is a great indoor rainy day activity to help kids get kids moving and practicing shape recognition.
Materials:
- Masking tape
- Open floor space
Instructions:
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Clear a large space on the floor and mark the outline of different shapes using masking tape on the floor. You will want the shapes to be big enough for your little one to be able to place individual items inside the shape. Examples: Square, Circle, Diamond, Rectangle, Triangle, Oval, Pentagon, Hexagon, Octagon, Heart.
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Have your child stand next to each shape and say the name aloud. If they are new to shapes, you can point at each shape and say it aloud with them and ask them to repeat it to you. Over time, this helps with verbal recognition and language skills.
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Next, have them trace the shape with their finger, while saying its name. This is a great pre-writing skill and will help with memory recall as they practice the shapes.
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Now comes the fun part! Say a shape aloud and have your child race around the house to find objects that match that shape and place them in the center of the cut out. Of course, make sure your little one doesn't try to grab an oversized piece of furniture or a delicate piece of furniture! This is great for developing their observational skills (what objects in my world match this shape), problem-solving (what shape does this object match and where on the floor does it belong?) and teamwork, if they work with you or with another participant.
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Finally, for kids looking for a challenge, you can take this activity one step further by introducing early math concept. Have your children count the objects in each pile when they're finished to see which shape has the most objects and which has the least. This introduces the concepts of counting, most/least, and comparison.
Skill areas addressed:
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Problem Solving
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Teamwork
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Observation
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Communication & Language
Extensions & Adjustments:
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If kids are just starting to learn (2-3 years), start with only two or three different shapes.
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For kids that already know their shapes (3-5 years), pick a color for each shape. This makes the hunt more challenging.
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For kids who are really good at identifying shapes the first time around, add the additional challenge of time, to see who can find the most shapes in X amount of time.
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To incorporate gross motor skills, have children do an action on their way to find each shape. For example, hop, run, walk backwards, crab walk to find their objects as this also helps get their wiggles out when they’re stuck indoors.
Author: April Karschner