A wide variety of worksheets are available that teach the topic of shapes at the kindergarten level. Coloring pages that feature a variety of shapes with labels allow kindergarteners to do something they enjoy while introducing new shapes. Tracing sheets help children at this age learn to reproduce shapes. As the unit progresses, worksheets that require students to copy shapes help them recognize and draw them.
Most children in kindergarten enjoy making craft projects, making it an ideal way to reinforce shape skills. Provide the students with a variety of shapes in several colors and have them create animals out them. For example, a row of circles could be a caterpillar.
Games are also a fun way for kindergarteners to learn. Try printing several different bingo cards with shapes and play a couple rounds in class. Memory and matching card games are also age-appropriate and don't require a lot of materials or space to play. If you have a classroom computer, many online games are available for kindergarteners to play.
Hands-on learning is one of the ways that young children learn. Providing opportunities in this arena with shaped manipulative toys offers a fun and educational way to teach shapes. Pattern blocks are available in several shapes and allow students to learn new shapes and create pictures and repeating patterns with them. Toys that teach fractions are tools that help with shape comprehension. For example, a pizza begins as a circle, but when divided it becomes several triangles. Shape sorters and puzzles are other options.
Kindergarteners enjoy listening to stories from books, making books an ideal way to teach shapes. Look for stories that feature rhymes, engaging illustrations and characters that your students can relate to. Reading books in the classroom helps to introduce and reinforce the topic of shapes as you progress through the unit. Group reading also gives your class a fun respite from other activities. The school or public library are good places to find books geared toward a specific age group.