There’s no reason to teach geometry to preschoolers.
Got that? You do not need to worry about preschoolers getting behind on their geometry skills. Preschoolers learn through their own independent play. They will learn that sticks are long, doors are rectangles, balls are spheres, and on and on and on.
So why am I telling you about a preschool geometry lesson?
Well, I’m not really. But my preschool aged child loves math and he loves his pattern blocks.
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Pattern blocks like this fantastic Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks set, which we get a ton of use out of. Pattern blocks are great for free exploration of shapes, as well as following the design cards that are included.
We have ended up repurposing our pattern blocks for so many purposes but our newest find is adding them to a muffin tin.
My son loves muffin tin sorting, which is a great last minute boredom buster, especially if you add in chopsticks. When we set out to sort pattern blocks, my son discovered something very cool! He could make contained shapes in each cup.
This was a wonderful way for my son to explore the relationship between the shapes and sizes. The muffin tin holds the blocks from slipping around and is the perfect size to demonstrate how small triangles, trapezoids and parallelograms fit together to form other, larger shapes. He doesn’t know it yet, but he was also exploring fractions!
If you are a teacher and have pattern blocks in one of your centers, why not add a muffin tin to the shelf? What will the kids do with it?
More preschool math fun:
- Shape activities for preschoolers
- Math art book of shapes
- Geometry in the kitchen
- Almost effortless math activities for preschoolers
Alycia in Va. says
that's a cute puzzle. We just do fractions when cooking or if we need to share something with others.
jeannine: waddlee-ah-chaa says
This is a wonderful idea! We're always exploring with our pattern blocks and we're always experimenting hands-on with fractions. Combining these two with the muffin tin is great! Hands-on makes fractions so much easier to understand.