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Learning basic shapes and being creative CAN go together. Here's an easy craft for preschoolers that will help them learn basic shapes while encouraging "free-thinking" design as well. You may discover you have a budding architect in the house!

What You’ll Need

construction paper
pencil
safety scissors
school glue
imagination

Instructions

1. Draw a good supply of basic shapes on construction paper and cut out. Cut out some "silly" shapes as well.

2. Have the child use the shapes to build a house, gluing them on a large, sturdy piece of paper or poster board. Encourage the child to learn the names of the shapes and to explore new uses for the shapes. For instance, rather than using the "normal" shapes to form the house (triangle for a roof and square for the main part of the house) suggest to the child that a house can be any shape they want, the sillier the better.

3. Ask the child to complete the picture by drawing or cutting objects out of construction paper to add other details such as curtains, plants, trees, clouds and other objects inside and outside the house.

4. Talk about the various shapes the child used to represent different objects.

Submitted by Leximom