Focus on one shape each week in your preschool classroom. Ask children to bring objects from home that match the shape of the week. For example, during rectangle week students can bring in books, a DVD case, a lunchbox or even an envelope. Draw pictures of the shape of the week and try to find items in your classroom that match that shape.
Center your students' snacks around shapes. Eat round cookies, square crackers or triangle-shaped sandwiches. Ask students to help you come up with new ideas for different shaped snacks. Use cookie cutters to jazz up otherwise ordinary food, such as cheese into heart shapes.
Play interactive online games that focus on learning shapes. Children who find it difficult to focus on in-class activities may enjoy learning with a computer. Choose an online game your preschooler will enjoy from an educational website, such as Kinderweb Games or Pauly's Playhouse. (See References 2, 3.) Shape games help children learn to identify and name different shapes and colors through interactive play and repetition.
Make crafts that require students to focus on shapes. Use construction paper and child-friendly scissors to make different shapes. Help children cut circles or squares and glue them together to form construction paper houses, teddy bears or people. (See Reference 1.) If you're uncomfortable with your preschoolers using scissors, cut up a variety of shapes before class begins and let your students use their imaginations to use the shapes to make different pictures.