There are a lot of techniques for children representing geometric shapes on the modern market. Below are the main ones, as well as games that develop the child.
Nowadays, the early development of the baby is given great importance. The crumbs begin to be taught almost from the hospital. There are many games, books, video and audio materials that help children quickly master such simple - at first glance - topics as letters, numbers, shapes, colors. Especially popular are cards showing geometric shapes for kids. This guide is clear and concise. It allows the child to quickly and easily master the necessary knowledge.
The text of Maria Montessori is important to me: “Only a person who can build himself through his activity and restore what true, powerful energy, desired by his own nature, leaves in himself normal qualities". We need teachers and parents to help the child!
What opportunities does a child have when he/she is free to choose, while he/she feels the teacher's respect, interest in his/her own abilities? Again and again it crashed. A colleague was sitting next to him, signaling that he was mute. She could have helped him, but wasn't that a confirmation of his incapacity and well-being? Martin knew he could do it. He had to stop because he wanted to build tomorrow.
When to start learning geometric shapes?
In general, it is possible to acquaint a child with forms from the first months. There is nothing wrong if you are game form, without annoying the baby, you will show him pictures or toys, clearly pronouncing the name of the figure (circle, square, etc.).
Thus, by the age of two, the child should know three forms well:
We call geometric shapes always and everywhere
The father should have looked at him when he picked up the phone. The next day Martin came to the kennel very early. he had something important, because his tower had to be as high as that of the great one, and then the long one. How many experiments, concentration and how much confirmation Martin, inventing himself, could design! He got time and recognition from the "big ones". His tower stood for two weeks, and everyone looked at him and played.
At the beginning of summer, five boys different ages digging stones in the garden. In a place where it wasn't necessarily favorable for us adults. But our curiosity must have been more than orderliness. They dragged the heavy stones to the laundry room in many small buckets to wash them in the shower with soap and a brush. When I asked what would happen, Thomas explained to me: “It will be an Italian wall, and we will build in the room”! When the stones were dry, they were taken to the group room on boards that were actually designed to carry furniture - and construction could begin.
- triangle;
- a circle;
- square.
By the age of three, this list should include:
- oval;
- rhombus;
- rectangle.
By the way, much attention is paid to the study of geometric shapes in the method of Maria Montessori. In her materials there are several games that help the child quickly learn to identify the shapes of objects. We will talk about them further.
All five were enthusiastically involved, and after four days of floating construction and construction, there was a huge wall, without mortar, of stones of various sizes. We don't need them. They wanted to achieve their goal of building a wall, as Thomas saw it in Italy, and they were all in demand. How many ideas were developed by the children, what plans were needed? Enthusiastic about the work of the five boys, we bought Paul Maar's The Towers.
It is a very popular book to this day. It seems to me less favorable for children if we convincingly combine the goals of learning and development with the phrase "Children should feel comfortable, children should learn." If the educator wants to change them through the program, only to teach them something along the way; he is unlikely to achieve his goal. The educator must free himself from the role that he is an adult who knows what is best for children. An adult, without the participation of a child, determines where and what is done, because he is in the plan; he determines the pole of development, he knows what interests the child should have at what time.
Why study geometric shapes for a baby?
About the benefits early development a lot has already been said. It is the active learning of the baby in the period from birth to three years that forms his creativity and fluency of thinking, diligence and love for knowledge, the ability to quickly assimilate information.
Where can children feel valued and significant if they are not involved in planning? Where is their peculiarity, her uniqueness, her talent in so many ways? Everything is the opposite. They lose their thirst for "self-education" and can be "rehearsed", "trained", become passive, aggressive, bored, frustrated and problematic for educators and parents.
How should be the rooms in which children find best conditions? They don't have to be especially noble, just to offer a lot of space. Furniture that can be changed different levels with stairs, small adjoining rooms if the children want to be alone. Rooms that can be darkened for various experiments. There is a large room for gymnastics, a garden with water, a mountain, a lot of space for walking, football, trees for climbing, a lot of sand for building, digging, mud and, if possible, a corner for garden beds for children.
The study of forms is necessary for several other reasons.
