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Learning to recognize basic shapes was one of the first skills I began working on with Squeaks when we first started homeschooling. It’s one of those natural starting points like counting and the alphabet. It’s homeschool preschool 101. Learning shapes with game schooling really kicks this basic skill up a notch.
Over my small but action packed homeschool career I’ve come across a couple of fun shapes games that my kids have really loved. I’m super excited to share them with you!
Our favorite shapes games:
Perfection is such a fun game and super effective for learning a wide range of shapes.
Mixed in with all the basic shapes are some that a lot of preschool curricula don’t even cover, so this game can give your kids a head start! Plus, the game pieces are fairly small and have to be put in place facing the correct way, making this game great fine motor practice as well.
The goal of the game is to get all the shapes in their corresponding spaces before the timer goes off. You have to be intentional about your play though. It’s easy to play without paying any attention to the shape names. Once you set the timer, call out the names of each shape as your kids pick them up. As they get more familiar with the names, you could even make it a rule that they have to say the name shape correctly or they have to choose a new shape. I’d keep it simple with younger players though. Just quickly and calmly say the correct shape name if they can’t remember. This added challenge makes this game super effective in reviewing and learning shape names.
Our other favorite shapes game requires only sidewalk chalk and a good amount of space to draw outdoors.
Use your chalk to draw as many shapes as you can think of (or a select few if you want to focus on a couple at a time). Draw them large enough that your kids can stand inside of them and close enough that they can jump from one shape to the next. Then have them choose a shape to start on and call out another shape for them to jump to. It’s that simple!
My kids love the physical aspect of this game (gross motor practice!) and even like to trace over the shapes when we’re done jumping. Or sometimes I’ll fill a spray bottle with water and Little Dude loves to spray the chalk shapes. Of course I continue saying their names as he sprays them all.
You could also make this into shapes Twister. Have them practice right from left by calling out “right hand square, left foot circle!” You might just want to draw them a bit closer together.
Our favorite printable shapes games:
- I love the clean and modern design of this color and shapes board game from I Heart Naptime. I love the little dice you can print and make with it! It’s a great way to practice both skills.
- To focus on shapes alone check out this simple yet effective printable shapes board game from Simple Fun For Kids. So easy to set up and no reading required. It’s a perfect beginner game!
- To take shapes games on the go with you, consider my simple shapes and 3D shapes printable matching games. One sheet each and no game pieces, so they’re perfect for road trips and flights!
You and your littles are going to love these shapes games. I know we do! Check back tomorrow for our favorite games for practicing our math skills!
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