Square and Rectangle Shapes

💡 About this activity

🎯 Learning objectives

• Identify a square and a rectangle by pointing to or naming them.
• Trace both shapes with a pencil or crayon.
• Draw one square object and one rectangular object.

🧺 What you need

• Printed page
• Pencil or crayon
• Colored pencils or crayons for coloring

👣 How to do it

1. Place the page and materials on a comfortable surface.
2. Point to the square and rectangle and name each shape.
3. Show your child how to follow an outline with a finger.
4. Invite your child to trace both outlines.
5. Ask your child to color the four objects and talk about the shapes they notice.
6. Invite your child to draw one object of each shape in the boxes.
7. Look at the drawings together and celebrate your child's effort.

🍎 Teaching suggestions

• Say, “A square has four equal sides. This rectangle has two longer sides and two shorter sides.”
• If your child needs support, help them follow the lines with a finger before using a pencil.
• Accept approximate drawings and ask what your child intended to draw.
• Look together for similar shapes in windows, books, and other objects nearby.

🔀 Variations

💬 Talk about it

• What do you notice about the sides of the square?
• How are the sides of the rectangle different?
• What shapes do you see in the objects on the page?
• What did you draw in each box?

👀 What to look for

• Notice whether your child points to or names both shapes.
• See whether your child follows at least part of each outline.
• Notice whether the drawings show an object of each shape.