Love to Laugh and Learn

Fun and interesting learning activities to do with the children in your life

Stars: Learning Activities for Shapes

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Stars: Learning Activities for Shapes


 
Are you ready to have fun with stars? Take your child out late one evening and lay in the grass or on a blanket and watch the stars. If you live in the city you may have to drive away from the bright lights before you can see them. Enjoy playing with stars, eating stars and doing crafts with them. Please come back and share comments of the fun things you have done.

Content:

Toys
Craft:
Popsicle/Craft Stick Star
Snacks
Story Time
Related Posts

Toys

What star shaped toys do you have? Maybe a shape sorter with a star in it? How about a special pillow you sleep with at night? When I was little I had a star shaped police officer’s badge. I used the Lauri Toys Shape and Color Sorter in my preschool classroom. It has a star shape and the children really enjoyed it. Please leave a comment and let me know what star shaped toys you have at your house.

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Craft

Have fun with stars by making this popsicle/craft craft.
Have fun with stars by making this popsicle/craft craft.

Popsicle/Craft Stick Star

Materials Needed:

Materials for Popsicle/ Craft Stick Star
Materials for Popsicle/ Craft Stick Star

Popsicle/Craft sticks
Glue
Paint
Paint brush or foam brush
Paper to protect workspace

Instructions:

1. I covered my workspace with parchment paper because I bought it for $1 at the Dollar Tree. You can cover your space with whatever you have.

Painted sticks for star.
Painted sticks for star.

2. Since I wanted to use multiple colors I painted my sticks before I put them together.

3. After the paint dried, glue the sticks together in the shape of a star.

4. I’m going to use a ribbon to hang the star in my window.

Have fun with stars by making this popsicle/craft craft.
Have fun with stars by making this popsicle/craft craft.

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Foods for snack or meal time

Star fruit, chicken and star soup, occasionally around Christmas you can find star shaped pretzels or crackers, use a star shaped cookie cutter to cut vegetables, cheese and bread

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Story Time

I See Stars (All about Shapes) by D. H. Dilkes
Reading Level: Birth – 5 yrs old
D. H. Dilkes has a great series of little books that discuss different shapes. In this book you will find many different stars. I like the fact that the illustrations are photographs of everyday items. The text rhymes and is simple which is great for a young child that is just being introduced to shapes.

Laura’s Star by Klaus Baumgart
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
An adorable book about a little girl and a falling star. Laura was looking for a special friend to tell her secrets to and found it in a most unusual place. The sparkling little star adds so much to the story and the illustrations.

Stars by Mary Lyn Ray and Marla Frazee
Reading Level: Ages 3 and up
A beautiful story to go along with teaching the star shape. The children in the book go on all types of adventures with stars. They see them in the sky and they make some and put them in their pockets. I like how the author encourages a child’s imagination such as saying stars look like silver eggs you could put in a basket. The illustration shows a little girl holding a basket up in the air as if she was gathering the stars. Be sure to take your child along on this wonderful adventure with stars. They will learn that sometimes they might even feel as shiny as a star.

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Related Posts

Shapes – Overview
The Lessons – Overview
Circles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes
Squares: Learning Activities for Shapes
Rectangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Diamonds: Learning Activities for Shapes
Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes
Learning Should Be Fun
When Do Children Start Learning
Colors – Overview

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Diamonds: Learning Activities for Shapes

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Diamonds: Learning Activities for Shapes
with free printables




 

Time for fun with diamonds. What is the first thing you think of when someone talks about a diamond? My first thing is a kite. The second thing I think of is the song, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Below are listed some fun things to do with diamonds. Have fun and please come back and share the different activities you have tried and how you liked them.


Content:

Toys
Crafts:
Kite Picture
Flower Made from Diamond Shapes
Snacks
Story Time
Related Posts

Toys

You may have a shape sorter with a diamond shape in it. I would recommend the Discovery Toys: Playful Patterns (just use the diamond shapes today). Also try a Hape Geo Form S – Diamond Shaped Puzzles or kite. Please stop by and share what type of diamond shape toys you have.

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Crafts

Diamond Flower Craft


Kite Picture

Material for Diamond Kite Craft

Materials Needed:

Diamond Kite Template
Construction paper or paint, markers, crayons
String or yarn
Stickers
Scissors
Glue

Instructions:

1. Print Diamond Kite Template

2. You can either color or paint the kite on the template or use the template as a pattern to cut the kite out of construction paper. For this craft, I decided to cut the kite out of construction paper and glue it to another piece of construction paper.

