Shape Builder

Little levels (ages 4 to 6)

1. Find the shape Tap the circle, the triangle, the square and the rectangle by name.
2. Shape hunt Find the shapes hiding in a house, a kite, the sun and a wagon.
3. Build it Drag shapes onto dashed outlines to build a rocket and a truck.
4. Count the sides Count the straight sides of a triangle, a square, a circle and a rectangle.
5. Round or corners? Sort round shapes from shapes with corners.

Big levels (ages 7 to 9)

1. Mirror it Color the right side of a grid so it mirrors the left.
2. Five, six, eight sides Pick the pentagon, hexagon or octagon by counting sides.
3. Flat or solid? Sort cubes, spheres, cones and cylinders from flat shapes.
4. Two make one Join two triangles into a square, two squares into a rectangle, two halves into a circle.
5. Where is the mirror line? Decide which way a heart, a rectangle, a B, an S and an arrow fold in half.

The big ideas

• Shapes have names because of their sides and corners. A triangle has three sides, a square has four equal sides, a rectangle has two long and two short, and a circle has no straight sides at all.

• Big things are built from small shapes. A rocket can be a triangle on a rectangle with a circle window. Spotting the shapes inside everyday things is the start of geometry.

• A mirror line splits a shape into matching halves. Fold a heart side to side and the halves land on each other. A rectangle folds two ways. An S never matches, so it has no mirror line.

• Flat shapes and solid shapes. Flat shapes live on paper. Solid shapes like cubes, spheres, cones and cylinders take up space, and their faces are flat shapes.

• Shapes can be split and joined. Two triangles make a square, two squares make a rectangle, two half circles make a circle. The same shape can be built in different ways.

Try it at home

1. Shape walk Walk around the house or the street and call out shapes: round clock, rectangle door, triangle roof. Who finds the most?
2. Sandwich shapes Cut a square sandwich into two triangles, then two rectangles. Which cut makes more pieces of the same shape?
3. Paint mirrors Fold a paper in half, open it, dab paint on one side, fold and press. The print is the mirror image.
4. Solid hunt Find a ball, a box, a can and a party hat. Which one rolls? Which one stacks? What flat shape is on the end of the can?

Ask after playing

• What shapes could you use to build a house? A boat?
• Why does a ball roll but a box does not?
• Can you find something at home with a mirror line?