shapes hunt activity

Fun Shape Hunt Activity with Free Printable

Are you looking for a fun activity to get your little one excited about learning their shapes? Whilst helping my daughter to learn shapes, I realised she was getting bored and easily distracted. I needed something engaging and play-based to help her really learn. And that is how I came up with this Free Shape Hunt Challenge Printable !

How to Use my Free Shape Hunt Printable

There are several ways you can use this free printable. That’s part of the reason I love this resource. It’s so flexible and doesn’t need any preparation, once you’ve printed it off.

This Shape Hunt Challenge can be done:

• Individually by kids or in Teams
• Inside or Outside
• They can draw what they find, photograph it, or collect it to show you.
• You can challenge them to find one item for each shape box or multiple items.
• You can hide actual shapes around the house, class, or outside area, OR you can just let them find the shapes in things that are naturally there already.

How do I Get my FREE Shape Hunt Printable?

Getting your Shape Hunt Printable is super easy. Click the pink button below and it will take you to the landing page for this freebie. Once you’ve entered your name and email, your FREE Printable can be sent straight to your inbox.

A Shapes Scavenger Hunt is a super fun way to engage your little ones in learning their shapes in a play-based way.

I have some more Shape Activities and printables for you to check out too, and I am currently working away on a few more. Take a look at some of my other shapes posts below!

You may also like:

Shapes I Spy Printables [FREE]

Shape Tracing Printable [FREE]

Easy Phonics Activities

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In this lesson, children will go around the classroom to identify the various shapes in a book.

Lesson for:

Toddlers/Preschoolers (See Step 5: Adapt lesson for toddlers or preschoolers.)

Content Area:

Learning goals:.

This lesson will help toddlers and preschoolers meet the following educational standards :

• Analyze characteristics and properties of two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes and develop mathematical arguments about geometric relationships
• Specify locations and describe spatial relationships using coordinate geometry and other representational systems
• Use visualization, spatial reasoning and geometric modeling to solve problems

Learning Targets:

After this lesson, toddlers and preschoolers should be more proficient at:

• Recognizing, naming, building, drawing, comparing and sorting two- and three-dimensional shapes
• Describing attributes and parts of two- and three-dimensional shapes
• Describing, naming and interpreting relative positions in space and applying ideas about direction and space
• Creating mental images of geometric shapes using spatial memory and spatial visualization
• Recognizing and representing shapes from different perspectives
• Recognizing geometric shapes and structures in the environment and specifying their locations

Lesson plan for toddlers/preschoolers

Step 1: gather materials..

• The book, The Secret Birthday Message by Eric Carle
• Shape hunt sheets (Sheets should have pictures of the shapes in the book—semicircle, star, oval, triangle, circle, rectangle—and a place where the children can draw these shapes once they identify and locate them in the room.)
• Ensure that there are objects that match the shapes around the room  (If there aren’t, strategically place shapes cut out of construction paper around the room, such as a yellow star placed high enough for the children to plainly see it and high enough to represent a star in the sky.)
• Large poster paper and different-colored cutouts of all of the identified shapes in the book

Note : Small parts pose a choking hazard and are not appropriate for children age five or under. Be sure to choose lesson materials that meet safety requirements.

Step 2: Introduce activity.

• Explain that today the children are going to go on a shape hunt .  This is similar to a scavenger hunt in that you find hidden objects, but on this shape hunt, the children will locate different shapes around the room.
• Introduce the book.  Say : “Before we go on our shape hunt, we will read The Secret Birthday Message by Eric Carle. In this book, a boy decodes a secret message by following the shapes in the book. We are going to find the same shapes on our shape hunt.”
• Look at the cover of the book.  Ask : “What shapes do you see?” (stars, squares, rectangles) Ask : “I wonder if we will find these shapes on our shape hunt? What do you think?” The children might start to look around the room and call out various shapes that they see. Refocus their attention on the book and ask them to save their observations for their hunts.
• Read the book ,   The Secret Birthday Message . Read the secret message with the children.
• When you get to the part in the book that reads : “When the (shape of a half circle) comes up” the children will most likely chime in “sun.” Instead of the word “sun” in the book, there is a semicircle shape. Ask : “What shape is the rising sun?”  Continue to ask the names of the various shapes included in the secret message.
• Continue to read the book. As you come to an object that represents one of the shapes (e.g. the oval-shaped boulder) identify the shape by taping your cut-out oval shape onto your large poster paper and writing “ oval “   next to the shape. Leave space next to the shape so that you can write down a few objects that are in the shape of an oval. By the end of the book, you will have a poster that has identified the shapes in the book, as well as objects that have those shapes. For example: Cutout of oval →   OVAL →  egg, big rock, football, rug .