3. Glue a piece of string or yarn to the bottom of the kite and have it run all the way to the bottom of the page so it looks like the kite is flying high in the sky.

4. Add stickers to the kite for extra decoration. Stickers are great for young children to exercise their fine motor skills as they peel and stick them to the paper.

Have fun learning about diamonds with this Diamond Shaped Kite Craft

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Diamond Flower

Materials Needed:

Material Needed for the Diamond Flower Craft

Diamond Flower Template
Construction or tissue paper
Scissors
Glue
Green marker

Instructions:

1. Print Diamond Flower Template

2. Cut 2 diamonds out of green paper.

3. Cut the rest of the diamonds out of whatever color you want your flower to be.
You can cut out as many diamonds as you want.

4. Glue the diamond petals in a flower shape with their points touching in the center of the flower.

5. Draw a green stem on the flower.

6. Glue the 2 green diamond shaped leaves to the stem.

Now you have a beautiful diamond flower to remind you of spring or to give to mom or grandma for Mother’s Day.

Have fun making this beautiful Diamond Flower Craft

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Foods for snack or meal time

I searched the web and couldn’t find any diamond shaped foods but you can always use a diamond shaped cookie cutter to cut vegetables, fruits, cheese, etc. You could also use triangle shaped foods and show your child how to put them together to create a diamond.

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Story Time

Much to my disappointment, I have not been able to find any books that are only about diamonds. I have found some books that discuss several different shapes and diamonds are included so I am listing those books. If you know of any books that are just about diamonds, please let me know.

Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
There isn’t much of a story. Actually it’s just a poem on the first page of the book but seeing how the different animals are made with the shapes is very interesting. The pictures are very bright and inviting to a child. The shapes that are covered are circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, heart, oval, diamond, octagon and hexagon.

Museum Shapes by The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Reading Level: Kindergarten – 3rd Grade
This is a very interesting way to introduce your child to shapes and to the art world. Your child is introduced to different shapes and asked to locate the shapes in famous pieces of art work. A fun way to teach your child to look for shapes in items they run across every day such as wheels, on clothing or in a painting. Not only is this a good book for teaching shapes but it would be good to read before heading out for an afternoon at the art museum. There are reference pages at the end of the book that provide information on each of the pieces of art that are represented in the book. The shapes that are covered are circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, heart, oval, diamond, crescent and arch.

Shape by Shape by Suse MacDonald
Reading Level: Ages 2 to 5
This book does not actually teach shapes but it is a good review and a fun mystery. The book starts out with two black circles in the middle of the page and it asks, “Do you know what I am?” As you progress page by page you find different shapes cut out of the pages with different hints. By the time you reach the end of the book you find, created over a three page spread, the answer to the original question. You will need to get this book to share with your child. It is quite fun to see what the shapes create at the end of the book. The shapes that are covered are circle, triangle, oval, diamond, crescent and semi-circle.

When a Line Bends . . . A Shape Begins by Rhonda Gowler Greene
Reading Level: Preschool to 2nd Grade
The book starts out by describing different types of lines and then it discusses the different shapes that can be made when a line bends. The book is written in rhyme and gives many, many examples for each shape. There are fun multi-colored pictures to go with each example. Your child will have fun looking for the different shapes that are described in the text. The shapes that are covered are circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, heart, oval, diamond, crescent and octagon.

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Related Posts

Shapes – Overview
The Lessons – Overview
Circles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes
Squares: Learning Activities for Shapes
Rectangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Stars: Learning Activities for Shapes
Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes
Learning Should Be Fun
Colors – Overview
When Do Children Start Learning

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Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes

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Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes

It’s time for some fun learning activities with triangles. What type of triangles do you see around you? Maybe mom or dad cut your toast into triangles this morning. Do you have any toys that are triangle shaped? Take a walk down the street and count how many triangles you see. Do some of the roofs on the houses form a triangle shape? Have lots of fun with triangles today. Please stop by my facebook page, Love to Laugh and Learn, and share pictures of the triangle you see and create.

Content:

Toys
Craft:
Triangle Fish Craft
Snacks
Story Time
Related Posts

Toys

Trying to think of triangle shaped toys is a little hard. Maybe you can help me out. What type of triangle shaped toys do you have around your house? Please leave a comment and help me out.

You may have a shape sorter with a triangle shape in it. I would recommend the Discovery Toys: Playful Patterns (just use the triangle shapes today). There is a game called Tri*ominos that uses triangle shaped pieces. The “home bases” on Chinese checkers are triangle shaped. If you are into music you can play with a musical triangle today. I look forward to any suggestions you have.

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Craft

Create a cute fish while learning about triangles.
Create a cute fish while learning about triangles.

