It’s easy to make math fun and engaging with hands-on activities. During our shapes unit in my kindergarten class, I wanted to integrate more engaging activities that I knew my students would enjoy. You can easily bring activities like this to your child’s learning. All you need are popsicle sticks for this “Making Shapes Activity for Kindergarten”.
Try this as a whole group activity together on the carpet, or in small groups during center time. The idea for the activity is simple, but extends children’s learning and understanding of 2D shapes.
Children not only need to be able to visualize each 2D shape in order to create it, they also have to figure out how to use the popsicle sticks to create the sides of each shape.
Trying this activity as a group is also a great way to see which children have a solid understanding of their shapes, and which children could benefit from extra support.
For another hands-on number game, check out this easy kindergarten math activity.
Making Shapes Activity for Kindergarten Materials
When I create activities for kindergarten, I try to use materials that I already have in the classroom. For this activity all you need are popsicle sticks. Any color will work!
To prepare, create a pile of ten popsicle sticks for each child. I used mini elastics to secure the bundles together.
The free worksheets are not required for the lesson, but they work well as a follow up activity. The printables are available in black and white and color.
The page can be used by the educator during the hands-on activity to help ensure all of the shapes on the page are instructed for children to create. One of the pages requires children to identify the shapes, the other page requires children to draw each shape.
Making Shapes Math Activity
To start, give each child a bundle of ten popsicle sticks. If you are doing this activity with a large group, I found also giving each child a sheet of (laminated) paper helped keep the popsicle sticks organized. Children make sure to keep their sticks contained to their sheet.
Give children a minute to count and manipulate their popsicle sticks.
Next, ask children to create a simple shape, such as a triangle, with their popsicle sticks.
Children will move their sticks around until they create a triangle.
Create a triangle to model to children what a correct triangle looks like. You can also create other triangles, such as a right angle.
Once everyone has made a triangle, challenge children to create a square. Model how to create a square and have them change theirs if they didn’t create one successfully.
Make sure to show how all of the sides of the square are straight and connected and not on an angle.
Continue to have children make different shapes, such as diamond/rhombus and any other shape they are familiar with, or need to practice.
You can also challenge children to create shapes that are a bit more challenging, such as rectangles because children have to use extra sticks to create this properly.
You can also challenge children to create shapes, such as a circle, that they will not be able to make. This is a great opportunity to discuss why you can make a circle. (A circle cannot be made with the straight edges the popsicle sticks provide.)
Making Shapes Activity for Kindergarten
Continue with several other shapes you want children to practice. You can also have children create a shape and have a partner name the shape.
Once you have made many of your shapes, you can challenge children to create a shape using a specific number of sticks. What shape can they come up with?
An extension idea for this activity is also to have children create a shape, such as a pentagon. Typically children will create a shape like a house. This is a great chance to show children that a pentagon is any five sided shape and does not always look like a house.
Encourage children to use the same sticks from their house, but create a completely different shape.
Kindergarten Math Extension Activity
Once you have done this lesson using the popsicle sticks for shapes, you can use the sticks again for another math activity, but this time for numbers.
Using the same ten sticks, have children lay a number of sticks in front of them. For example, have them show four.
Children may show them as tally marks, or they may even create the number. Either way is great and shows an understanding of the number four.
The popsicle sticks are a great opportunity to teach tally marks. Discuss that setting the sticks side by side is a good way to organize and show the number.
Discuss several numbers and how to show them using the popsicle sticks.
Using simple materials, like popsicle sticks can make math meaningful, engaging and fun! If children are engaged, they are more likely to remember the lesson and try their best.
Join Play Learn Inspire Free Printables
Follow up your hands-on activity with printable worksheets for kindergarten and young children. There are four sheets available to print, one where children identify various 2D shapes, and the other where children are required to draw various 2D shapes. Each of these pages are available in black and white and color.
Subscribe to PlayLearnInspire.com to download these sheets for free. After you subscribe you will also receive emails with products, promotions and activity ideas to use in your classroom, or home.
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