Discuss shapes in nature by showing children a paper cut-out of a circle and asking them to point to other things in the room that are shaped like a circle. Do the same for such other basic shapes as squares, triangles and rectangles, emphasizing the shape differences. Then have the children go and bring you something that is a specific shape. You could say, "Bring me something square" and the children should go and find something to bring back to you that is square shaped. Another simple activity is to hold up three different shapes at a time and ask the children to point to a specific shape that you call out.
Use familiar songs to reinforce shapes. One song you could sing, courtesy of Hummingbird Educational Resources, is sung to the tune of "Skip to My Lou" while you hold up a colored shape. The song goes, "orange triangle, I see you, orange triangle, I see you, orange triangle, I see you. Red circle I see you, too!" For the last sentence, hold up a different colored shaped and the song would then start again with the new shape. Another song you could sing about shapes is sung to the tune of the "The Mulberry Bush" and goes, "This is the way we make a circle, make a circle, make a circle, this is the way we make a circle, so early in the morning." Have the children make the different shapes with their hands as the song goes on.
Have the children make funny shape faces by tracing the shapes onto different colors of construction paper and help them cut them out using child-safety scissors. Place such art supplies as plastic googly eyes, crayons and yarn on the table to create the shape faces. Call out a shape and have the children lift up their funny shape face to show you. Another art activity is to have the children create shape collages. Divide the class into groups and assign each a shape. Give the groups old children's magazines to cut out their shapes from the pages and paste them onto a large poster board. Each group can then show off their shape collage and say why their shape is special, such as "squares have four equal sides" or "triangles look like mountains."
Read children's books about shapes during reading time. Books you can read to your class include, "Mouse Shapes," by Ellen Stoll Wash with mice using shapes to create a picture to scare a cat away; "Icky Bug Shapes," by Jerry Pallotta, which protays bugs teaching about different shapes; and "Shapes, Shapes, Shapes," by Tana Hoban, which shows different shapes using real-life objects.