Learn how to create playful hands-on invitations to play to learn about 2D shapes and 3D shapes and their properties.
Hands down one of of my favourite maths topics to teach would have to be shapes and there's no better way to introduce 2D shapes and 3D shapes than with play in preschool and kindergarten.
Creating invitations to play doesn't require huge amounts of time, effort or resources to be effective but they do need to be created with some thought as to the outcomes you are wanting the children in your care to reach through such play.
In this post, I'm sharing some of my favourite invitations for learning about shapes and why I use these space with my class in the hope that it will inspire some play-based exploration in your own classroom.
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HOW TO CREATE INVITATIONS TO PLAY
I regularly create small invitations to play in my classroom which allow for children to independently explore different topics and concepts through hands-on activity. They might access these spaces before lessons start for the day, during math lessons or math centers or during their free time.
When planning an invitation I start by looking at what topics we are covering in maths or have recently covered but children would benefit from having further time to explore at their own pace.
During the first year of school here, children learn to sort, describe and name familiar 2D shapes and 3D objects then learn to recognise both and are able to describe the different features of shapes and objects.
Children need to develop understanding and fluency around shapes while also building problem solving and reasoning skills.
By carefully choosing materials, all of these outcomes can be achieved.
Take this invitation. It was simple to create. Just some posters and some pop-sticks with magnets on one side along with a question -
What shape can you make?
The children select a shape and then try to make it using the pop-sticks. They're being exposed to spelling of the word while being able to see the shape on the poster.
Being all straight lines, they soon find that some shapes are much harder to make than others and they can't make a circle or oval at all.
Being all straight lines, they soon find that some shapes are much harder to make than others and they can't make a circle or oval at all.
Why?
'Because they have curved lines not straight which is why I can't make them' and with this simple invitation they have started to build understanding, become more fluent when recognising and naming the different shapes, they are starting to problem solve and reason how and why some shapes could be built and other couldn't.
When beginning your invitations, keep it simple.
Allow your children to become familiar with the materials firstly. Help support their growing understanding of shapes with clear visuals.
Many of us are visual learners and absorb information more readily through visuals.
Many young children show a clear preference for building materials in preschool and kindergarten and learning about shapes, making these types of invitations popular spots in the classroom. They are perfect for building visual discrimination skills, fine motor strength and spatial awareness.
Games are another easy invitation and can be the perfect way to build friendships in class too as it provides a space for 2-3 people to play without having to be planned ahead of time.
It can help alleviate some of the anxiety the start of each school day can bring some children. They can also help parents and teachers alike as the support children experiencing any separation anxiety as they can be directed to play before the parent leaves the classroom.
Having invitations set up can also provide some useful calm down spaces in class.
First thing in the morning they can be useful spots for children to spend time after they've unpacked their bags but are not sure what else to do before their friends arrive.
During class time they can be used as spots to retreat to when a child has become overwhelmed.
I also consider how the group of children I'm teaching might interact with different materials - some might be sensory seekers so have a mix of soft and hard materials like these felt shapes, might help to engage them in the invitation for longer periods.
Don't be afraid to reintroduce an invitation to play.
When using printables such as these shape mats, just add different materials to use with the prompt.
For the first invitation, I only provided playdough with the mats to make the shapes.
Second time, I added toothpicks and playdough to the invitation.
You can even use invitations such as this as an assessment task as they allow children the opportunity to explain their thinking when prompted.
As you can see from this maker space, several different materials have been provided.
Children might use the paper stripes to make a circle but the blocks to make a cube, the string to make an oval but the playdough to make a pyramid.
Being able to explain their choices can show their level of understanding making tasks such as these important when trying to decide if a child is working at level (C grade) or at a higher lever (A grade).
Like some of the resources you've seen in this post?