Step 3: Engage children in lesson activities.

• Explain the shape hunt. Show the shape hunt recording sheets to the children and explain that they will now go on a hunt around the room to try to find the shapes that they looked at in the book. They can find the actual shape, or an object that is shaped like one of the shapes that they discussed while reading the book. Once the children have located a shape on their sheets, they are to draw that same shape next to the original shape to indicate that they have found the shape. If a child identifies a door as a rectangle, they can either draw a picture of the door or a picture of a rectangle. Shapes like stars can only be represented as stars and children might need assistance drawing this or other shapes.
• Explore the room. Encourage the children to go off on their own in search of the shapes. They might need some guidance as to where to look or how to look at the shape of an object.
• Share their findings. When all of the children have finished with their shape hunts, have them gather in front of the shape poster and contribute their findings to the poster.  Add to the shape list by adding objects of different shapes or, in the case of the star, add places where you can find stars (e.g., the night sky, the American flag).

Additional Extensions

• Give the children a number of pre-cut tissue paper shapes in all different sizes and colors and have them create an “Eric Carle” collage out of the shapes. Use the book, The Secret Birthday Message or another Eric Carle book to model and show examples.
• Create an attributes chart of all of the shapes discussed during your shape hunt. Various-sized rectangles vs. squares, circles vs. ovals vs. semicircles and the triangle and the star. Compare and contrast the shapes and discuss what an attribute is with the children.

Step 4: Vocabulary.

• Triangle : A pointy shape with three sides and three corners (e.g.,”A slice of pizza is a triangle .”)
• Square : A shape with four straight sides that are the same length or size and four corners
• Circle : A round shape that has no straight edges or corners (e.g.,”A wheel is a circle .”)
• Rectangle : A shape with four sides and four right angles
• Oval : A stretched-out circle that is shaped like an egg
• Hexagon : A shape with six straight sides and six corners (e.g.,”A stop sign is a hexagon .”)

Step 5: Adapt lesson for toddlers or preschoolers.

Adapt lesson for toddlers, toddlers may:.

• Not easily identify the shape of objects
• Need to learn about one shape at a time

Child care providers may:

• Modify the shape hunt to make it more like an egg hunt. “Hide” shapes in clear view and have the children collect one of each of the shapes discussed.
• Create a simplified shape poster to help the children identify their shapes. You can add a color twist to the shape poster by providing shapes of different colors. Once the children have found their shapes, have them sort the shapes by color on the poster (the blue shapes will be in one column, the red shapes will be in another column, etc.)
• Provide assistance when the children are looking for shapes. Help them to see the shapes of objects by asking them leading questions. Ask : “Is that window in the shape of a triangle?” (No) “What shape is that window?”
• Start by introducing just one shape (circle) and only go on a hunt for circles

Adapt Lesson for Preschoolers

Preschoolers may:.

• Be able to identify a variety of shapes
• Be able to draw and talk about the attributes of several different shapes
• Provide a variety of shapes pre-cut from colored tissue paper or construction paper (allow the children to manipulate the shapes—flips, turns, rotations—and create a collage while working with the various shapes)
• Provide an opportunity for the children to compare and contrast shapes by identifying the various attributes of each shape

Suggested Books

• The Secret Birthday Message by Eric Carle (New York: HarperCollins, 1986)
• Shape by Shape by Suse Macdonald (New York: Little Simon, 2009)

Music and Movement

• “Basic Shapes”
• “Shape Up” by Jack Harttman
• Sing and act out “I Spy Attributes” by Ron Brown.

