Family Child Care Home
Instructional Unit:
SHAPES
Family Child Care Home Instructional Unit:
SHAPES
AUTHOR
Dr. Janice Wood
Crawford Early Literacy Faculty Fellow
The Instructional Units presented here were funded in part by the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation
and Improvement, Fund for the Improvement of Education as part of the Virtual School Readiness Incubator Project, the
Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida, and the Early Learning Coalition of Duval, Inc. These
materials are still in the refinement phase and should be used with this caution in mind. The content of these units does not
necessarily reflect the views or policies of or imply endorsement by the U. S. Department of Education, the University of
North Florida, and/or the Early Learning Coalition of Duval, Inc.
No claim is made on those materials that are in the public domain.
©2013 Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida
Reproduction of these materials for resale or distribution is prohibited.
University of North Florida • University Center • 12000 Alumni Drive • Jacksonville, Florida 32224–2678
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http://www.unf.edu/fie/Family_Childcare_Homes_Instructional_Units_(FCCH).aspx
Family Child Care Home Instructional Units
The Family Child Care Home Instructional Units are curriculum resource units for
Family Home providers and teachers. The Instructional Units are standards-based
and are strongly rooted in an evidence-based framework. The Instructional Unit
topics were determined by the needs of professional development providers and
teachers. They are easily adaptable to the needs of children, ranging in age from two
years through four years, in a variety of learning environments and inclusive settings.
Instructional Unit Topics
Colors
Shapes
Letters
Numbers
Counting
All About Me - Body Parts/Senses
All About Me - My Feelings
My Family and Friends
Weather
My Community
Transportation
Care of the Earth
Plants
Day and Night
Opposites
Water Animals
Air Animals
Land Animals
Family Child Care Home Instructional Unit 2013 - Shapes
Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida
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Shapes
Ages 2+–3
Oral Language
Experiences
Learning
Experiences
Recognizes basic shapes - circle,
square, triangle, rectangle, star
Matches shape pictures with
corresponding environmental
shapes
Finds shapes in the environment
Listens and responds to songs and
books about shapes
Says shape words
Uses vocabulary words
Sings shape songs
Shapes
(Little Scholastic)
By Justine Smith
Core Vocabulary Words
circle
square
triangle
rectangle
star
Rich Vocabulary Words
bumpy
smooth
scratchy
rough
sparkly
Additional Children’s Books
Brown Rabbit’s Shape Book, Simone T. Ribke
My Shapes, Rebecca Emberley
Shapes (Learning with Animals), Mélanie Watt
So Many Circles, So Many Shapes, Tona Hoban
The Shapes of My House, Lace and Learn House
The Shapes We Eat, Simone T. Ribke
Family Child Care Home Instructional Unit 2013 - Shapes
Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida
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Oral Language Activities
Materials Needed
Book: Shapes (Little Scholastic)
Cut out the shapes from Activity Pictures # 1 — circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star
Circular items such as: cotton ball, lid of a jar, ball, button, coin, Frisbee
Shape Chart
Magnetic shapes — circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star
Activity Pictures #6 and #8
Activities
Tell the children they are going to be learning about shapes. Introduce the shapes of
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, and star by showing them the cut out shapes from
Activity Pictures #1. As you show them each shape, say the name of the shape. Chart
and sing the Shape Song with the children:
Shape Song
A circle is round – And a house is square. – A triangle has three sides. – A rectangle is long and very thin, – Just like the trunk of a tree.
Look at the sky at night,
And you will see a star – #
Shining oh so bright.
After singing the Shape Song, gather the children in a large circle. Tell them that they are
forming the shape of a circle with their bodies. Place several circular and round items on a
tray. Show them one item and say, “This is a lid to a jar, it is the shape of a circle.” Show
the children other items that are round and use the name of the items in a sentence, such
as, “This button is round and is the shape of a circle.” Show them additional round items
and use the shape words in sentences.
Look around the classroom and point out objects in the room that have different shapes.
Say the name of each shape.
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First Reading of the Book
Display the book Shapes (Little Scholastic). As you show the children the cover of the
book, tell them this is a book about shapes. Point to and tell the children that the wheels
on the cover of the book are circles. Read the title of the book and the author’s name.
Open the first page of the book and point to the large, black circle and say, “This is a
circle.” Outline the circle with your finger. Pass the book around and help the children
outline the shape of the circle. Continue the activity with the square, the triangle, the
rectangle, and the star. Say the name of each shape with the children. Encourage them to
say the shape names as they are tracing the shapes with their fingers.
