Saturday, September 6, 2014

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Robot Shape Stomp!

Robot Shape Stomp is the perfect activity to learn and/or review shapes with your preschoolers while you play!  You can also use it to assess how much they remember!



The Robot Shape Stomp is wonderful because it so easy to set up and use AND because preschoolers love it!

I created the game when my own 4-year old told me that he was frustrated because he didn't know all the shapes.  I decided to use a game the kiddos frequently play (Robots) and integrate some shapes.  It worked like a charm!  The kids loved it!  After we played, I left the pieces out and they continued to play with them for days...until I gave them a permanent home and made the kids put them away regularly!  

I love that it is one more method you can use to play with your kiddos and teach them at the same time.  If you follow this blog, you know that I am a huge advocate of play-based learning for young children, and this is one fun arrow in your quiver of play-based learning activities!

I especially love how versatile it is:  you can use it to teach, review, reinforce, assess, or give the pieces to your children and let them use them!  And if you don't want to work on shapes, you can use the same concepts and process for numbers, letters, sight words, or anything else that needs to be memorized for immediate recall.  

And it is quick and easy--you can decide you want to do it, and then do it two minutes later!

Here it is...the Robot Shape Stomp Directions:

Simple Supplies:

* foam sheets
* scissors
* robots (or other dinosaurs or other high-interest toys!) 


Easy How To:

1.  Cut large shapes out of your foam sheets.  I made at least one big and one small circle, square, rectangle, triangle, heart, star, oval, and pentagon.  If you don't have foam sheets, you can use cardstock, construction paper, or even cloth!

2.  Lay them out on the floor, on a train table, or in your general play area.  Use them as stomping pads, regeneration sites, and landing areas for your robots!  Play a make-believe robot game with your kiddos, and while you play use phrases like "return to the circle landing site," "stomp on the green rectangle," "regenerate on the triangle," etc.  You can have the robots ask each other for directions to the "blue square" or "Do we have a yellow heart?"  Integrate the shapes into the play!


Bonuses!

You can also encourage your robots to complete challenges like pair the matching large and small shapes or group them by color.



During free play, many of the challenges and phrases I introduced during our game were re-used!  The children also used the shapes to create "secret codes" and "cool designs!"


How do you like to teach shapes?  Do your kids like to play robots?  I'd love to hear from you!


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