Outdoor Connections

Instead of looking for shapes indoors, look for shapes outside . You might need to strategically place some shapes around your outdoor space, but there is potential for greater creativity and more possibilities. A bird’s nest could be a semicircle, the leaves or top part of a tree could be an oval, a fir tree could be a triangle and there are infinite possibilities with clouds.

Web Resources

• Instructions by Eric Carle on how to create a collage of tissue paper shapes
• Children help Purpy (a purple circle) find his favorite shapes in “Purpy’s Shapes.” 
• Ideas for teaching shapes to kids

Comment on this lesson

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• July 23, 2018

Activity 14: Naming shapes and making patterns

5 circles and 5 squares cut out from paper, or shapes you already have from past activities, and a small plastic bowl or basket

Try It Out:

• Hide the shapes around the room. Make sure that the shapes are at least partly visible to your child from their “hiding places.”
• If your child gets close to a shape, but doesn’t see it, you can say, “You’re getting closer! I see a  circle !”
• As your child finds each shape, ask her to name it: “What did you find?” Then say, “That’s right. You found a  square !”
• Say, “Can you give me a circle? Now a square; now a circle.” Put them in a line on the table or on the floor. Keep alternating until you’ve used all the shapes.
• When you are done say, “Now, let’s look at the pattern we made.” Point to each shape as you say the names of the shapes together: “Circle, square, circle, square.” Then ask your child if she would like to say the pattern to you.

Making the Most of This Activity:

• Once your child can do this activity with circles and squares, add triangles and rectangles to the shape hunt and pattern activity.
• Try the activity with clothes (sock and shirts) or toys (cars and blocks).

Did your child find the shapes and hand you the correct ones when asked? If not, your child might not be ready for this activity. Try it using only circles and then add squares later.

Ready for more activities?

Related resources.

The Truck with the Large Shovel in the Front: A Lesson in Experiential Learning

Buzzwords Explained: Play Based Learning

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Go on a Shape Hunt

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This activity is an expanded version of the one seen on the video above.

Learning Goal

Shapes are everywhere! We can tell what kind of shape we are looking at by its attributes, like how many sides the shape has, if it is round or pointy or if the shape is flat or solid. In this activity you will help your child learn about shapes by going on a shape hunt together!

• Magazines, newspapers or mail to look for shapes in
• Construction paper
• Glue stick or tape
• Thick paper to use as a base for the image collage
• Markers, paper tape and decorations (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Open one of the magazines, newspapers or mail and point to one of the shapes you see. Talk to your child about its attributes. You can say “This picture has four sides that are all the same length. And, the sides all connect together at the corners.”

2. Point to another shape on the page and ask your child about its attributes. “How many sides does this shape have?” “Is it round?” “Are all the sides the same length?” “Are two of the sides the same length?” “How many corners are there?”

3. Ask your child to look for similar shapes. “Can you find another picture that is round?” “What does the shape of this picture remind you of?”

4. Next, identify the names of shapes based on their attributes. Point out a picture that forms a rectangle (has four straight sides and four corners). You can say “A shape with four sides and four corners is called a rectangle. Here is a rectangle.” “Can you find a page with another rectangle? It can be a different size than my rectangle.” Repeat this last step for other common shapes. Here are ways to identify them and language you can use with your child to talk about other shapes:

• A shape with three straight sides and three corners is a triangle
• A shape with four straight sides and four corners is a rectangle
• A square is a special rectangle where all four sides are the same length
• A shape that is perfectly round is a circle
• A shape that is rounded and looks like an egg or stretched circle is an oval

5. Now, go on a shape hunt! Flip through newspapers and magazines with your child. Use scissors to cut out the shapes you and your child find. You can also use construction paper to make your own shapes!

