Shapes

When children leave kindergarten, they should have a strong foundation in basic kindergarten skills, kindergarten math vocabulary, and geometry. Geometry sounds like a fancy term for such a young age, but one of the basic geometry skills is knowing and understanding different shapes. Recognizing shapes is the first step and kindergarteners will need to know how to do this. In addition to being able to point them out on a worksheet or in a book, students should understand that shapes are all around us. Children should be able to identify circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, and ovals. You can help your children by giving them opportunities to practice by doing shapes games meant for kindergarten students. You can also help your children build their knowledge of shapes by helping them to notice shapes in the world around them. Point out that the cereal box is a rectangle and ask if they see any other shapes in the kitchen. Take a good look at road signs when you’re in the car and ask your children to tell you what shapes they see.

Students will also be asked to draw shapes in kindergarten math. They will use them on their own and will probably be asked to use them in things like drawings and art projects. Think of all the fun pictures you can make using shapes: snowmen, houses, abstracts. Online games are also a fun way to practice shapes. While it may be more difficult to draw them online, they will still have plenty of chances to identify them and use them. They might even find a shapes game that lets them move shapes around to create a picture.