Simple memory cards are versatile when helping preschoolers sort shapes. The traditional memory game is useful for finding, matching and naming the basic shapes. Students blindly pick two cards until they find a match. The cards are also useful face up, when students sort all shapes into different shape piles. After the sorting, students name the shape then count how many cards have that shape on their face.
Create shape boxes for soft foam shapes. Draw a shape on the side of a large cardboard box with a black marker. Make sure the shape is clearly visible. Give the students foam shapes and encourage them to toss or place the shapes into the correct box. Older toddlers will be able to race each other to fill the shape boxes fast. After the game is finished, allow the toddlers to dump and fill the boxes on their own.
A matching shape collage makes a nice classroom wall decoration. Use construction paper cutouts and give each student three of each shape. Encourage the students to glue like shapes next to each other on large white paper. Write the students' names on the shapes and hang the whole paper up as a demonstration of a classroom lesson. Take this project further by drawing large shapes onto the white paper and encouraging students to match the construction paper shape to the shape on the white paper.
Gather wooden and foam shapes of different sizes. Give a child the different-sized shapes and help her sort the shapes by size instead of similarity. Help the student name each shape as it is sorted and help her talk about big, bigger and biggest. This game helps with literacy, adjective use and cognitive spatial practice. If the child is still interested in the game, help her sort them by color then by shape.