Shape Up Geometry: Hands-On Activities and Teacher Tips to Support All Learners
Geometry can be a challenging concept for young learners, but it’s also a crucial building block for future math success.
If you use engaging and hands-on activities into your classroom, you can make geometry a fun and exciting exploration.
This post offers a variety of activities and tips to help you teach geometry in a way that supports all learners, regardless of their abilities. Let’s shape up your math instruction together!
Shape Sorting
Help students understand shapes by creating a sorting station with various shapes and attributes like size, color, and shape. Kids can sort shapes based on different criteria, strengthening their shape recognition and classification skills.
Shape Hunt
Send students on a scavenger hunt around the classroom to find specific shapes. They can draw or take pictures of the objects they find.
Pattern Block Pictures
Challenge students to create fun pictures using pattern blocks. As they build, ask them to count and record the number of each shape used. This activity reinforces shape recognition and basic math skills.
Geoboard Creations:
Try using geoboards to spark creativity and geometric thinking!! Challenge students to build specific shapes or symmetrical designs. As they explore, discuss the properties of the shapes they create. This activity will reinforce key geometry concepts.
Picture Books
You can’t go wrong with awesome picture books! Try some of the texts which would be great for introducing or reviewing geometry skills.
- Mummy Math: An Adventure in Geometry
- Marvin the Math Cat and the Mysterious Patio Garden
- Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone
- Sir Cumference and the First Round Table
- The Cartoon Guide to Geometry
- Amazing Visual Math (DK)
Games
Solve the “boring” aspect of math lessons with games! Kids love games, so practicing skills becomes more fun and doesn’t seem like work. Your students will stay engaged. Games are also social, allowing kids to learn from each other while they listen and play.
Geometry Scavenger Hunt: Create a scavenger hunt with clues about different shapes and their attributes. Students can work in teams to find the hidden shapes.
Bingo is a fun and interactive way for early elementary students (or anyone) to review skills. Create bingo cards with different shapes. Call out shape attributes or names, and students can cover the corresponding shape on their card.(bingo cards are included in the resource mentioned below!)
Keep reading for more strategies!
Shape Symmetry
Introduce symmetry by folding paper in half and cutting out shapes such as circles, squares and rectangles. Students can unfold the paper to see the symmetrical design.
Shape Art
Shape Collage
Encourage students to explore shapes in the world around them by cutting out pictures of objects from magazines. Have them create a colorful collage using these shapes. This will help solidify shape recognition and help students start to notice shapes in their everyday life.
Ready to Go Activities from Teachers Pay Teachers
For math class, wouldn’t it be convenient to have ready-to-use activities and resources from Teachers Pay Teachers? The pack of Geometry Activities is perfect for your geometry unit, any time your class needs a review, or you need to work with small groups for extra support at the teacher table.
Geometry can be a fun and interactive subject for students, and the Geometry Activities resource makes it even more accessible and enjoyable. Designed for grades 1-3, this versatile set includes a wide range of activities that are perfect for practice, assessment, or bell ringers.
With worksheets, vocabulary exercises, and games, this resource covers essential topics such as identifying and naming 2D and 3D shapes, understanding parallel lines, exploring symmetry, and partitioning shapes into rows and columns.
These tools are ideal for differentiating instruction, ensuring that all students can succeed no matter their skill level.
Whether you’re looking to introduce new topics or provide additional practice, this comprehensive geometry resource is a valuable addition to your teaching toolkit.
What skills are covered?
- 2-D shapes (identifying, naming, identifying properties)
- 3-D shapes (identifying, naming, identifying properties)
- Parallel lines
- Symmetry
- Dividing shapes
- Partitioning shapes into rows and columns
- Identifying and labeling fractions of shapes
What activities are included?
- Shape Bingo
- My shape dictionary
- Parallel line task cards
- Symmetry practice pages
- Foldable symmetry activity
- 2-D shape concentration
- Geometry Task Cards
- 2-D and 3-D shape scavenger hunt
- Drawing, Dividing and Partitioning Shapes Printables
Let’s Check out the Activities!
Games are a super engaging way to practice geometry activities, and these cards can be used for concentration/memory. You also can repurpose them for a Go Fish style game!
Students need to be able to divide shapes into equal parts and name or label each part with a fraction, so these geometry worksheets (just print and copy) are perfect for practice.
This activity sneaks in fine motor practice: students will cut out the flap books, glue on paper or in a notebook, and then use each vocabulary word in a sentence.
Other key geometry skills are understanding what a line is, parallel lines, and being able to draw and /or identify lines of symmetry. These printable pages and task cards and going to be helpful for you and your students!
Students need to be able to identify and name 3d and 2d shapes and transfer that knowledge to the real world. These geometry task cards and pages will help. Also, answer keys are included for all printable pages. Students can correct their own work and it also makes them a great option for a day when you have a substitute.
If you grab the geometry activities resource from Teachers Pay Teachers, please take a moment to leave some feedback. It means so much to me.
Other blog posts you may want to check out:
- Fun Ideas for Reviewing Math Skills
- Fun and Effective Beginning Multiplication Skills
- 5 Ways to Boost Math Skills with Fidget Poppers
If you want to save this blog post for later, pin this Pinterest ready image below!
Let me know if you have any other fun ways to practice phonics skills!
