THINK - MATH
Geometry and Spatial Sense
With your support, preschoolers learn to explore shapes, position, and direction
At A Glance
Geometry involves recognizing shapes and their properties (e.g., squares have four sides of equal length). Spatial sense refers to knowing your position in space (e.g., the book is on the table). Preschoolers need many opportunities to explore shapes and experiment with positions and directions. We can support children’s geometry skills by labeling shapes, identifying them, and discussing their properties. And we can support children’s spatial sense by labeling where things are in space.
What It Looks Like
A quick glance at ways you can help preschoolers develop geometry and spatial sense skills
Talk About Shapes
Look for opportunities to point out shapes. Notice how this educator labels the shapes a child uses (two triangles) to create another shape (a square).
Highlight Shape Properties
Call attention to shapes and their properties. Notice how this educator describes a shape using its number of sides and then encourages children to identify the matching shape.
Identify Position in Space
BUILDING YOUR LIBRARY
Books to Support Children's Mathematical Thinking
City Shapes
Written by Diana Murray and illustrated by Bryan Collier, this book follows a child who discovers shapes of all kinds in their busy neighborhood, from rectangular skyscrapers to round drums.
Animal Shapes
Written and illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal, this book explores the silly and unexpected possibilities that can come from combining animals with common shapes.
Up, Down, and Around
Written by Katherine Ayres and illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott, this book uses position words to describe a garden that gets planted and then grows every which way.
Seven Blind Mice
Written and illustrated by Ed Young, this book follows mice as they climb up, over, and around to each discover a small piece of a big mystery.
Activity Cards for Preschool Classrooms
Part of the STREAMin3 curriculum, these activity cards provide simple and fun ways to support geometry and spatial sense
Shape Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are a fun way to look for shapes both indoors and outdoors.
Sorting Shapes
Challenge children to sort an assortment of shapes based on their properties.
Hide and Find
Give children clues using position words to find a hidden object in the learning environment.
Position Words
Encourage children to move their bodies or objects into different places and spaces by using position words.
Get Our Resource Guide
Includes questions and activities to guide your use of the videos, book suggestions, and activity cards featured for each of the Core Skills
