Incorporating geoboards into the classroom is a fun tactile educational activity. If your school doesn't provide them, geoboards can be made from a square piece of wood and 25 finishing nails. Simply make an evenly spaced five by five grid using horizontal and vertical lines. Use a hammer to nail in the finishing nails. The nails should extend just far enough for students to wrap rubber bands around different nails to make geometric shapes. Challenge the children to make new geometric shapes and praise them as they are able to create their basic shapes.
At the beginning of the year it is important to assess student's knowledge so you can effectively teach them during the year. A fun small group activity can be created using a set of homemade two-dimensional shapes. Cut out shapes of all sizes from construction paper, then laminate them. Quiz students about shapes and sizes and check to see if they understand the necessary geometric vocabulary. Allow students to sort objects by shape and color and record your observations.
When students do well with shape recognition and naming, have them create pictures using only basic geometric shapes. Provide students with die-cut shapes of many sizes, a glue stick and a construction paper background for their craft. Explain that they will need to use their imagination to turn basic shapes into real objects. For example, a circle can become a sun or basketball and a rectangle can become a train's boxcar or a computer screen. When the students are finished, gather them in a large circle and ask them to share their pictures with the class, including the proper names of shapes used.
Have each child fold a sheet of construction paper in half, twice. The children will then have four quadrants on their sheets of paper. Have them draw the vertical line and the horizontal line to separate the quadrants. In each quadrant, have them draw a picture of a basic geometric shape (square, circle, rectangle, triangle, or oval). Next, ask the children to sort through child-friendly magazines to find two or three small pictures that represent each shape in their quadrants. They should cut and paste the pictures onto the paper. This activity helps children to see the geometric shapes in the world around them.