- The whole world around consists of figures (a circle is a car wheel, a plate, the sun; a square is a window, a chair seat, etc.).
- Preparing for school - what earlier kid learn simple knowledge, the easier it will be for him to study at school.
- The study of forms will allow the baby to play those games that are inaccessible to children who do not know what a circle, square, etc. are.
- Studying geometric shapes, the child expands his horizons, trains the brain, increases vocabulary.
Through movement, children come to a rich experience. Through movement, they perceive themselves, their diverse environment, explore them, adapt to them or make them suitable. Of the three six-year-olds, the dimmable bedroom was used to experiment with light and shade. A translucent bed cover was used as a stage. Two of the children composed texts that were then sung and sung according to their own works. Figures borrowed kids from shadow theater that we played for them a long time ago.
5 rules for learning geometric shapes
It is worth remembering that all the information that seems elementary to us is new and often incomprehensible to children. With geometric shapes, this rule almost always works. Therefore, if a child confuses a circle with a square and does not want to correct himself, be patient and do not scold the baby for mistakes.
All the children and teachers who wanted to were invited to the performance. Considering how many ideas the kids had! They used only one ordinary flashlight and two beds. Everyone had their own responsibilities, everything they did themselves. How many experiences the theater brought them, what safety and skills!
Three years ago, almost four-year-old Andi came to kindergarten. He was in kindergarten where he was on life support because he had a disability. At first he was mute, did not want to talk to anyone, moved a little, ate only very happily. A few weeks later, he discovered a ladder in the group room and began to climb very carefully. He carefully got up and walked up the stairs. Soon he crawled up and down on all fours, then walked up and down the railing of the railing. After a long time, he dared to climb the railing, a climax for him, the children, and us.
For faster and easier assimilation of knowledge by the crumbs, follow simple tips.
- Point your child to geometric shapes Everyday life. Showing the book to the child, say that it is rectangular, showing the saucer, give it the definition of “circle”.
- Try to get feedback. Find out from the baby which category the house, table, pillow belongs to. Watch the instructional video and ask your child to describe what they saw.
- Use toys of regular geometric shapes. Buy crumbs round and triangular molds, cubes, a ball.
- Play games that require knowledge of the names of the pieces (see below).
- Watch videos and cartoons about shapes (like "Baby Einstein").
Halfway through, he climbed over the railing. At the same time, he began to talk to us and to the children. The kids were initially against Andi and also expected. It became an admiration because he became such a good climber. Everything he did with movement was interested in it, and despite his size and weight, he soon became the best rope jumper, was able to catch balls, play football and take up roller skating under the lowest poles. He became an artist of agility and movement.
Who would have thought of these abilities in him at the time of entering kindergarten? At first it was considered whether he was going to a special facility. The mother, with her faith in her son, won. We, from a regular children's school, were looking for opportunities with the help of language and an ergotherapist that we could offer Andi. After intense observation, he gained great freedom of movement, which he knew how to use according to his development and his abilities. Other children helped him as an unconscious role model.
Games "Geometric shapes" for children
sorter
This is one of the first educational toys for the baby, which allows you to learn about the properties of different figures. The essence of the sorter is that for a certain hole you need to pick up a toy of the appropriate shape (ball, cube, and others). The child very quickly begins to understand what's what.
In the meantime, he is a fully recognized member of the group. Were there so many suggestions from other children in the institution? Will his talents have the right support? Extremely unfavorable are the rooms for children, which are really very noble and valuablely furnished, in which children can hardly move or can, because something can be broken. Or the rooms are so crowded with tables, chairs, cabinets that you can barely move around. Beautiful landscaped garden with countless ready-made games that cannot be converted, which can often only be sat while sitting.
Such a toy not only teaches the little one to quickly distinguish between figures of different geometric shape but also trains fine motor skills fingers, and also develops logical thinking.
Montessori games
Maria Montessori, as mentioned above, attached great importance to geometric shapes in the developmental games of the baby. In her methodology, there are several ways to introduce a child to geometry in a playful way. For example:
What do children miss when they lack the necessary movement and incentives to creative games? How can children encounter space and materials if they don't have them? Diverse talents are not developed. Rather, children are restless, dissatisfied, aggressive or passive, repressed in their development.
