Teaching kids shapes is a great math activity for toddlers and preschoolers.  It can be made into a very fun math game by using food.  I have yet to meet a wee one that does not love snack time!

Teaching kids shapes is best done slowly.  Introduce your wee one to one shape at a time in this math game: Snack Shapers (as coined by my Sammy)

At first, I would prepare a snack using the shape we were focusing on throughout the day.  When we focused on a shape, we would look at all the details: how many straight sides, curved sides, corners.  We would draw it in sand, trace the edges, or draw it in the air.  We would try to find it throughout the house and outside.  And then we eat it!

Circle snack plates:

Triangle Snack Plates:

Or Rectangle Snack Plates:

You are only limited by your creativity!  Well, and a good knife.

After my Preschooler Sammy was comfortable with many shapes I would combine them together to make pictures:

Another fun twist to this math game is giving your child a bunch of different foods cut into various shapes and have them create their own “snack shapers”

I love this math game for a number of reasons.  It can be as simple or as complex as your child is ready for.  You could easily add in Octagons, Hexagons, or even 3D shapes.  I also love it because it combines art and math (and of course food!).  It always impresses me how many vegetables I can get my wee ones to eat when they are cut into shapes!

Teaching kids shapes can be fun, easy, and yummy too!

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