Helping Your Child Learn About Shapes

One of the early maths foundations children are expected to be familiar with is shapes. In early years education, we know that children learn best through play, movement, and everyday experiences.

Why Learning Shapes Matters

Understanding shapes helps children:

• Develop early maths and problem-solving skills

• Build language (learning words like circle, square, side, corner)

• Strengthen visual awareness, which later supports reading and writing

In Kinder 1, children are not expected to memorise shapes perfectly, but rather to recognise them, talk about them, and explore them confidently.

Here are some simple, child-friendly ways you can support your little one at home.

Start With Everyday Shape Spotting

One of the easiest ways to introduce shapes is through daily life.

Try:

• “Can you find something round in the kitchen?”

• “What shape is your plate?”

• “The window looks like a rectangle!”

Pointing out shapes during walks around your village or town, home and shops like tiles, doors, road signs. This helps children understand that shapes are part of their world, not just something in a book.

Hands-On Play Is Key

Young children need to touch, build, and move to truly learn.

Activities you can try:

• Building towers with blocks and talking about their shapes

• Sorting toys by shape rather than colour

• Making pictures using cut-out shapes

Open-ended toys such as wooden shape sorters or construction sets naturally encourage exploration without any pressure to “get it right”.

Get Creative With Art and Sensory Play

Art is a wonderful way to explore shapes while developing fine motor skills.

Ideas include:

• Drawing shapes in sand, flour, or rice

• Making shape collages using recycled materials

• Painting with sponges cut into different shapes

• Cutting shapes with Play dough

• Use side walk chalk, and draw shapes outdoors

Reusable learning resources, such as wipe-clean shape boards or activity mats, can also be helpful for children who enjoy drawing and erasing repeatedly—especially when used playfully rather than as a task.

Use Simple Shape Language

You don’t need to overcomplicate things. At this age, focus on:

• Circle

• Square

• Triangle

• Rectangle

Use language naturally:

• “That triangle has three sides.”

• “Your cracker is a square.”

Play Games Together

Games make learning feel fun and relaxed.

Try:

• A shape scavenger hunt at home

• Matching shape cards

• Simple puzzles

• Easy Board games

Shape Play in the Kitchen

The kitchen is full of learning opportunities.

Ideas:

• Cutting sandwiches into different shapes

• Using cookie cutters to explore shapes with dough

Story Time With Shapes

Books are a wonderful way to introduce shape language naturally.

Look for:

• Stories that include shapes in illustrations

• Simple shape books with real-life photos

As you read, point to shapes and name them casually. Some parents also like to pair books with actual shapes so children can match what they see in the story to a physical object.

Remember: Every Child Learns at Their Own Pace

Some children will name shapes confidently, while others may simply recognise them visually—and that’s perfectly okay. What matters most is curiosity, confidence, and enjoyment.

As we always say:

If a child is enjoying the experience, learning is already happening

If you're looking for resources and toys head onto Kinder Intake and grab a discount