Triangle Fish Craft
Adapted from DLTK Crafts for Kids

Materials Needed:

Materials for Triangle Fish Craft
Materials for Triangle Fish Craft

Triangle Fish Template
Colored paper, crayons, markers or paints
Scissors
Glue Stick
White Glue
Wiggly Eyes

Instructions:

1. Print Triangle Fish Template
2. You can either use the template as a pattern to cut the triangles out of colored paper or have your child color or paint the pieces and then cut them out.
3. Use glue stick to glue the middle size triangle to the back of the large triangle for the tail.
4. Use glue stick to glue the small triangle to the big triangle as the fin.
5. Use white glue to glue on a wiggly eye (I love wiggly eyes) or draw an eye.
6. Draw a mouth.

Now you have a beautiful triangle fish!

Triangle Fish Craft
Triangle Fish Craft

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Foods for snack or meal time

A sandwich cut from corner to corner, some tortilla chips are triangle shaped, cut watermelon into triangle shapes, cut cheese in triangle shapes, Triscuit Thin Crisps

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Story Time

I See Triangles (All about Shapes) by D. H. Dilkes
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
D. H. Dilkes has a great series of little books that discuss different shapes. In this book you will learn about triangles. I like the fact that the illustrations are photographs of everyday items. The text is simple which is great for a young child that is just being introduced to shapes.

Triangles (Shapes) by Marybeth Lorbiecki
Reading Level: Birth – 4yrs old
A cute introduction to triangles. The rhyming storyline leads you through bright illustrations of a kitten and puppy as they explore triangles. They encourage your child to search out, count and have fun with triangles.

Triangles (The Shape of the World) by Dana Meachen Rau
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
Dana Meachen Rau has a great series of little books about shapes. In this book you will see several different triangles. You might find some right in your own house. The simple text and bright pictures will give you and your child a lot to talk about. This is a great little book for introducing triangles to your child.

What Is a Triangle? (Harper Growing Tree) by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
You will find many different triangle shapes throughout this book. It is an easy read for young children with a lot of bright pictures. A few of the items are actually cones rather than triangles but I guess if you are just introducing your child to triangles that won’t really matter a lot. It’s written in rhyme, which I always love. The funniest part to me was that is says a triangle (the musical instrument) is a triangle.

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Related Posts

Shapes – Overview
The Lessons – Overview
Circles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes
Squares: Learning Activities for Shapes
Rectangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Diamonds: Learning Activities for Shapes
Stars: Learning Activities for Shapes
Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes
Learning Should Be Fun
Colors – Overview

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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Activities

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day Activities





Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January so it falls on or near his birthday, which is January the 15th. The foundation of almost all of my learning activities is books. The book I would like to start with, to aid in learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. is called, “Martin Luther King, JR. Day (Holidays, Festivals, & Celebrations)“ by Trudi Strain Trueit.  The suggested reading level for this book is 5 years old and up so this activity may work for a little bit older child than some of my previous posts.

Because of the way the book is divided, you could either read through the whole thing at once or read one or two sections at a time. The book really isn’t very long so I would probably read through the whole thing first and then go back and reread or simply discuss some of the parts while introducing some of the following activities.

After reading through the book, go back to page 4. It mentions that M.L.’s mother said that some people didn’t realize that beneath the skin everyone was the same. To emphasize this point conduct this simple lesson that I found on Pinterest. The activity came from The First Grade Parade blog.

Here is how Mrs. Carroll suggests doing this activity:

1. Show your child a white egg and a brown egg.

Martin Luther King, Jr. , brown egg and white egg
Martin Luther King, Jr. , brown egg and white egg

2. Have them discuss how the eggs are the same and how they are different.
3. Remove the eggs from the child’s sight and break them open on a plate. Leave the egg shells out of sight.

Martin Luther King, Jr. - egg activity
Martin Luther King, Jr. – egg activity

4. Ask the child if they can tell which egg came out of the white shell and which came out of the brown shell.
5. Conclusion: We may look different on the outside but we are all the same on the inside.

On page 12 of the book, “Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Holidays, Festivals & Celebrations)” by Trudi Strain Trueit, It talks about the famous, “I Have a Dream”, speech. The wonderful thing about the times we live in is that we have easy access to history. Your child can actually see Martin Luther King, Jr. giving his speech. Here is a YouTube clip you can share with your child. It doesn’t take very long and he gives the speech with such passion that it holds your attention.