6. Make a shape collage. Use thick paper as a mat and a glue stick or tape to attach the shape images to it. Consider laying out the shapes first to determine where they will go, then attaching them with a glue stick or tape.

7. Talk with your child about shapes as you make your collage. You can say “Shapes can be combined and separated to make new shapes. Are you using smaller shapes to make larger ones?”

8. Be creative! Use markers, different-colored tape and other supplies to add texture and dimension to your collage.

Keep the Conversation Going

• Three-dimensional shapes: Two-dimensional shapes have measurable width and height but are flat. A three-dimensional shape has width, height and depth. Introduce one new three-dimensional shape name at a time. For example, you can start with a sphere and say “The shape of this ball is called a sphere. What do you notice about the sphere?” “Does it have edges?” “Corners?”

You might want to wait to introduce three-dimensional shapes until after your child is comfortable with two-dimensional shapes to avoid introducing too many new ideas too quickly. When you introduce three-dimensional shapes, your child may use the word “circle” to describe a sphere — this is ok! You can commend their effort and encourage their learning by showing them a circle and a sphere to compare. You can say “Spheres are similar to circles — how are they similar?” “Spheres and circles are also different. How is this circle different from a sphere?”

After introducing what a sphere is, ask your child to go on a shape hunt in your house and collect all the spheres! Repeat this with cubes, cylinders and cones. Here are examples of items around your house that match these three-dimensional shapes:

• Cube: die, blocks, Rubik’s cube
• Cylinder: shaving cream, soda can, crayon, toilet paper roll
• Sphere: ball, marble, cotton ball
• Cone: ice cream cone, party hat, piece of paper rolled into a cone shape

Book Suggestion

• “ Mouse Shapes ” by Ellen Stoll Walsh

In this colorful picture book, three clever mice make a variety of things out of different shapes.

Families in Action

See how local families played with shapes at a PBS SoCal virtual workshop.

Related Workshop

This activity is part of our Shapes workshop, which helps parents and caregivers playfully build children's ability to recognize shapes.

Play Number Lotería to Practice Counting

Craft Shiny Robots and Spaceships

2D Shape Hunt

This 2D shape hunt is a simple way to turn an ordinary regular neighborhood walk into a super fun math lesson! Learn about 2d shapes including circles, hexagons, rectangles and squares as you sneak in a little exercise.

For more fun shapes activities, check out our Pattern Block Mats in our shop!

Getting Ready

To prep, I grabbed a manila folder {card stock would work well too}, scissors, a box cutter and a pen.

I printed out the shape hunt chart HERE and traced the shapes on the manila folder. Then I cut them out using the box cutter and traced around the outside border with a black Sharpie to make the shapes stand out.

You can do as many or as few shapes as you want.  I ended up going with twelve — circle, oval, square, isosceles triangle, equilateral triangle, right triangle, rectangle, rhombus {some people call it diamond}, trapezoid, pentagon, hexagon, and octagon.

Going on A 2D Shape Hunt

The next time my son and I went for a walk, I whipped out our shape finder.

“What is that?” he asked me.

“It’s a shape finder,” I told him. “We can use it to identify all the different shapes around us! First, let’s name all of these shapes.”

C already knew most of the shapes with the exception of the trapezoid and the three different types of triangles.  I explained the differences in the three triangles and then we were ready to find some shapes.

Some shapes were easier to find than others — there are a surprising number of circles, rectangles, and triangles all around your typical neighborhood!

But a large part of the fun was discovering those harder to find shapes.  We were very excited when we realized the lights on our garage were hexagons.

This is a great way to introduce shapes to your child and a really fun activity to boot! I’ve kept our Shape Finder in my bag because C has wanted to look for shapes everywhere we go.  I even find myself looking for shapes while we drive, especially those harder to find trapezoids and pentagons.

It’s also been very useful on those rainy days when we’re stuck in the house — there are so many shapes everywhere!

