Recommended Age: 4 years
Purpose: To further the child’s experience with shapes.
Level of Parent Involvement: Low, this exercise requires the adult to introduce the material then the child may work independently creating designs.
Prerequisites
- The child has previously worked with the dimensional equipment in the sensorial area (Pink Tower, Brown Stair, Red Rods)
- The child has explored the Knobless Cylinders (the graded geometric figures comes after the child has worked with the Knobless Cylinders)
Materials
- Sets of geometrical figures in a variety of colours and sizes which will inscribe within each other or lay superimposed in concentric configuration. (For example, squares, hexagons, triangles, circles, rectangles, rhombi). Ideally sets of 10 based on 1cm progressing to 10cm)
- If doing this exercise with your child at home, you will be using the laminated paper version (refer resource pack)
Preparation
- None
Steps
- Invite the child letting them know you will be showing them the graded geometric figures (also referred to as the superimposed shapes)
- Child may get a mat, or this exercise may be done at a table
- Show the child the 3 boxes of geometrical figures, the child chooses a box and brings the box to the table (for the purpose of this exercise we will use the example of the circle box, refer to video)
- Invite the child to sit down, sit to the right of the child
- Take the lid off the box
- Ask the child to choose a colour
- Take the entire pile of the colour that the child chooses out of the box and place on mat
- Put the lid back on the box and set box aside (to the right)
- Spread the shapes out on the table
- Say to the child “you may put them in order any way you like, you can start with the biggest or the smallest”
- Show the child an example of a design and place the shapes back in order
- Now say to the child “you can make another design” (child may use the other coloured shapes in the box)
- Come back and assist with pack up if necessary
Variations
- Any one colour from any one set
- Any two colours from any two sets
- Child may use any colour from any set, mix and match
