Geometry – Identifying Geometric Shapes

By Stuart Ackerman

     Identifying geometric shapes involves more than just looking at them.  Your child should be able to determine the properties of shapes (e.g. angles and sides) in order to identify them.
 
     Your child should be exposed to many types of shapes and figures in order to recognize the properties of irregular shapes.  Your child may also have difficulties understanding that shapes can be classified in more that one way (e.g. a square is a rectangle) if he or she is not aware of all types of shapes.
 
     It is important for your child to be able to identify both two and three dimensional shapes and it is even more important that your child is able to discuss the properties of the shape in order to classify it. 
 
     Your child should know the difference between:

·         triangles

·         rectangles

·         quadrilaterals (4 sides shapes)

·         shapes with more than 4 sides 
  

     You can take any object in your home (e.g. straws, toothpicks) and have your child create different shaped triangles, rectangles (i.e. squares as well), quadrilaterals, and shapes with more than 4 sides.  Cut the straws or toothpicks in half to create 'smaller sides' for some of the shapes.
 
     This technique is very important because it allows your child to create and explore different shapes.  This skill will be useful when your child identifies shapes based on their properties and characteristics.

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