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Name of Activity:

Shape Find

Academic content:

math (shapes and colors)

Purpose of Activity:

This activity is to teach/reinforce basic locomotor skills (e.g. walking, jumping, gallopping, skipping, running) while using matching and naming skills for shapes and colors.

Prerequisites:

The students should be able to match colors and/or shapes. The students should be able to mimic motor skills.

Suggested Grade Level:

PreK-2

Materials Needed:

One large cut-out and laminated shape of each: square, circle, triangle, oval, rectangle, star, diamond, heart. Each shape should be a different color.
Twenty small cut-out and laminated shapes that correspond to the large shapes.
Tape
Music or other cue

Physical activity:

locomotor skills

Description of Idea

The large shapes are spread out and taped down to the floor along the perimeter of the playing area. The smaller shapes are mixed up and scattered in the middle of the playing area.

On the teacher's cue, the students begin moving around the perimeter of the area (or they can move throughout the room in a scattered formation) in the specified locomotor skill. The teacher should perform the skill with the students for them to mimic.

On the teacher's next cue, the students use the same skill to go into the center and pick up one of the smaller shapes. Then each student takes the small shape to the matching large shape and waits for all students to match. Then teacher then calls out a different locomotor skill and the activity proceeds in the same manner.

Assessment Ideas:

After each locomotor skill has been introduced and practiced, the students can be observed when the skills are called again to check the level of learning. If the activity is played with calling the shape or color, the teacher can observe to see if those concepts are learned by watching the students listening and matching skills.

Submitted by Vera McKelley who teaches at Eastgate Early Childhood Center in Louisville, OH. Thanks for contributing to PE Central! Posted on PEC: 3/18/2012.
Viewed 116703 times since 3/5/2012.

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Shape Find

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Let others know how this idea went when you implemented/tried it with your kids. Include any variations, suggested teaching tips, positive comments, etc. so others can benefit from your tips. Please be helpful and positive with all comments. Look below to see all posted comments.

 

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Previous Comments:

nora rodriguez

Great idea to fine motor skills and cognitive, tape the color is good.

T Doll

I adapted this lesson for a Money PE as well for my second graders using large coins representations from the dollar store and printing out values and names. This activity helps reinforce the money/coin concepts students often struggle with.

Vera McKelley

This can also be used as a scooter activity with the students sitting on the scooters and continually picking up small shapes and taking them to the large shape. As the students play, you can reinforce the colors and shapes by asking them what they found and matched.



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