Lorenz, now in need of infinity, is now in first class. His teacher thinks he's tall. He often had difficulty with other children. After many conversations with him, he prescribed several rounds of running in the garden or in a long corridor. After his proprietary therapy, he began to get better. Prolonged sitting at school was a torment for him, he wanted to return to our kindergarten. The teacher, however, found a way to him. His parents live in a small, beautiful apartment in a "children's" residential community with a very well maintained courtyard, in which very little is possible.
- Place the figures in an opaque bag or bag. Let the baby take one toy in turn and, without taking it out, determine what shape it is.
- For an older child, you can come up with the following task: say a word-definition, for example, “ride”. The kid must name the forms that have this property.
- You can invite the baby to name all the shapes with or without corners, with or without edges.
- Creative version of the game with figures. Ask the child to dream up and say what a circle, square, triangle looks like.
In the Montessori method, there is a special device called "Frames and inserts." This is a kind of analogue of the sorter, which we talked about above.
What is the role of children in kindergarten? "Childhood is time to waste." Children find very important things for us that we do not attach importance to. Time is very important for children because they have time, only adults see it differently. They discovered great storytellers. One of them was six-year-old Florian, who in one piece, without interruption, told a fantastic horror story. After an hour of concentrated dictation, the story was over. Since he wanted to make a book, I had to write it with a machine, and he was looking for a creepy Arcimboldo painting for the cover.
Drawings and stencils
If your child likes to draw, then use this to teach him to distinguish between shapes. Draw a house together. Speak all the details: The windows are square, the roof is a triangle, etc.
You can also offer the child stencils. You can cut them yourself thick paper or buy ready-made.
Thinking about the concentration of a six-year-old child, linguistic idiocy and imagination, and how important it was for him to tell a story at this particular time! Another Florian from the same group, very lively, always on the move, also found peace and time in search of history. One was more exciting than the other, and each was decorated with drawings. One day he wanted to make hardboard because he needed to draw something important. He began to paint, and whole landscapes appeared. After about an hour and a half, he wanted to tell us a story.
The next day, he took a photo of his game and the story of him playing many times with enthusiastic friends. Years ago, during the Gulf War, children were briefed on the news, headlines, and adult conversations, Thomas was concerned about the resolution of the war. He wanted to end it all. He had the following suggestion: If there were no guns in the factories, the soldiers could not shoot, but the people who work there would be unemployed and not earning anything, so you would have to produce something else, maybe nonsense or guttural or toys!
Outlining this or that figure, the kid will learn to draw them (“fill his hand”), and your comments (this is a circle, this is a triangle) will help the child remember their names faster.
Doman cards
The Doman method is very popular among parents interested in the early development of their child. It involves the use of visual cards for better assimilation of the knowledge gained by the baby. Doman has a separate set of cards dedicated to geometric shapes. It can be bought or downloaded on the Internet (there you can also find a video about this technique).
We wanted to go with a small group to the Paleontological Institute - a favorite home of children. When we changed, we took the subway in the wrong direction. Tobias, who was then five years old, was asked to figure out what he looked like. One day he read to us: "Columbus Square." Immediately he began to tell who Columbus was, and the others listened intently, talking about the Indians and the discovery of America. Toby said, "He did what we did!" We drove to the Saurians, but Columbus didn't let the kids leave.
This has resulted in a long and exciting project, to which children and parents have endlessly contributed. We noted several festivals, all of which were related to Columbus, the Indians and the potato brought by Columbus. What abilities are discovered, what safety the children will have, and what respect they will receive from us - even from other children - if they are given the time and time to be well observed and listen to the children. What an enrichment for the whole day can be children if you leave them and create an environment in which all this can occur.
Literature and didactic material
Below are the most popular and effective methods and materials for introducing children to geometric shapes.
- "School of the Seven Dwarfs"
In the cycle of books for the early development of children "School of the Seven Dwarfs" there are two devoted to forms: "Square and Circle" (for children from birth to one year old), "Form. Color "(for children from 1 year to 2 years). The books show the main figures in a large and visual way.
