Circles, Squares, and More!
Exploring Shapes
Shapes are everywhere! Some shapes have names—like circle, square, or triangle. Some shapes don’t have names—like the puddles on the ground or the outline of a favorite toy. Children naturally experience shapes when fitting blocks together, sitting in a circle at story time, or trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Exploring shapes helps them observe, compare, and interact with the world around them.
- Audience
- Caregiver
- Subject
- Math
- Age
- KindergartenPre-KPreschoolToddler
- Languages
- Brazilian PortugueseEnglishHaitian CreoleSimplified ChineseSpanish
- Materials
- Pattern blocks or felt shapes, construction paper, pipe cleaners
Many adults feel anxious about math, often because of past experiences. But here is the good news: you don’t need to be a math expert to help your child! Just be curious together. Notice the shapes and numbers around you, and talk about them while you play. When math is part of everyday life, it feels less scary for both of you. Laugh, explore, and don’t worry about mistakes.
Try these activities!
Shape creations
Pictures and designs
- Spread out pattern blocks in front of you.
- Place shapes together to make a picture or design. You and your child can make people, animals, objects, or vehicles. Or, just use your favorite colors and arrange them in a way you like!
Silly shapes
- Tear or cut construction paper in random ways. Try describing the shapes you made. Do any of the pieces look like any of the pattern blocks? Do they look like animals or food? Or are they so different that they don't have any names?
- Use the paper and pattern blocks to tell a story! Move shapes around to create characters and scenes.
Pipe cleaner shapes
- With your child, bend and twist the pipe cleaners. You can make a shape out of a straight line!
- Twist the ends together, and make a circle, square, or other shapes.
- Connect the pipe cleaners to each other in fun ways, like twisting and looping them. What do they look like? Some shapes may not have names—and that’s okay!
Ways to support your child
“Tell me about your shapes.”
“What does the shape look like?”
“What can we create with the shapes?”
Everyday interactions
Go outside and explore! There are shapes in nature and there are shapes in things people make. Look up at the sky—what do the clouds look like? Look around and notice the shapes of shadows on the ground. What shapes do you see on the front of a building? Talk with your child about the shapes you see everywhere.
Related Resources
CaregiverActivityUp, Down, and Around
When children crawl under a table, fit toys in a box, or figure out how to get through a narrow path, they are thinking about how to move through or fill up a certain space. Moments like these support spatial thinking—how we understand where objects are and how they move or fit together.
CaregiverActivityBig, Small, and in Between
Young children learn about measuring before they ever use rulers or scales. They practice these skills by pouring water, stacking blocks, or filling containers. Children use their senses and simple tools to explore size, weight, length, temperature, and more. They notice if something is big or small, heavy or light, long or short, or more or less.
CaregiverActivityPutting Together, Taking Apart
Adding and subtracting happens every day! It’s not just about equations like “1 + 1 = 2.” Young children learn about math by exploring how amounts change—like putting more colors onto their painting (addition) and giving a block from their pile to a friend (subtracting). As children explore putting together and taking apart groups of objects, they practice basic skills that help them get ready for the math they will learn in school.
CaregiverActivitySame and Different
Matching and sorting are key skills that help children learn how things are the same or different. Children might sort and match by color, size, shape, or what things are used for. When they do this, they are learning to compare items, understand groups, notice patterns, and organize information—all important ideas in early math and problem-solving.
CaregiverActivity1, 2, 3!
Numbers and counting help us understand ideas like amounts and sizes. When your child says “one, two, three” while touching three blocks, it helps them see that numbers have meaning. This early practice makes it easier for children to learn other math ideas, like adding, subtracting, and measuring.
EducatorGuideMath Everywhere – Playgroup Guide
You can use or adapt this playgroup structure to maximize playful learning about early math during your playgroup. Be sure to also visit the Math Everywhere collection to download the accompanying Family Activity Sheets. This playgroup guide includes:
CaregiverActivitySnip, Stick, Scribble!
In school, children do lots of activities. They write, draw, paint, and build with different materials. As children do these things, they use tools–scissors to cut paper, paintbrushes to mix colors, and pencils to write letters and numbers.
CaregiverActivityI Can Do It
At home, children can often get one-on-one help with what they need. At school, teachers have many children to care for and may not be able to assist right away. This is why it is important for children to learn to do tasks like zip jackets, put on shoes, and open snack containers. These everyday tasks use fine motor skills—small movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.