Ready for a super easy toddler activity? Try shape matching!
It’s a toddler and it’s Post-it notes. You know it’s a winning combination. This is basically the milk and cookies of toddler activities and I LOVE IT (about as much as my toddler loved shape matching!).
RELATED: Looking for quick and easy toddler activities? Check out my favorite list of 40+ simple ideas!
What is it about kids and Post-it notes?
My kids are like moths to flames with these things so I use them in activities all the time.
This activity has so many variations –
- We’ve done it with matching numbers.
- We’ve done it with finding letters.
- We’ve done it with making addition sentences.
It’s become a classic activity for my kids but I wanted a version for my youngest – he’s only 28 months old.
He doesn’t know his letters yet. He doesn’t know his numbers yet. AND THAT’S OK.
What does he know?
He knows some shapes and he knows how to match – awesome!
Think of this as more of a matching activity than a shapes activity.
Yes, he’s playing with shapes here.
And yes, he’s memorizing how they look.
But more, he’s learning to visually match two objects that look the same. That’s a big deal skill!
RELATED: Looking for more shape activities? Try making shape stamps!
An easy set-up for shape matching!
Materials:
Busy Toddler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.
- Post-it notes
- White butcher paper – my favorite!
- Painter’s tape
- Giant sharpie marker
Here’s how I set it up –
I started by drawing THREE shapes on post-it notes: I picked a “trinanangle”, “circle” and “the other one” (aka a square).
I ended up doing NINE Post-it notes for EACH shape = 27 Post it notes.
Then I grabbed my butcher paper and drew those same 27 shapes. I hung it on the wall and then HID THE POST-IT NOTES around the room.
Yes! This is a “hide and seek” activity
I hid the Post-it notes around the living room for my toddler to find.
He raced to find the hidden Post-it notes and match them up to the shapes on the white paper.
RELATED: Ever wonder why manipulating shapes is so important? Find out here!
And guess what happened?
By the end of this activity, my son was finally identifying ‘squares’. I even heard him find another one later in a book.
Play-based activities for the win! Without stressing, or flash carding, or pushing him – he learned to identify squares.
What a champion!
Shape matching with Post-it notes is an awesome activity – most activities with Post-it notes are!
Leave a Comment