Create a large bulletin board display with squares, circles, triangles, rectangles and hearts. Group pictures of commonplace items that occur in those shapes around the shape. For example, include plates, bowls, glasses, bottle lids and balls around the circle. Include books, sheets of paper, shoe boxes and flags around the rectangle. Help the kindergartners see that these shapes are all around them.
Rehearse the shapes each morning and at opportunities throughout the day. Ask the children to identify the shapes aloud. Point to the shape on the bulletin board or point to items in the classroom that contain that shape, such as rectangles in the windows or squares in the tile floor.
Play shape games where the students earn points for identifying shapes quickly and correctly. For example, in “Shape Match” have the students place a shape card on pictures of common articles or draw lines from the item to its companion shape. In “Shape Throw,” have the student throw a beanbag into a pentagon with the five shapes and name the shape where the beanbag lands.
Read stories about different shapes in books such as “My Very First Book Of Shapes” by Eric Carle or “Bob The Builder Workbooks - Shapes & Colors.” Have the students identify the shapes as you read through the books. Alternatively, give them different sounds or different movements for each shape, such as turning around for a circle, raising a hand for a square, jumping for a rectangle, clapping for a triangle and stomping feet for a heart.
Use shapes in art projects and allow the students to use the shapes creatively. For example, using circles for faces with triangles for a girl’s body shape or a square for a boy's, and small rectangles for legs. Challenge the students to make animals, houses, landscapes and other familiar objects using the shapes.
Serve food that comes in these shapes. For example, apples, oranges, tomatoes and some crackers are round. Crackers also come in squares, rectangles and triangles. Allow the students to eat the shapes, provided no allergy issues exist.