More 2D Shape Activities Kids Will Love

For more fun with 2D shapes , hop over and grab our Pattern Block Mats!

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I love this portable math folder for shapes. I have pinned this post.

What a fantastic idea! I always go on a shape hunt with my class (5 year olds) when I first introduce the unit, but I love the cardboard cut out idea! I’d love to include a link to this post on my recent 2D Shapes post 🙂

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Math in Our World: Shape Hunt

Today we did a shape hunt at home. We looked around our house and found all kinds of flat and solid shapes.

• What do you notice? What do you wonder?
• Use pictures, numbers, or words to show or tell what you know about the shapes.
• What math questions can you ask about the picture? Answer all the questions you can!

How could you get started?

• Think about what you can count or compare.
• Use tally marks to count how many of each shape you see.
• Which shapes are flat? What are their names?
• Which shapes are solid? What are their names?
• How many sides does each shape have? How many corners?
• Show your work to someone else and explain your thinking. Did they understand?
• Ask if they have any other questions you can answer.

Do a shape hunt at home! What shapes do you see around you? Draw a picture or gather the shapes you see to make a collection like we did!

Google doc for printing and copying

Activity for the Seesaw platform

Sample problems and solutions

We'd love to see your thinking!

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Fun with Mama

Toddler and preschool activities

Written by Nadia T • Feb 7, 2024 • 3 Comments

Easy Preschool Shapes Activity Hunt Sensory Bin

This easy preschool shapes activity hunt  is the perfect way to teach toddlers shapes.We often do  colors and shapes activities for preschoolers because they work on basic preschool shape recognition, preschool color recognition, sorting skills and visual perception. This early math themed sensory activity is sure to teach your child some wonderful math facts in a hands on way. I was searching for ways to help my toddler learn shapes. Through repetition and many of the other shapes activities we did, she learned them pretty quickly at the age of 2. Kids learn through their five senses and when we can target these senses kids are more easily able to internalize the learning experience.

The Easy Preschool Shapes and Colors Activity Hunt

Those easy toddler puzzles that were once difficult for your child have now become too easy. You wonder what you should do with them now that your child rarely plays with them anymore. I love that this activity is a great way to repurpose puzzles you already have at home! Also, your preschooler will get to learn math in a more hands on way. Did you know learning shapes is an early math skill? Kids learn through their five senses and when we can target these senses kids are more easily able to internalize the learning experience.

I’m in the process of teaching my toddler her shapes and while learning them on paper might be more simple for me I just don’t feel that a toddler can grasp shapes easily by looking at it on paper.

I wanted something that would teach it to her in a hands on way. I want her to feel the shape, feel the curves  and  feel the pointed edges . Kids learn very well through sensory experiences so I set out on a way to fuse her mind’s understanding through her hands and sense of touch.

I thought it would be super fun to create a Shapes Hunt!

When I posted this preschool shapes activity on my Facebook page  and Instagram I had so many Mama’s loving that this was so simple and many set out to try it! (Check the community section at the end of this post to see how other Mom’s and educators used puzzles and rice to create a sensory experience!)

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

I purchased this Melissa and Doug shapes puzzle and I love it! It was well worth it and I can see it providing many hours of fun. I then threw it in a tub of rice. I didn’t need to do anything fancy  to the rice like color it because the shapes are so colorful and the fact that she could use color indication to find the shapes made it appropriate for my two year old toddler.

I love that the puzzle board itself creates a key for my toddler so she knows which shape is still hidden.

I didn’t just stop at my 2 year old toddler though. I blindfolded my 6 and 9 year old kids too and asked them to feel the shape and tell me what it is. This is wonderful for sensory processing . After many giggles I can say that this was a job well done.

Preschool Shapes Activity Hunt in Action

You can watch the video below to see how my daughter did the activity at 4 years old on her new YouTube Channel .

Watch the video to see how simple it is to create:

I’m sure you agree with me that this preschool shapes activity hunt has to be one of the easiest   colors and shapes activities for preschoolers !   Every time she found a shape she had to call out the name of the shape before placing it on the puzzle board. We experimented with feet in the rice, arms and elbows in the rice too.

