1. Play Shape Games
Making learning fun is always a great way to teach whether a child is 2 or 20, but toddlers in particular learn best through play. To that end, you should endeavor to make teaching the difference between shapes as fun as possible. Many early-learning toys are specifically crafted in easy-to-recognize shapes like circles, rectangles and triangles. These toys can usually be used to teach color and size as well. When you first start to teach shapes, which children can learn around 18 months old, name each shape and identify the differences between them.
For example, you could say, "This is a circle. It has round edges," or "Look at this triangle. It has three sides." As your child starts to learn, ask questions that give him a chance to demonstrate understanding. Eventually, your child should be able to recognize and name different shapes, and then utilize that knowledge to perform tasks like putting the round block in the round hole.
2. Make Snacktime and Mealtime Lesson Time
Food is always a great motivator because it can be an incentive in and of itself. When using food as a teaching tool, you can usually keep your child's complete attention. Pick out foods that come in different shapes, such as square crackers, triangle tortilla chips and round cookies. Have your child pick out the different shapes or match each snack with foods of similar shapes. There are many different ways you can incorporate shapes into your mealtimes including cutting sandwiches into triangles or circles or only serving foods that are one shape for a meal
3. Use Educational Materials
You can use many concept books, children's television programs and DVDs to teach the concept of shapes to your child. These educational materials are often used in daycare and are readily available at your local library or bookstore. The key to teaching with these materials is interaction with your child. Sitting down with her to watch the programs or look at the picture books is infinitely more helpful than letting her explore them on her own. While these materials can be helpful in keeping a child's attention, they are only one part of getting your child to absorb what is taught.
4. Use Shapes in Arts and Crafts
Arts and crafts allow children to take what they learn and put it into practice. When a child can draw or paint a shape out of nothing, it shows greater understanding than simple identification. Creating artwork that is all one shape theme is one way to reinforce the concept. For example, you could teach your child to do a project that is all circles. The next day, you could make a project that is all triangles, and so on.
5. Point out Shapes in the Child's Environment
Applying knowledge about shapes to the objects in their world is the final step in understanding about shapes. Being able to identify that something is shaped like a circle or like a rectangle demonstrates that your child has moved from recognition to comprehension. When you are out with your child, whether taking a walk outside or driving in the car, point out things that make clear shapes. Street sign, road cones, wheels, windows and rocks are just some of the things you can use. Ask questions like, "What shape is that street sign?" or "Do you see any circles anywhere?" This is a learning game you can both enjoy.
