The ultimate collection of the best shape activities for preschool and kindergarten! Explore these fun and easy activity ideas to teach your child about shapes through hands-on activities, sensory play, books, art projects, snack ideas, and more.
Which preschool shape activity will you try first?
- Activities for Exploring Shapes with Preschoolers
- Shape Button Activities
- Playdough Shape Activities
- Book Inspired Shape Activities
- Shape Art Projects for Kids
- Shaped Themed Recipes for Kids
- Shape Themed Books for Preschool
- Best Shape Toys and Manipulatives for Preschoolers
- Additional Learning Activities for Preschoolers
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Shape Activities for Kids
One of the most playful ways to start a school year off with math with young children is by learning shapes. Learning shapes helps children identify and organize visual information. It also can help them learn skills in other curriculum areas including reading, math, and science.
To better understand the why’s behind teaching shapes, take a look at What Children Know and Need to Learn about Shape and Space from Stanford. This article from NAEYC shares tips for discovering shapes and pace in preschool.
What activities can you do with shapes? We’ve put together for you a collection of shape activities to encourage learning and exploration with shapes throughout the year. The more our little ones explore shapes the better they will understand more complicated concepts in math later on, trust me on this.
Want more ideas for your child? Explore our free preschool lesson plans
Activities for Exploring Shapes with Preschoolers
This collection of activities highlights how many different ways your child can have fun and learn with shapes. Let’s get started exploring shapes!
Grab your playdough and get started with this easy-to-make Dinosaur Shapes Game.
Have you ever used Kwik Paint Pens? Try them out by making this colorful Triangle Math Art.
Ready for the change in season? Have some fall fun with this Shape Scarecrow.
Want more shape writing practice? Try this Rainbow Salt Writing Tray Activity with Shapes.
Bring shapes to life by hosting your own Box Playdate (I bet you and your friends have a few Amazon boxes around the house)
Looking for a fine motor activity? Try making this Shape Necklace with Dyed Pasta
DIY Blocks are so much fun to make as you explore 3D shapes, here’s the tutorial how to make.
Grab your painters tape for this adorable movement activity to Move and Learn with Shapes.
Pattern blocks go life sized with this fun shapes patterning game with felt.
Looking for movement ideas with shapes? Try playing this inviting Shape Hopscotch!
Making shape rocks can be a fun art project that turns into a scavenger hunt or even patterning.
Looking for a circle activity? Try these 10 Circle Math Activities with lids.
Want more math activities with shapes? Here are 8 fun and easy math activities.
Puzzles can make the best stencils, especially when it comes to shape puzzles. Try this trace and match activity that sneaks in literacy too.
Grab your blocks to focus on learning addition with engineering. Hands-on fun with 3D shapes math addition towers.
Monsters make everything fun! Grab a few googly eyes to create this Shape Monster Sorting Activity.
Head outside to create these adorable Blowing Bubbles Shape Wands.
Do you have kinetic sand at home? Try making Sand Dough Shapes with Cookie Cutters.
Begin exploring 3D shapes with this fun STEM Project: Tensile Bubbles.
Shape Button Activities
I must admit, I’m slightly obsessed with these adorable shape buttons. You can grab them on Amazon or at your favorite local educational store. There are so many fun ways a child can learn with these shapes.
Here’s my top picks for shape button activities…
Get started with this hands-on exploration of button shapes in a Shape Sorting Sensory Bin.
Want a keepsake from your sensory bin adventure? Make your own Shape Bracelet.
Start to learn the letters of the alphabet by playing this Roll and Cover Alphabet Shape Game.
Want a shape activity they can play again and again, set up a Shape Sticky Wall Game.
And a whole new dimension by using a paper towel roll and contact paper for this Sticky Button Match Game. So many ways to challenge your little learner with this activity.
Start sorting and graphing by playing Shape Graphing Activity with Shape Buttons.
This hands-on game challenges your child to make your playdough shape, match your button shapes.
Here are a few of my favorite button shape manipulatives on Amazon…
Playdough Shape Activities
There’s just something about playing with playdough and learning about shapes that is a perfect match. Here is a collection of playdough shape activities to challenge your child with as they learn about shapes.
Start off with having your child find a few shapes around the house to create this Playdough Shapes Quilt.