Try it today ! Take one of your puzzles and place it in some rice and have your child pick out the pieces. I guarantee you that this will be fun for kids of ALL ages!

Other Colors and Shapes Activities for Preschoolers:

Have a look at other Rice Sensory Bins that we have created.

Bug/Spring Themed Sensory Bin

From the Fun With Mama Instagram Community

Join our community on Instagram and whenever you post a picture of an activity that you found at Fun With Mama make sure to tag @funwithmama in your description and use the hashtag #funwithmama . I will feature your picture and link back to your Instagram account on the relevant post. This is such a great way to be a part of a supportive network of Moms and educators!

Show these wonderful Mama’ s some love by following along with them !

Nadia is a mom of 4, with a passion for making childhood education fun through play. She encourages parents to spend quality time with their kids through fun kids activities and enjoys art, traveling, and doing activities with her children.

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In this game, your child will use pictures and real objects to practice identifying different shapes. Learning about shapes and how to describe them will help your child with later math and science concepts. This type of visual discrimination task also helps with identification of letters and numbers.

Learning Area(s): Language and Communication; Math

• Shapes (for example, from a shape puzzle, shape sorter, or set of blocks) or objects with different identifiable shapes; for example, a Lego (rectangle), a plastic cookie (circle), a Dorito chip (triangle), a square pillow, etc.
• Cards with matching shapes (at least including circle, square, triangle, rectangle. May also include diamond [rhombus], heart, star, etc.)
• Small bag or box

Gather your items of different shapes. Introduce the game to your child, for example,  “Let’s play a shapes game and see what kinds of shapes can we find in our house?”  Hold up one item and ask your child,  “What is this ? ” (Dorito or chip) and  “What shape does it have?”  (triangle) If your child doesn’t know, show how to look at the sides (and other features) to identify the shape of the object. For example, say,  “This Dorito chip is a triangle shape. See, there are one…, two…, three sides. Triangles always have three sides.”  Do this for each item to see what your child already knows.

Next, put the shape matching cards in a bag or box. Have the child pull out a card and identify the shape. Then encourage your child to find the objects that are the same shape as the shape on the card. Continue playing as long as your child is interested.

After your child masters this game, go on a “shape hunt” to look for additional items in your house that are a specific shape (e.g.,  “Let’s walk around and see what else in our house is shaped like a circle!”)

• Some children enjoy games with questions, while others are worried about saying a wrong answer. Remember to stay warm and positive with your child, even when correcting his/her answers.
• When beginning this activity, some children may have an easier time identifying 2-dimensional shapes (like a picture of a square or a triangle puzzle piece) than finding the same shapes in the real world (recognizing that a Dorito chip is a triangle). By tracing the outline of the shape with your finger, describing it, and saying its name, you can help children focus on the important features of the shape.
• Once your child can identify 2-dimensional shapes in pictures and in real objects, you can add challenge to this activity by using 3-dimensional solid shapes (cubes, spheres, cones, cylinders). See which of these shapes you can find together in your house and/or outside!

AGE GROUP(S):

3 years old, 4 years old, 5 years old

• 3 years old
• 4 years old
• 5 years old

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Shape Hunt Game for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Written by: Kokotree

Last updated: August 28, 2023

I n the diverse panorama of preschool games, Shape Hunt has risen as a fan favorite among children. This thrilling and educational game offers the perfect blend of fun and learning for toddlers, stimulating their curiosity.

Shape Hunt feeds young minds’ thirst for exploration while reinforcing their understanding of shapes, preschool math , honing cognitive skills, broadening vocabulary, and refining motor skills.

What is the Shape Hunt?

What you’ll need to play shape hunt, objective of shape hunt, how to play shape hunt, skill development, variations of the shape hunt, tips for parents/teachers, common questions about shape hunt, safety precautions, inspire exploration, encourage discovery.