Ask the children what a circle, square, triangle, rectangle, and star are called. (shapes)
Show the children the shape cards from Activity Pictures #6. Point to and say the name
of each shape. Give a child-friendly definition for each word.
Read the book to the children.
While reading the book, match the Rich Vocabulary Word cards to the shapes in the
book.
Second Reading of the Book
Read the book again and as you read, point out the shapes in the book as well as the
words bumpy, smooth, scratchy, rough, and sparkly. Open the book and say, “This is a
bumpy circle.” Pass the book around to the children and ask them to touch the bumpy
circle and say the words. Continue through the book and ask the children to touch the
shapes and repeat the words: smooth square, scratchy triangle, rough rectangle, and a sparkly
star.
Look around the classroom and point out different shapes in the room. Ask the children
to say the name of each shape.
When reading the book, highlight the CORE and Rich Vocabulary words.
Read the book several times throughout the week.
Read the books suggested in Additional Children’s Books section.
Give each child a Take-Home Bracelet from Activity Pictures #8.
Family Child Care Home Instructional Unit 2013 - Shapes
Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida
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Second Reading of the Book
Sing the Circle and Square Song with the children.
Circle and Square Song
This is a circle. (draw circle in air)
This is a square. (draw square in air)
We can draw them in the air.
We can draw a triangle in the air.
We can draw a rectangle in the air.
Lets draw many stars in the air.
Activities
Use the Activity Pictures #1 for this activity. Hold up the various shapes while singing
the What Shape Is This? song.
What Shape Is This?
Do you know what shape this is,
What shape this is, what shape this is?
Do you know what shape this is
I’m holding in my hand?
After reading the book, display the shapes from Activity Pictures #1. Say the name of
each shape. As you hold up the shapes, ask the children to look around the room and
find an object that is the same shape. As they find the shapes, ask them to say the name of
the item and the shape. (door–rectangle, clock–circle, table–square)
Place magnetic shapes on a table. As you hold each shape, ask the children to tell you the
name and the color of the shape, such as, “This is a red circle.” To continue the activity, give
each child a shape and ask themm to tell you the name and the color of the shape. Mix up
the shapes and repeat the activity.
Write the numbers 1, 2, and 3 on the top of chart paper. Hold up the shape cards from
Activity Pictures #1. Ask the children to say the name of the shape and tell you how
many syllables the name has. Ask the child to draw the shape under its corresponding
number.
1
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3
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Activities
Display the Shape Chart. Point to the different shapes on the chart and ask the children
to tell you the names of the shapes. Let the children take turns pointing to different
shapes on the Shape Chart. Review the colors of the shapes. Ask the children to use the
shapes from Activity Pictures #1 to match the shapes on the Shape Chart.
Continue reading the Shapes book throughout the week. Make the book available to the
children to look at independently. Encourage the children to identify shapes in their
environment throughout the day.
Learning Activities
Materials Needed
Cut out shapes from Activity Pictures #1
Cut out the shapes from Activity Pictures #2 — circles,
squares, triangles, rectangles, stars
Magnetic shapes — circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star
Envelopes
Activities
Randomly spread the shapes from Activity Pictures #2 — circle, square, rectangle, triangle,
and star — on the table or the floor. There should be two of each shape. Ask the children
to match the shapes. As the children match the shapes, ask them to name each shape and
the color of each shape. Mix the shapes and repeat the activity.
Use the shapes from Activity Pictures #2. Take one set of shapes and hide the shapes
around the room. Show the children one shape at a time and ask them to find the same
shape that is hidden somewhere in the room.
Tell the children that there are many different shapes. Get an assortment of pasta (bow
ties, shells, wheels, penne). Place several plastic bowls on the table. Ask the children to
sort the different shapes of pasta into the dishes.
Use masking tape to make large shapes on the floor (circle, square, triangle). Review the
name of each shape with the children. Call out the name of a shape and have the children
stand inside the shape. As the children make progress, describe the shape and ask the
children to stand in the shape you describe.
Family Child Care Home Instructional Unit 2013 - Shapes
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Activities
Stand in the shape that is round.
Stand in the shape that has 4 sides.
Stand in the shape that thas 3 sides.
Draw a circle, square, rectangle, triangle, and star on five envelopes. Give each child one of
the shapes from Activity Pictures #1 and ask them to identify their shape and place it in
the corresponding envelope.
Make or order a pizza. Talk about the shape of the pizza. Cut small, triangle-shaped pieces.