Once it’s time for the holidays do the same challenge with Playdough Christmas Trees and shapes!
Have you tried using the Wikkistix Wax Sticks? They are a fun option for making shapes that’s mess-free.
Will you take the playdough button STEM challenge? A quick activity that challenges your child’s fine motor skills and critical thinking skills as you explore shapes.
Use these playdough shapes mats to encourage hands-on learning and even a little math literacy too.
What better way to teach preschoolers about shapes than by letting young children build them?! Try this toothpick and playdough math challenge cards.
Have some popsicle sticks? Try making these 2D shape activity using craft sticks and play dough.
Grab some shape cookie cutters to create playdough shapes!
Book Inspired Shape Activities
Bring the beloved characters to life from this popular picture book by making Gruffalo Shape Animals.
Create a memory game with shapes with this cute Mouse Count Lids as you retell the story.
A fun literacy twist with shapes, learn to spell your name shapes activity with the book Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh.
Use Eric Carle’s popular book to be inspired to make your own Brown Bear Brown Bear Pool Noodle Stamp Art with Circles.
Head outdoors with this Groovy cat activity and some circle buttons to play a Pete the Cat Craft and Shape Movement Activity Plus a tutorial for making a Pete the Cat Hat using shapes too!
Make a Shape Train Matching Activity inspired by the popular book Freight Train by Donalds Crews.
What message would a cow type? These special cows request shape blankets in a fun Click Clack Moo Shapes Activity.
Shape Art Projects for Kids
One of my favorite things to do with shapes is to create art projects with kids. Here’s a collection of shape art projects that your little one will enjoy using their artistic eye with.
A few of these art projects would be adorable in a frame too!
Explore resist painting by making this shape boat art project.
Set up a collage tray to inspire your child to build their own Shape Monster Art Project.
Get inspired by a famous artist and learn How to Draw Paul Klee Castle with shapes.
You can create any share with pipe cleaners to make your own shape stamp. Try this star shared stamp art project.
Add a little glitter for some shape magic and create this easy colorful star banner with watercolor paint.
Did you know some fruits have a shape hidden instead of them? Try this starry night inspired painting project with shapes!
If you have unifix cubes, this Square Painting Art Project is super easy and fun.
This collaborative shape art project is a quick set up as your child explore shapes.
Find a fun way to repurpose your cardboard tubes by making shape painting.
This Circle Art Project is a great open ended art activity for kids with new tools, materials, and techniques added as interest demands.
Learn about the famous artist Wasilly Kandinsky and make your own version of his famous circles picture, exploring color theory and oil pastels.
Create this gorgeous geometric art project. In this colorful math art project you will use symmetry and axes to create lovely paper tiles!
Shaped Themed Recipes for Kids
One fun thing you can do with shapes is to head to the kitchen with your child to make these shaped inspired snacks.
Learn about shapes by creating your own special shape pancakes.
What shape pizza will you make your pizza? So many options!
Challenge your child to make circles that transform into delicious apple pie pockets.
Get creative by making a train-shaped snack using various shapes.
Make a square into a triangle by making Indian Samosas with kids.
Get out of this world with shapes by making moon bread shaped like a circle.
Enjoy a book-inspired healthy and yummy treat! Make the Tortilla Shape Snack.
A childhood favorite! Make shape-specific rice Krispie treats like these star treats.
Shape Themed Books for Preschool
There are several shape books that are sure to be a hit with your preschooler. Here’s a whole post I wrote about my favorite twenty five shape books.
Grab our preschool daily schedule samples to organize your day!
The Best Shape Toys and Manipulatives for Preschoolers
As a busy mom of 3 and former Kindergarten teacher, we’ve seen quite a few shape toys at our house. I’m sharing with you below my top picks of shape toys for kids to have in your preschool learning area. Children learn so much more than just identifying shapes when it comes to these types of manipulatives.
With these featured toys, your child will explore sorting, counting, colors, fine motor skills and more. Plus so many of them lead to building your child’s imagination. Did you know using make-believe objects is the beginning of learning to read?
Which shape toy will your child enjoy the most?
Additional Learning Activities for Preschoolers
If you enjoyed these shape activities, you may also find these preschool activities helpful for your child.