The Shape Hunt is an amusing and enlightening game played by preschoolers. It involves hunting for objects around the house or classroom that match a particular shape. Renowned for its simplicity yet capacity to keep children engaged, Shape Hunt embodies the ideal approach to learning while playing.

• A variety of objects with different shapes
• Shape flashcards or pictures for reference
• A basket to collect the found items

The primary objective of Shape Hunt is to help children explore their surroundings, identify different shapes, and associate them with everyday objects. It aids in enhancing their cognitive ability to distinguish between and recognize various shapes.

• Start by choosing a specific shape for the hunt.
• Next, show the child the shape or a picture of the shape so they know what they’re looking for.
• Send them off on their adventure around the house or classroom, having them bring back objects that match the shape.
• Gather the objects in a basket and review them together, pointing out the shape in each object. Repeat the game with different shapes.

Shape Hunt is more than just a preschool game. It contributes to your child’s development in numerous ways:

• Cognitive Skills: By identifying shapes in objects, they enhance their recognition and differentiation skills.
• Motor Skills: Physically hunting and gathering objects enhances their gross motor skills .
• Communication Skills: Discussing their findings facilitates language growth and vocabulary expansion.
• Concentration: The game helps improve their focus as they search with a specific goal in mind.

Introducing variations can keep the game fresh and even more educational:

• Add colors onto the game. Now they’ll not only look for a shape but that shape in a particular color.
• Expand the hunt outdoors if possible. Nature has endless shapes to discover.
• Transform it into a treasure hunt where each correctly identified shape leads to the next clue.

Ensure the game remains encouraging:

• Patience is key. Allow the child enough time to find the objects.
• Positive affirmation will inspire them to remain engaged.
• Ensure consistency by matching difficulty level to child’s learning ability.

1. What age is suitable for Shape Hunt? Although typically a toddler game, children as young as two can start with basic shapes.

2. Can we play Shape Hunt without shape flashcards? Absolutely, a guided verbal description can also serve the purpose.

3. My child gets bored quickly. How can I maintain interest? Variations and rewards can help keep them engaged.

4. How often should we play Shape Hunt? There’s no hard and fast rule; go by the child’s interest and attention span.

5. Are there any safety precautions to consider? Avoid small objects that could be a choking hazard and ensure the environment is safe for exploration.

Although Shape Hunt is mostly safe, consider the following:

• Prevent access to any place that could potentially be dangerous.
• Ensure that the objects used for the game do not include small parts that can be swallowed.

In conclusion, Shape Hunt presents a compelling play-time boon to engage children in discovery and learning. As one of the effective games for kids, it is a powerful yet straightforward tool that parents and teachers can use to foster cognitive and language development. Simultaneously, it ensures kids are having fun! It’s time to bring Shape Hunt off the shelves, and into a world your preschooler can explore!

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25 Creative Activities and Ideas For Learning Shapes

Triangles, circles, and squares… oh, my!

Learning shapes is one of the earliest concepts we teach kids. This readies them for geometry in the years ahead, but it’s also an important skill for learning how to write and draw. We’ve rounded up our favorite activities for learning shapes, both 2-D and 3-D. They all work well in the classroom or at home.

1. Start with an anchor chart

Colorful anchor charts like these are terrific reference tools for kids learning shapes. Have kids help you come up with examples for each one.

Learn more: A Spoonful of Learning / Kindergarten Kindergarten

2. Sort items by shape

Collect items from around the classroom or house, then sort them by their shapes. This is a fun way for kids to realize that the world around them is full of circles, squares, triangles, and more.

Learn more: Busy Toddler/Shape-Sorting

3. Snack on some shapes

Everyone loves a learning activity you can eat! Some food items are already the perfect shape; for others, you’ll have to get a little creative.

Learn more: Chieu Anh Urban

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4. Print with shape blocks

Grab your shape blocks and some washable paint, then stamp shapes to form a design or picture.

Learn more: Pocket of Preschool

5. Go on a shape hunt

These “magnifying glasses” make an adventure of learning shapes! Tip: Laminate them for long-term use.