- Geometric figures. soft mosaic
A very convenient and bright way to introduce the child to the forms. The mosaic is made of safe soft material. It will be interesting for the kid to consider its details and collect pictures from them.
- coloring pages
There are many such books on the market today. You can select "Smart coloring. Smeshariki" with children's favorite characters from the cartoon of the same name.
- stickers
Reusable stickers will also be very useful during the period of teaching the child "geometry for the little ones." These stickers can be applied anywhere! In the bathroom, in the nursery, in the kitchen. Offer the baby a game: in the environment you need to find objects of one kind or another.
Cartoons about geometric shapes
Conclusion
Teaching and introducing a child to geometric shapes is not only important, but also very interesting! Show your imagination, come up with your own games and tasks for the child, show interesting videos and he will answer you with love and gratitude.
Modern manufacturers of goods for children and child psychologists offer to engage in the development and education of the child almost immediately after his birth. It is up to parents to decide which methods to use, but some basic concepts should be explained outside the main program. for kids, colors and names of basic household items are no less important. How to introduce a child to circles and ovals?
Why do preschoolers need geometry?
The concept of shape and size helps to perceive the world and objects, compare them with each other. You will not hesitate to say, describing some unusual piece of furniture, that it looks like two rectangles with rounded edges. Now imagine how difficult it is to describe and compare some objects without knowing the names and concepts. simple forms. That is why it is useful to learn geometric shapes for kids as early as possible. By the age of 2-3, the child should know at least a circle, a square, a rectangle, a triangle, a rhombus. Gradually, more complex shapes can be added.
Let's go in search of figures!
The easiest way to teach a child is to play. Try to interest the baby, serve new material in original game form. For the smallest, you don’t even need to organize classes, you can study in between times. Explain that the cup is round and the book is rectangular. visual aid, revealing the concept of "geometric shapes", for kids will be the most ordinary toys. Match cubes and balls together, make the task more difficult by adding dishes or fruits to play in the store. Older children can be kept busy for a long time by asking them to find as many circles or triangles in the room as possible. Help show all the imagination and explain that the figures can "hide" on the fabric or wallpaper in the form of a pattern, represent a whole object or part of it.
Interesting geometry
Learning 5 geometric shapes is much easier if you draw them yourself. Offer the kid a creative task, take a sheet of paper and paint, pencils and felt-tip pens and draw a circle, rectangle, square, triangle and rhombus. A more interesting version of this game - the mother draws a geometric figure, and the child draws some elements, turning the form into an object or animal. You can also draw a rectangle on a sheet of paper and hang it in a conspicuous place. Of course, some of your guests will be surprised by such an interior decoration, but you can always answer: “We are learning geometric shapes with kids.” The next day, draw a circle and hang it next to the rectangle. And then offer to compare the figures with each other. Gradually add the rest of the forms and be sure to devote a few minutes a day to this training.
Useful toys for learning shapes
A variety of games and toys will help in learning the basics of geometry. The easiest option is to purchase ready-made cards with figures. Usually such sets are focused on the study of form and color. There can be many cards, the figures on them are repeated, but differ in size and shade. play with this board game can be for hours. Ask to collect all the same shapes, then arrange them by size. Then mix the cards and offer to find all the shapes of the same size or color. If desired, such a game can be made with your own hands. A special children's lotto can also help in the study of geometry. If desired, it is not difficult to find such a game dedicated to figures. And yet, sorters remain the most popular geometric toys. Usually this is some kind of base (container, frame) that has slots of various shapes. Colored geometric shapes are inserted into the holes. The task of the child is to choose the appropriate slot for each small object on the base. Sorters come in a variety of styles, but by choosing the simplest - geometric, you get the opportunity to learn the names of the shapes as they are placed in the base. Wooden or cardboard frames with inserts, made according to the principle of a sorter, can also help in the study of forms. It is also useful to watch special educational cartoons about geometric shapes for kids. Combine all the proposed training options, and then your child will not have problems with geometry.