Cut different shapes out of a variety of materials, such as sandpaper, felt, carpet and cardboard. Place the shapes in a box that has a hole in it so that children can reach in and feel them. Encourage each child to grab a shape and try to identify it by feeling it. Then he can take it out of the box to see if he is correct. You can also put objects with distinct shapes, like marbles, blocks, buttons and dice, in the feely box for your preschoolers to try to identify.
Let children use their fingers to practice drawing shapes in a number of different materials to provide a tactile experience. Spread shaving cream or pudding onto a table and let students draw shapes in it. A cookie sheet filled with sand or salt also makes a fun drawing surface. After a child draws her shape, ask her to identify the number of corners and lines that she drew. If you have a child who struggles to draw the shapes, draw one first and let her trace over it with her fingers. Encourage the children to name the shapes as they draw them.
Give the children pictures of shapes and modeling clay or Play-Doh. Show them how to roll the clay into a long rope and then try to make the shapes with it. Provide cookie cutters shaped like circles, squares, triangles and other shapes. Yarn, string or pipe cleaners can also be used to form shapes.
Let your preschoolers use their bodies to learn about shapes. Make large shapes out of paper and tape them to the ground or draw them with chalk on the blacktop. Then call out directions for the children to follow. Have them stand on the shape with three sides or find a shape and jump one time for each corner. Another activity is to have the children form shapes with their bodies. They can make circles with their arms or bend over and touch the ground to form triangles.
Combine a packet of Kool-Aid flavored drink mix with 1 tablespoon of water to make sweet smelling paint. Then give your students pictures of different shapes to paint with it. For a fun shape-themed snack, use different shaped cookie cutters to cut bread into shapes. Then let the children spread peanut butter, hummus or cream cheese on the shapes.