With these flower shape mats, preschoolers will explore shapes in the form of colorful spring flowers. This is just the latest in my collection of free preschool printables that focus on early learning skills.
You and your students can use a variety of materials with these mats to practice tons of math concepts in engaging, hands-on ways. I love it when printables are versatile, don’t you?
This pack of flower mats includes 12 different geometric shapes as the centers of happy flowers. I go over how we use these types of shape mats below. And I also recommend some alternative ways to use them with your students.
Related: Math Activities for Preschoolers
When your kids get their hands on the flower shape mats, they’ll no doubt start to explore on their own. This is great! And it’s an effective way to let their curiosity guide them to learn. While there are some straightforward approaches to using this printable, there are also some surprising alternatives I’ve discovered over the years.
Flower Shape Mats
And now onto the flower mats! Take a peek through this post at what’s included with your free printable, and then you can download your own copy at the end. Your kids will welcome the chance to celebrate spring with these bright and colorful flower math printables!
How to Prep the Shape Mats
If you have been a Fun-A-Day follower for a while, you’ll know I am not a big fan of fussy, complicated preschool worksheets. I much prefer fun, eye-catching printables that the kids naturally want to get their hands on.
Most of my printables simply need to be printed out to start using. However, I always suggest laminating or using them with dry erase pockets if you want to extend their life span. You can reuse laminated printables several times, and with so many ways to use these printables, I recommend it!
Here are many of the supplies I like to have on hand at all times to use with printables, as well as some extra flower-themed ideas you might like.
- Printer
- Dry erase pockets
- Dry erase markers
- Laminator
- Laminator sheets
- Play dough
- Flower stickers
- Small craft bees
- Butterfly clings
- Glass gems
- Buttons
- Pom poms
You can absolutely use what you have on-hand with these flower shape mats. Think spring! Flower seeds, pebbles, little fake flowers, and spring play dough all come to mind. Join your kids in a hunt around the classroom or home (or outside!) to look for materials you might enjoy.
Related: Spring Printables
After printing the flower printables, you can laminate each page or pop them into dry erase sleeves if you so desire. Sometimes I like to cut the sharp corners off with a handy dandy corner cutter.
For the pages with several flowers, you can leave them all together on one page, or you can cut around each flower and laminate them individually. This all depends on what you choose to do with them, and there are more ideas further down.
That’s it for prepping! Easy peasy. Now it’s time to see all the great ways to use the flower shape mats.
How to Use the Flower Shape Mats
Now that your printables are prepped, it’s time to explore the many ways the flower shape mats can be used!
The first activity I’ll go over is pretty simple, but very important when it comes to preschool development skills. Have the kids simply trace the perimeters of the shapes with their dry erase markers. This will give them pre-writing practice and let them learn lots of different shapes along the way.
Another fun activity is to use manipulatives, stickers, etc. to trace the shapes. The kids could even use the mats as models to build their own shapes with blocks!
This can also be done while practicing patterns, as seen with the buttons and pom poms we used.
If you have play dough, the kids can fill the individual shapes with playdough, as well as the flower petals. Maybe they want to add loose parts to make flower faces; I know I’d want to!
Since the flower mats and smaller flowers have corresponding shapes, they’re perfect for a simple game of matching.
So, just lay the flower mats out and let the kids match the smaller flower shapes to them. This could be done individually, as a simple turn-taking game between peers, with some garden messy play, a flower sensory bin, or even as a pretend play activity.
The multi-flower mats can also be used for a little scavenger hunt. The kids can work in teams or pairs to search for shapes around the room or your home that match the shapes on the sheets.
What are the Kids Learning?
Whenever kids get to take part in hands-on learning, they are activating different parts of their brains to reinforce what they’re learning. This flower printable may look simple, but by using it in different ways, children can practice:
- Fine motor skills
- Shape recognition
- Pattern making
- Counting (sides of shapes)
- Measuring (by using small objects to ‘measure’ shapes)
Plus, why not take advantage of the flower theme by chatting about how bees pollinate flowers, what flowers need to grow, etc?
Related: Dinosaur Playdough Mats
There really are countless ways to use straightforward printables to practice any number of emerging skills with the kiddos. You might think of something totally new to try while you are using them. Or ask the kids, as I’m sure they will have all sorts of ideas of how to use the flower shape mats.
More Shape Printables
I love shape mats! Here are some of my other shape mat options, as well as some I found from other early childhood educators. You can grab your own sets to use throughout the year:
- Bunny Shape Mats
- Shape Monsters Collage Art
- Pumpkin Shape Mats
- Shape Matching Clip Cards
- Gingerbread Man Shape Mats
You’ll be able to keep these mats organized to pull out any time you want to, depending on the lesson plans or themes you are working on. They’re a fantastic add-on to whatever you are teaching.
Flower Preschool Lesson Plans
Looking for more ways to teach flowers? Preschool Teacher 101 has you covered! We’ve got a whole flower-themed lesson plan set.
And of course we have some more products you can use this spring, too! Let me tell you, these will save you a ton of planning time! Click on each image below to get your own:
How to Get Your Free Flower Mats Printable
The flower shape mats are available to members of Fun-A-Day’s free email community. If you’re a member, fill out the form below and the download links will be sent to your inbox. If you’re not a member, you can join us by entering your information in the form. Then you’ll receive the printable as a welcome gift!
If you can’t see the above form, you can open it in a new tab here.
Be sure to check out my printing FAQ page if you run into any issues.
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