Learn more: Nurture Store UK

6. Hop along a shape maze

Use sidewalk chalk to lay out a shape maze on the playground or driveway. Choose a shape and hop from one to the next, or call out a different shape for every jump!

Learn more: Creative Family Fun

7. Assemble a truck from shapes

Cut out a variety of shapes (excellent scissors skills practice!), then assemble a series of trucks and other vehicles.

Learn more: Little Family Fun

8. Stretch out shapes on geoboards

Teachers and kids love geoboards , and they’re a great tool for learning shapes. Give students example cards to follow, or ask them to figure out the method on their own.

Learn more: Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station

9. Drive on shaped roads

Use these free printable road mats to work on shapes. Bonus: Make your own road shapes from sentence strips!

Learn more: PK Preschool Mom

10. Find shapes in nature

Take your shape hunt outside and look for circles, rectangles, and more in nature. For another fun activity, gather items and use them to make shapes too.

11. Put together craft stick shapes

Add Velcro dots to the ends of wood craft sticks for quick and easy math toys. Write the names of each shape on the sticks for a self-correcting center activity.

Learn more: Surviving a Teacher’s Salary

12. Blow 3-D shape bubbles

This is a STEM activity that’s sure to fascinate everyone. Make 3-D shapes from straws and pipe cleaners, then dip them in a bubble solution to create tensile bubbles. So cool!

Learn more: Babble Dabble Do

13. Prep a shape pizza

Cover a paper plate “pizza” with lots of shape toppings, then count the number of each. Simple, but lots of fun and very effective.

Learn more: Mrs. Thompson’s Treasures

14. Construct shapes from toothpicks and Play-Doh

This is an excellent STEM challenge: how many shapes can you make using toothpicks and Play-Doh? Marshmallows work well for this activity too.

Learn more: Childhood 101

15. Outline shapes with stickers

Kids adore stickers, so they’ll enjoy filling in the outlines of the shapes they’re learning. They won’t realize it, but this gives them fine motor skills practice too!

Learn more: Busy Toddler/Sticker Shapes

16. Lace shapes

Lacing cards have long been a classic, but we really like this version that uses drinking straws. Just cut them into pieces and glue them along the edges of the cards.

Learn more: Planning Playtime

17. Make shapes with LEGO bricks

LEGO math is always a winner! This activity also makes a good STEM challenge. Can your students figure out how to make a circle from straight-sided blocks?

18. Categorize shapes by their attributes

Work on geometry terms like “sides” and “vertices” when you sort shapes using these attributes. Start by placing shapes into paper bags and asking students questions like, “The shape in this bag has 4 sides. What could it be?”

Learn more: Susan Jones Teaching

19. Count and graph shapes

These free printable worksheets challenge kids to identify shapes, then count and graph them. Lots of math skills, all in one!

Learn more: Playdough to Plato

20. Create a shape monster

Add arms, legs, and faces to create cheery (or scary) shape monsters! These make for a fun classroom display.

Learn more: Fantastic Fun and Learning

21. Sift through rice for shapes

Sure, kids can identify their shapes by sight, but what about by touch? Bury blocks in a bowl of rice or sand, then have kids dig them out and guess the shape without seeing them first.

Learn more: Fun With Mama

22. Craft an ice cream cone

Ice cream cones are made up of several shapes. Encourage kids to see how many different ways they can make a sphere of “ice cream.”

Learn more: Extremely Good Parenting

23. Ask “What does the shape say?”

If you don’t mind the risk of getting that song stuck in your kids’ heads, this is such a neat way to combine writing and math.

Learn more: Around the Kampfire

24. Piece together shape puzzles

Use wood craft sticks to make simple puzzles for kids who are learning their shapes. These are inexpensive enough that you can make full sets for each of your students.

Learn more: Toddler at Play

25. Feed a shape monster

Turn paper bags into shape-eating monsters, then let kids fill their hungry bellies!

Learn more: Teach Pre-K

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