YouTube Video of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech:

“I Have a Dream” August 28, 1963

Craft

I found a cute craft on Pinterest that I would like to share with you. It came from the Teach Preschool blog. It goes along with the “I Have a Dream” speech. Another book I would suggest in preparation for this craft is, “Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Ready to Read, Level 1)” by Margaret McNamara. Although, the book doesn’t go into a lot of detail about Martin Luther King, Jr. it does discuss the “I Have a Dream” concept quite a bit. I like using this in preparation for the craft because it gives the child some ideas of the kinds of dreams that Martin Luther King, Jr. might have had; such as dreaming that no one would be poor or that everyone would play together nicely. Giving the children some direction through reading this book may result in more answers that dream about the welfare of others instead of dreams of getting more candy or going to Disney World.

“I Have a Dream” Cloud Craft
from Teach Preschool

Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have a Dream" craft materials
Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream” craft materials

Materials Needed:

White construction paper or poster-board
cotton balls
glue
pen or marker

 

 

Directions:

1. From the white construction paper or poster-board, cut out some cloud shapes.

Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have a Dream" craft
Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream” craft

2. If your child is too young to write then record what their dream would be on the cloud.
3. Put glue around the edge of the cloud and take cotton balls and pull them apart to stretch them and lay them in the glue.

Martin Luther King, Jr Day: "I Have a Dream" craft
Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream” craft

4. Now you can hang your child’s dreams around the house and remember what Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed for this country.

Story Time

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Holiday House Reader) by David A. Adler
Reading Level: Ages 6 and up
Learn about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dreams. His dreams that all people would be treated the same. Find out how he tried to change laws with peaceful actions. One of my favorite quotes from the books is, “He taught his followers to fight hate with love.” We would all be better off if we could remember that.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (On My Own Holidays) by Linda Lowery
Reading Level: Ages 7 and up
This is a very interesting and informative book about the struggles that Martin Luther King, Jr. faced during his lifetime. You will read about his hurt and disappointment when he is no longer allowed to play with his best friend; a little white boy. You will read how much Martin Luther King, Jr. loved to learn and was an excellent student. But most importantly, you will get to find out how much he wanted peace and for people to be treated equally, no matter the color of their skin.

Martin Luther King, JR. Day (Holidays, Festivals, & Celebrations) by Trudi Strain Trueit
Reading Level: Ages 5 and up
I love this book. There is a lot of historical information for a picture book. It is well written and not overwhelming. The book is broken down into eight chapters. Six of the chapters cover the story of Martin Luther King, Jr.. The chapters are very short and great for a young listener or reader. The longest chapter is two pages long and consists of nine sentences. The book explains what it was like for Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was a young boy growing up in the south. You will read about the way his family influenced his life. They encouraged him to be proud but peaceful. I plan on using this book as the basis for a lesson for pre-kindergarten and older. I highly recommend it.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Ready-to-Read. Level 1) by Margaret McNamara
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
I enjoyed this book. It is a fun read but it doesn’t really talk a lot about the great things that Martin Luther King, Jr. accomplished. It mostly talks about him having a dream. It does say that he dreamed the world would be a better place but that is about all the information you get. I have seen a cute activity where kids write down their dreams, for the world, on little clouds. I would use this book to set up that activity but if I was really wanting my children to learn something about Martin Luther King, Jr., I would choose a different book.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and the March on Washington (Penguin Young Readers, L3) by Frances E. Ruffin
Reading Level: Ages 5 and up
This book is specifically about the march on Washington, D.C.. It tells about the events that led up to this peaceful protest. Pick up this book and find out what kind of changes were made in our country because of the march on Washington and why these changes were needed.

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Squares: Learning Activities for Shapes

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Squares: Learning Activities for Shapes

Below you will find some fun learning activities with squares. Your child can make a travel pillow or a gift for some special lady in their life. There are also some great book suggestions. You can find squares all around you. What type of squares did you and your child find?

Content:

Toys
Crafts:
Square Travel Pillow
Square Sachet
Snacks
Story Time
Related Posts

Toys

Square wooded blocks, dice, some game boards

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Crafts

Learn about squares while making travel pillows and sachets.
Learn about squares while making travel pillows and sachets.

Square Travel Pillow

Materials Needed for Square Pillow Craft

Materials Needed:

Fleece
Ruler
Scissors
Fabric glue or yarn & plastic yarn sewing needle
Fiber filling

Instructions:

1) Cut the fleece into two 8 inch squares for each pillow. *I chose 8 inches because my great-niece and great-nephews still ride in car seats and I thought the smaller pillow would work better to prop up their heads rather than a bigger one. You can actually make them any size square you want.  

