Preschool Story Hour - Shapes

School is back in session, so we are back to our regular program schedule. On Tuesday our preschoolers had a program with lots of shapes! Shape recognition is an important part of getting ready to read, as well as an important part of math. Our letters are largely composed of simple shapes, combined to make our letters. For example, A, V, and W are triangular. O, C, and G are mostly circular.


Last spring we got this fun book which was the inspiration for the day:

Windblown / Édouard Manceau

Colorful paper shapes are found and we don't know whose they are. Several animals (created from those shapes) claim ownership until eventually the wind gives them to us, the readers. After reading the book, we recreated the creatures, using felt pieces. And for the craft, the children were given their own set of the paper shapes to make whatever picture they wanted. They could add lines to complete their shape. We could have added some science in by talking more about the wind.

We also enjoyed these books:

Cowlick by Christin Ditchfield
Fish Eyes by Lois Ehlert
Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh
The Shape of Things by Dayle Ann Dodds

We watched A Picture for Harold's Room. I'm  always amazed at how, with just a few simple lines, Harold and his purple crayon are able to create a whole world.

There are some simple ways that you can explore shapes with your child:

*Look for shapes in everyday objects. What shapes does you child see when she looks at a house or a fish?

*Use cut out shapes to create a picture. The shapes can be as basic or complex as you choose.

*Talk about what they are seeing and creating. This builds a child's vocabulary.

One last note: We'd love to see what your child creates! Feel free to let them bring in their artwork and tell Miss Holly and Miss Linda all about it!