There are so many shapes in our big world, and as kids get older, it’s important that they can distinguish between 2D and 3D images, as well as identify what each shape is called. Learning about geometric shapes doesn’t make you a square, it makes you a three-dimensional shapes master! From abstract shapes and math skills to memory games and crafts for preschool kids, we have all the fresh shape recognition projects to make your students run in circles with excitement!
1. Build Your Own Shape
This shape craft is printable paper with simple facts about shapes printed on it. This activity is so easy to set up, you can help your kids build their own or work in pairs. Provide scissors and glue and watch them cut and fold their shapes.
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2. 3D Bingo!
Here is an educational printable that encourages students to identify and remember the shape name, while matching it with the 3D object printed on their bingo card. So once they know the shape they can spot real items in daily life.
3. The Wheel of Shapes
This interactive resource can be printed out on large paper and you can use a paper clip or pencil as the spinner. Students can spin and see what shape they land on. They will then repeat the name and say whether it is 2D or 3D!
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4. DIY 3-D Paper Cone Giraffe
Even though this link explains how to design a giraffe, your kiddos can build any animal they like the most! Have a variety of colored paper and show them how to form a 3D cone for the body and then a 2D circle for the head.
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5. STEM Challenge: Triangular Prisms
In this activity for kids, you’ll need play dough and colorful craft sticks. To help students with learning shapes, it helps when they can piece together a model like triangular prisms to get a better understanding of shapes and their parts.
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6. Cereal Box Houses
Now here is a craft that uses recycled materials and improves kids’ motor skills! Have your kids bring in some empty cereal boxes and let their creativity shine by cutting and gluing 2D and 3D shapes out of pieces of paper to make a colorful neighborhood!
Learn More: Rainbow Trace
7. 3D Shape Hunt
There are a few printables available you can use in an outdoor shape hunt, but this one is designed for indoors such as at home or in the classroom. Before printing your list of basic shapes for your kids to find, make sure there are items in those shapes around the room, such as marbles, paper rolls, and cubes.
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8. 3D Shape Nets Tutorial
Here is a fun and easy-to-follow shape nets video you can watch before teaching your students how to build their own. You can also play this video in class and pause for students to ask questions/ask for help folding and gluing together their basic shapes.
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9. 3D Shape Rhyme
The world has been blessed with this clever rhyme teaching us about three-dimensional shapes, with useful examples that make recognizing objects fun game kids can commit to memory.
Learn More: Pinterest
10. Dino Crunch
There are quite a few online resources available for digital shapes games. This one is exciting and interactive with colorful prehistoric characters, sounds, and images to encourage correct choices!
Learn More: Education
11. Roll or Slide Matching Game
If you want your kids to really grasp 3D shapes and how they function, explore this fun shapes game using a ramp! Now if you don’t have access to a toy ramp then just ask your kids to move the 3D shapes around and see which can roll and which can only slide, and categorize them accordingly.
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12. Mystery Bag of Shapes!
Talk about a truly hands-on activity! What a fun and simple idea that will get your kiddos bouncing and waiting for a turn to reach their little hands in the mystery bag and guess which shape they grab.
Learn More: The Happy Teacher
13. Sorting Foods
Time to think outside the box, and venture into the snack aisle for this learning activity that’s bound to get your students’ mouths watering over 3D shapes. Bring a variety of 3D snacks to class and ask students to sort them according to their shapes.
Learn More: Pinterest
14. Play Dough Cookie Cutter Shapes
Using a material like play dough is perfect for shape-creating because kids can decide if they want their shapes to be 2D or 3D. They can build on their creations and use their imagination and other supplies if available!
Learn More: Learning 4 Kids
15. DIY Geoboard
Geoboards are a great motor skills activity that gives students endless opportunities to create and design. For 3-D geometric shape practice, students can use colored rubber or fabric bands to loop around different pegs creating cool diagrams.
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16. Shape Sensory Bin
We all have heard of or incorporated sensory bins in our activities for other learning topics, and shapes are no different! You can use 3D shape blocks or foam shapes and fill up your tub with lots of soapy water for learning fun!
Learn More: Fantastic Fun And Learning
17. DIY Shape Bracelets
If you don’t have buttons lying around you can pick some up at a craft store! Make sure to get some in a variety of shapes and colors to make this bracelet craft a shape recognition and memory exercise worth wearing with pride!
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18. Paper Plate and Yarn Crafts
This shapes craft has plenty of room for your kiddos to express their creativity! Make sure you have scissors and cutouts of shapes they can trace onto their plates and cut out. Then wind the yarn in and out of the space the shape makes for a cool hangable craft!
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19. Paper Tube Family Craft
These paper shapes are not only fun to make, but incorporate cylinder-shape recognition and motor skills by putting together each member of the family. Yarn can be cut and glued for the hair, paint on the clothes, and glue on the googly eyes!
Learn More: Fantastic Fun And Learning
20. 2D and 3D Shape Painting
Now, this craft’s got it all! We are using 3D shape blocks and paint to create 2D shapes on paper. So simple, but so effective for showing kids the difference between 2D and 3D while making colorful art!
Learn More: Pinterest
21. Shape Monsters!
You don’t need a printable to help your students create their own shape monsters. Just have a few shape templates cut out and ready for your students to trace and cut. Have craft supplies like pipe cleaners, paper slips, and cotton for your kids to decorate their shape monsters with!
Learn More: Fantastic Fun And Learning
22. Pizza Shape Collage
Probably best to do this shapes craft before lunchtime because it will get your kids thinking about food. Show your students an example of pizza you made, and give them paper, scissors, and glue to create their own. You may be surprised to see what they put on their pizza!
Learn More: Pinterest
23. DIY Polydron Shapes
You can purchase a polydron cube online and find all the various 3D shapes your kids can make with these fun 2D combination squares. A hands-on math activity your kids will be excited to build and get creative with!
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24. DIY Paper Rockets
How many shapes does it take to build a rocket? Some are 2D and some are 3D. Can your students tell the difference as they assemble these colorful contraptions?
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25. Foldable Alphabet Cubes
This link has step-by-step instructions for how to fold and glue together a 3D cube. From there, you can cut and paste alphabet letters for fun learning games!
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26. 3D Paper Letters
For kids who like to work with precision, this geometric craft is perfect for their little artistic fingers! Follow the tutorial video and see how to design, cut, and glue together your own 3D letters. Watch further videos to learn how to create more letters and spell out your name!
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27. Online 3D Shapes Game
A useful resource for at-home or distant learning kids can play on their own to better understand 3D shapes and where they may find them in their daily lives.
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