Square pieces of fabric

2) For younger children that are doing this craft; help them run a bead of fabric glue along the outer edge of three sides of the wrong side of one of the squares. *The wrong side would be the back side that doesn’t have a clear print on it. (For older children skip down to step 2b)

Glue bead

3) Place the second square on top of the one with the glue; wrong sides together. According to the directions on the Aleene’s Fabric Fusion, let it dry for 2 to 4 hours.

4) Stuff with fiber filling. A child as young as one year old can help with this step.

Stuffing Pillow

5) Glue the last side together. You may need to use straight pins or safety pins to hold it closed until it has dried.

Sealing last side of square pillow

**2b) For older children, you can teach them how to sew the two squares together using yarn and a plastic yarn needle. I used to sew with my 4 year old preschool classes.

Plastic yarn sewing needle

3b) Place the two squares with wrong sides together.

4b) Thread yarn through needle then sew 3 of the 4 sides together using a straight stitch.

Sewing pillow together

5b) Stuff with fiber filling then sew the last side together. Even little ones as young as one year old can help with this step.

Stuffing Pillow

6b) Sew last side closed.

Now your little one has created their own special pillow to use in the car.

Square Travel Pillows

**Special note: You may want to take your plastic yarn needle to the store when you choose your fleece. Some of the fleece is woven tighter than others which makes it hard to get the needle through it. I couldn’t get the needle through the purple fleece but it went easily through the fleece with the frogs.

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Square Sachet Bags

Materials Needed for Sachets

Materials Needed:

Fleece
Ruler
Scissors
Fabric glue or yarn & plastic yarn sewing needle
Potpourri of your choice

Instructions:

1) Cut the fleece into two 4 inch squares for each sachet.

2) For younger children that are doing this craft; help them run a bead of fabric glue along the outer edge of three sides of the wrong side of one of the squares. *The wrong side would be the back side that doesn’t have a clear print on it. (For older children skip down to step 2b)

3) Place the second square on top of the one with the glue; wrong sides together. According to the directions on the Aleene’s Fabric Fusion, let it dry for 2 to 4 hours.

4) Fill with potpourri of your choice. A child as young as one year old can help with this part. Make sure they don’t try to eat the potpourri.

Filling Square Sachet

5) Glue the last side together. You may need to use straight pins or safety pins to hold it closed until it has dried.

Sealing Square Sachet

**2b) For older children, you can teach them how to sew the two squares together using yarn and a plastic yarn needle. I used to sew with my 4 year old preschool classes.

3b) Place the two squares with wrong sides together.

4b) Thread yarn through needle then sew 3 of the 4 sides together using a straight stitch.

5b) Fill with potpourri then sew the last side together.

Your child has now made a special gift that they can give to mom, grandma, teacher or some other special lady in their life. Or maybe they want to keep it to put in one of their own clothes drawers.

Square Sachet

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Foods for snack or meal time

Square crackers, square pieces of cheese, caramels, cut sandwiches into square shapes, cut fruit into little squares, Chex cereal

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Story Time

I See Squares by D. H. Dilkes
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
D. H. Dilkes has a great series of little books that discuss different shapes. In this book you will find squares in many different places. I like the fact that the illustrations are photographs of every day items. The text is simple which is great for a young child that is just being introduced to shapes.

So Many Circles, So Many Squares by Tana Hoban (only covers circles and squares)
Reading Level: Birth to 2nd Grade
There is no storyline to this book. It is just pages and pages of pictures from the world around us. It concentrates on two shapes; circles and squares. This is a great book for introducing shapes to your child. This book could lead into a great game of finding circles right where you are.

Squares (Shapes) by Pamela Hall
Reading Level: Birth to 5 yrs old
A cute introduction to squares. The rhyming storyline leads you through bright illustrations of a kitten and her puppy. They encounter squares all around the house. There are many squares on each page to be observed, counted and enjoyed. I do have a problem with the fact that some of the squares are positioned on their corner which then makes them look like a diamond.

What Is Square? by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Reading Level: Ages 1 – 4 yrs old
I really like this book because it concentrates on one shape. I am finding it hard to find shape books that are dedicated to one shape at a time. This book is written in a fun rhyming fashion. There are plenty of pictures of square items. One thing that bothers me is that some of the square items are set at an angle (in other words on a corner) which then makes them look like a diamond instead of a square. On a positive note, that gives you an opportunity to start discussing the diamond shape.

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Related Posts:

Shapes – Overview
The Lessons – Overview
Circles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes
Rectangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Diamonds: Learning Activities for Shapes
Stars: Learning Activities for Shapes
Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes
Learning Should Be Fun
Colors – Overview

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