Circular Art (Art)
Preschool to kindergarten
Put out some liquid tempera school paint, each color on its own paper plate. Next gather an assortment of plastic cups and bowls. Provide a piece of construction paper to each child, and have them dip the rim of the cup or bowl into the paint, and press it onto their paper to leave a circular imprint. Repeat the process to create their artwork.

Shape Prints (Art)
Preschool to kindergarten
Set out some liquid tempera school paint in assorted colors. Gather some wooden blocks in different shapes and sizes, and provide the kids paintbrushes. Have them paint one side of the block, and then press it against their paper to make a shape imprint.

Box of Shapes (Cognitive)
Pre-K to grade 3
Put together an exploratory box with a variety of shaped items, such as washers, wheels, balls or spheres, blocks, cubes, and anything else you can find. Set the box out in your classroom, and let the kids explore the items. Instruct them to come up with different ideas for how the items could be used. Provide paper and markers for them to draw their inventions.

Sandpaper Shape Rubbings (Fine Motor)
Preschool to kindergarten
Cut pieces of sandpaper in assorted shapes, and tape them to one of your tables. Give the children crayons and paper. Have them place their paper over a sandpaper shape and rub back and forth with a crayon to make an imprint of that shape on their paper. Have the kids label the shapes when done to work on writing skills.

Shape Tasting Party (Special Projects / Sensory)
Kids of all ages
Gather food and snack items in assorted shapes, and set the items out on paper plates. Have the kids wash their hands and sit in a circle around the food. Pick a shape to start with, telling the kids to “find and taste a square” or “a circle,” and so on. Talk about how it tasted, then repeat the process with a different shape. Here are some shaped food items to use for this activity: Cheese its (square), Ritz crackers (circle), cucumber slices (circle), cheese slices (cut to any shape), melon slices (slice them into triangle shapes), celery stick pieces (crescent shape), Potato slices (oval), Bologna (cut to any shape).

Shape Feely Box (Sensory)
Preschool to kindergarten
Get out your feely box and set it at a table. (To make a feely box, tape a medium sized box closed. Use a box cutter to cut out a hand hole in one of the sides, and tape a piece of cloth over it to conceal the opening). Fill the box with different shaped items, such as blocks, coins, washers, balls, etc. Have the kids reach into the box, pick one item, feel it, and tell you what shape they think they have. After they guess, have them pull the item out of the box to see if they’re correct.

The Art of Shapes (Art)
Kids of all ages
Cut out an assortment of shapes in all different sizes from colored construction paper. Set the shape pieces out on a tray at your art table, and provide the children with glue, paint, paintbrushes, and a separate sheet of paper. Create the artwork by having kids glue on the shapes to make different objects, adding details and touching up their scene with the paint.

Shape Stencils (Fine Motor)
Set out some shape stencils at your table, along with colored pencils and paper. Have the kids use the stencils to create artwork or geometric designs. Graphing or shape stencils can be bought for a few dollars from your local art or department store. You can also make your own by tracing shapes onto heavy card stock, then using a box cutter to cut them out as stencils.

Shape Picture Puzzles (Fine Motor)
Preschool to Grade 1
Cut out a variety of pictures from magazines, laminate them, and cut each one to pieces using a different shape. (Cut one into squares, another triangles, another rectangles, and others use a box cutter to cut out circle or diamond shapes from within the picture). Set them out at your table for the kids to put back together.