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For young students, learning and remembering shape names and attributes is an important foundational skill. In order to master all of this new information, students need plenty of practice and repetition! By bringing fun and engaging 2D shape activities into the classroom, students will be excited to learn about shapes. Here are some of my favorite ways to teach basic shapes in kindergarten.
Many students come to kindergarten knowing a few of the basic shape names. However, there are often shapes that they have not yet been introduced to quite yet. Students often need to learn more about shape attributes, as well. There are several helpful activities and resources that can help students learn and practice shape names and attributes.
One way for students to learn about shape names and attributes is by creating 2D shape readers. These printable shape books have space for students to write the shape name, the number of sides, and the number of vertices/corners. The same information can also be displayed on a 2D shapes bulletin board with these fun posters! There are a variety of options depending on size, word choice, and clipart choice. These posters are helpful to keep on display throughout the year so that students can continue to reference them when needed.
Another way for students to practice shape names and attributes is with these All About 2D Shapes worksheets! Students will trace and draw the shape three times. Then they will write down the number of vertices and sides. Students can also create either a shape person or a real life object.
Another fun part of teaching shapes is showing students that shapes are all around them! Shape sorting activities are a great way to help students see different examples of shapes.
The first shape sorting activity that’s helpful for students who are learning 2D shapes is the “Is it a ____?” activity. This sorting task can be done individually as a worksheet or as a whole group activity with pocket chart cards. Students will be able to look at different examples of shapes and decide if it is the focus shape or not.
This is another fun activity that students love! Using a magnet on a fishing line, students can fish for cards that contain different types of shapes. After naming the shape, students can then sort the cards based on the 2D shape. This is definitely an engaging way for young children to get plenty of repetition in identifying shapes.
As students become more familiar with shapes, it is fun to have them practice building shapes on their own.
This multi-step 2D shape worksheet is great for a math center or small group activity. Students start by finding and coloring the correct shapes on the top of the worksheet. Then they can take small objects and build their own version of the shape. This is fun to do with pretzel sticks, cereal, or any other small objects you have on hand.
Your students will love building shapes with these fun 2D shape puzzles! After coloring and assembling the picture containing the 2D shape, students can find and count the number of shapes in the picture below the puzzle. This activity also gives students an opportunity to trace the shape name as they color (or even rainbow write) the shape name at the top of the puzzle.
After building the 2D shapes themselves, it’s fun for students to build with shapes, as well! This is important because it helps them to see the relationship between different shapes and sizes.
I have created a resource where students can build fun pictures of an owl, lion, or train and then count the different shapes that they used! This resource is available as a free download – just fill out the form below and I will send it straight to your inbox!
The shape fun doesn’t have to stop there! As students learn more about 2D shapes, it’s important for them to apply the knowledge they have to even more activities. I love to create opportunities for students to share what they’ve learned about shapes, and these final activities do just that.
These fun mini books are a great way to get students talking about shapes! These shaped books are fun for young learners to create and share with family and friends. There’s just something about mini books that grabs their attention and gets them excited to show off what they’ve created!
If you’re looking for more ways to get your students talking about shapes, try 2D shape hats! These are definitely a conversation starter when students wear them throughout the school day and also when they wear them home. Students will have fun identifying the shapes to attach to the hat, tracing the 2D shape and name, and coloring the shape. They will wear their hats with pride after the work they put into them!
All of these engaging 2D shape activities can be found in my recently updated resource of ten 2D shape activities. These resources include activities for the following shapes:
The activities included are low prep and many of them require no prep at all – just print and go! If you’d like to take a closer look at everything included in this resource, you can find it in the A Spoonful of Learning Shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers.
If you’re short on time, be sure to save this post for later! Just add this pin to your favorite math board on Pinterest so you can find these 2D shape activities whenever you’re ready to download and print. I hope you and your students love these fun and engaging activities!
These alphabet books will have students dive deep into learning about each letter of the alphabet while eager to see what activity they get to complete next!
