Discovering the concept of Geometry is so much more fun while playing! Use playdough and toothpicks in this classic, hands-on activity to learn about shapes on a 3 dimensional level. Also check out our Colors and Shapes Ebook)
Shape recognition are an important building block in childens early development because it forms part of visual perception- a skill needed for reading and mathematics, for example. This activity, to name a few:
– Develops literacy and language skills
– Reinforces key math concepts
– Teaches comparisons
– Develop problem solving.
We used homemade playdough and toothpicks to make different shapes. We started out with some 2D shapes and naming them as we went along:
Then we moved onto 3 D shapes and gave them the correct names like cube, cone and cylinder. This way the children learned how to pronounce and recognize the 3 D shape according to the attributes (how many sides, corners) of the shapes. They discovered which shape is the most stable(engineering skills), the triangle of course! PS: Get printable cards HERE!
To reinforce the learning experience take everyday items and compare them to the shapes. Here are a few ideas:
A party hat as a cone shape
A ball as a sphere
A can of coldrink as a cylinder
A dice as a cube.
And then of course we just made some funny things as well, creating with the playdough and toothpicks:
A fun way to use playdough and toothpicks to learn about and experience Geometry!
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