Activity 22: Tracing Shapes
Materials:
Child-safe plate, cookie sheet, or tray; 1 cup rice or cornmeal.
Try It Out:
- Place a tray with rice or cornmeal in front of your child.
- Say, “Let’s play the tracing game.”
- Using your pointer finger to trace a simple shape in the tray, say, “I’m making a circle with one line,” or “I’m making a square with four lines—1, 2, 3, 4.” Start with circles and squares.
- Smooth out the rice or cornmeal. Then say, “Now it’s your turn to play.”
- If your child can trace circles and squares, introduce triangles and then rectangles.
Making the Most of This Activity:
Try this activity outside in a sandbox or by using finger paints and paper.
Reflect:
Was your child able to trace circles, squares, and triangles? Was he able to count the lines making up the sides of a square or triangle?
