Materials
construction paper cutouts of a circle, a square, and a triangle
Instructions
1. Gather the children in a circle. Show them how to make a circle by touching
their index fingers and thumbs together.
2. Show the children how to make a triangle and square using their fingers in a
similar way.
3. Tell the children you are going to teach them a poem, and that the poem goes
with the finger shapes they just learned. Hold your hands up in a circle shape,
and prompt the children to follow suit.
Circle, Circle by Sarah Stasik
Circle, circle, (hold fingers up as circle)
What do I see?
There is a circle
Very near me! (point to object that
is a circle)
Square, square, (hold fingers up as
square)
What do I see?
There is a square
Very near me! (point to object that
is a square)
Triangle, triangle, (hold fingers up as
triangle)
What do I see?
There is a triangle
Very near me! (point to object that
is a triangle)
4. Now, put the circle, square, and triangle objects in the middle of the circle.
5. Ask the children to identify the shapes that correspond to each object.
Assessment
To assess the children's learning, consider the following:
l Have children repeat the poem, identifying new circles, squares, and triangles
around them. See how many different shapes and objects the children can
identify as they become better at shape recognition.
