Shapes in many sizes and directions
Children often think a triangle has to point up. The shapes here are drawn in different sizes, and colour by shape scatters them so children name each one by its sides and corners.
Three activities
Tracing and naming suits pre-K and kindergarten. Sides and corners suits Grade 1. Colour by shape works for any age as a quiet, satisfying activity.
Provincial curriculum links
- BC KSorting 2D shapes by one attribute; naming the shapes isn’t expected yet.
- BC Grade 1Comparing 2D shapes and 3D objects, and using positional language.
- BC Grade 2Describing and building triangles, squares, rectangles and circles, and sorting by two attributes.
- ON Grade 1–2Specific language to describe shapes in Grade 1, then more complex shapes in Grade 2.
BC leaves shape names until later, so in Kindergarten the tracing and colouring activities work best as sorting by an attribute, such as straight sides or curves, rather than as a naming test. Counting sides and corners fits Grade 2 in BC and Grades 1 and 2 in Ontario.
BC also points to traditional Northwest Coast First Peoples shapes, such as ovoids and U shapes, as a Grade 2 connection to local art. Looking for circles, ovals and curves in a formline design is a good follow-up to the sheet.
Summarized in our own words from the BC Mathematics curriculum (K–2) and Ontario’s overview of The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: Mathematics (2020).
