Tanagrams

D has always been in love with puzzles. He has also acquired quite an interest in shapes. He makes shapes all over the place. For example, tonight while getting him ready for bed, he had a baby wipe in his hand. He folded it and said, "Look, I make a triangle." Then, he unfolded it and I asked what shape it returned to. He examined it and replied, "A square!"

Thus, the reason I spent my Kohl's cash on the following item (along with the math number set in the previous post), instead of spending it on myself.

Tanagrams - a fun way to introduce new shapes. I will tell him each shape before he sets it down (if he doesn't know it already). 

"You're setting down the blue diamond, now, you're looking for the yellow hexagon." For a any new shape, we'd count each side or talk about what it looks like and the shape's name. 

Ahh, they have a choo choo. Nice!

An excellent activity to entertain both a 2 yr old and 5 yr old at the same time.

 

Don't be afraid to teach your child something that you may think they don't understand. Don't bypass a hexagon or a dodecagon, just because it may be too advanced. If they are holding something, feeling and touching something that they are unsure of, they need to hear it.

 

Teach it!