Shape Scavenger Hunt for Preschoolers: A Fun Way to Learn Geometry Through Play

This project works on shape names and recognition, analytical thinking, categorizing, and focus. In this project, you will hunt—at home and beyond—for objects with various shapes and document them.

Then, you will compile an album, an encyclopedia of sorts, of your shape finds. You can make this as simple or detailed as you like. Keep it digital and make a collage on the computer. Print them out and make a book or poster. Have your child pose next to the items they find for a great keepsake!

Materials:

• A cell phone or camera
• A method for organizing and displaying your shapes:
  - A digital program for creating a collage
  - Poster Board and glue sticks
  - A photo album or scrapbook
• Example pictures of the shapes you will search for. Choose 4-5 of the following shapes. You might document any uncommon shapes for a BONUS category. (You can also print out the shape scavenger list):
  - Circle
  - Square
  - Rectangle
  - Triangle
  - Diamond (or rhombus)
  - Pentagon (5 sides - fairly uncommon)
  - Hexagon (6 sides - fairly uncommon)
  - Octagon (8 sides - fairly uncommon, other than stop signs)

Explain to your child that you will be searching for, photographing, and creating a book (or poster, or collage) of shapes. Review with your child the shapes (along with their names) that you will be looking for. If possible, take your example pictures with you to compare to the objects you find.

Explore your home and, if time and weather allow, venture outside to find as many shapes as you can. You can be very orderly and search one room at a time or for just one shape at a time, or just go for it! You can set a timer and give a certain amount of time per shape. You can take this search to a grandparent’s home or to the grocery store. Feel free to make it as simple or extended as you like and incorporate any variations you think would be fun.

When your child finds a shape, prompt them for its name. Compare it to your example shapes if needed. Let your child be the photographer whenever possible.

Finally, organize your finds according to their shape. Make sure to write the names of the shapes somewhere on the poster, scrapbook, or collage. For example, divide the poster board into four sections and label each section with the name of a shape. Print and cut out the pictures of your finds and have your child place them on the poster board in the proper section.

Teaching moments

• Feel free to mix 2D and 3D shapes. For example, you should count a ball as a circle since it is difficult to find many flat circles in the real world. If your child has mastered the names of the 2D shapes, you could also incorporate the names of their corresponding 3D shapes into your conversation—sphere, cube, pyramid, etc.
• The documentation portion of this project is a wonderful literacy learning moment. Your child is relating the written names of the shapes to their meanings and creating a reference resource that they, or someone else, can refer to for information. They are not just learning to take meaning from text, but are involved in creating that meaning themselves!