Our driveway shape maze wasn't the only game we played while learning about squares. We also went on a fun square hunt throughout the house. The set-up for this game was easy. I took a sheet of paper and divided it into four areas. I then chose four room of our house. You can do as many rooms as you would like and make your tally sheet as simple or as pretty as you like. I just happen to like pretty.
We went room by room and the girls started hunting squares. They found blocks, Kleenex, Duplos, my iPod dock, window panes, the TV screen, board books, baskets, boxes, and many more things. Each time they found something I would add it to our list.
When we were finished with a room, we could count the items together. Then Lizzie (age 5) was given the task of recording the number. I'll take any excuse I can find to help her practice writing her numbers and letters.
Once we were finished with all of the rooms, we practiced a few more simple math concepts. I asked the girls which room had the most squares and which room had the fewest squares. We then ranked the rooms from most to least. You could also help the kids add all of the room totals together to find out just how many squares you found.
The variations to this game are endless. Hunt for circles or triangles. Hunt for a variety of shapes to see which one shows up the most at your house. Hunt for colors instead of shapes. Anything goes!
What variation of this game would you like to play with your kids?
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