Give a piece of pizza to each child and have them tell you the shape of the piece of pizza.
Place the magnetic shapes on a table. As you show the children each shape, say the name
of the shape. Ask the children to say the names of the shapes with you. After they have
said the shape names, ask them to make the beginning sound of each shape word. Practice
saying the beginning sounds of each shape name with the children.
Cut out a shape for each child. Give each child a piece of paper and ask them to trace the
shape on the paper several times. Ask the child to try to draw the shape without tracing.
Place several round items on a tray, such as cotton ball, ping pong ball, the lid of a jar,
ball, button, and coin. Pick up one item and say, “This button is the shape of a circle.”
Give each child a chance to select an item and say a sentence about the item.
Hide several magnetic shapes around the classroom. Go on a Shape Hunt. Give the
children verbal clues about the locations of the shapes. When a child finds a shape,
he/she would say something like, “I found a green square.”
Take a walk around the indoor and outdoor environment and ask the children to look for
objects that are in the shape of circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, and stars. Items to look
for include doors, windows, books, blocks, roofs, street signs, and tires. Ask questions like,
“What shape is that door?” or “Can you find something that is a square shape?”
Cut out a large shape for each child. On one side of the shape, print the name of the
shape. On the other side of the shape, ask the child to print his/her name. Send the
shapes home to share with family members.
Place items with a distinct shape into a bag. (a milk cap, ball, penny, yo-yo, a block, a dice,
a book) Have each child reach into the bag, touch one item, and describe the item by
shape (numbers of sides and corners). Then have the child name other defining attributes
that he/she notices and then name the item.
Family Child Care Home Instructional Unit 2013 - Shapes
Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida
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Shapes
Ages 3+–4
Learning Experiences
Oral Language Experiences
Identifies own name
Identifies basic shapes—circle,
square, triangle, rectangle, star, oval,
crescent, diamond, hexagon
Matches shapes with shape words
Identifies shapes in books
Finds shapes in the environment
Listens to and responds to
songs and books about shapes
Says shape words
Uses vocabulary words in
conversation
Shapes All Over Town
By Joe Borer
Core Vocabulary Words
circle
square
rectangle
triangle
star
oval
crescent
diamond
hexagon
Rich Vocabulary Words
shapes
Additional Children’s Books
My First Shape Book, Scholastic
Shapes, David Goodman
Shapes, Shapes, Shapes, Tana Hoban
The Shape of Me and Other Stuff, Dr. Seuss
The Shape of Things, Dandi Daley Mackall
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Oral Language Activities
Materials Needed
Book: Shapes All Over Town, by Joe Borer
Cut out the shapes from Activity Pictures #1 and #3
Magnetic shapes from the book Shapes All Over Town
Cookie sheet
Shape cookie cutters
Play dough
Yarn stripes
Activity Pictures #7 and #9
Activities
Review the circle, square, triangle, rectangle, and star shapes with the children from
Activity Pictures #1. Introduce the shapes of crescent, oval, diamond, and hexagon by
showing the children the cut out shapes from Activity Pictures #3. As you show them
each shape, say the name of the shape. Say the “What Shape Am I?” poem. Review the
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, and star shapes with the first section of the poem. Review
the oval, crescent, diamond, and hexagon shapes with the second verse of the poem. Say the
poem with the children.
What Shape Am I?
Verse I
The wheels of the car are the shape of __________. (circles)
The windows in my house are the shape of __________. (squares)
The doors in my house are the shape of __________. (rectangles)
The roof of my house is the shape of a __________. (triangle)
The many bright lights in the night sky are the shape of __________. (stars)
As the children make progress, sing the second verse of the song.
Verse II
Eggs are the shape of __________. (ovals)
The moon in the sky is the shape of a __________. (crescent)
A kite in the sky is the shape of a __________. (diamond)
A stop sign is the shape of a __________. (hexagon)
Family Child Care Home Instructional Unit 2013 - Shapes
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Activities
Display the cut out shapes from Activity Pictures #1on a chart. Ask the children to
point to the following shapes.
•
•
•
•
•
Can you show me a round shape? (circle)
Can you show me a yellow shape with four sides? (square)
Can you show me a blue shape with two long sides and two short sides? (rectangle)
Can you show me a green shape with three sides? (triangle)
Can you show me a white shape with five points. (star)
Gather the oval, crescent, diamond, and hexagon magnetic shapes from the book, Shapes
All Over Town. Give each child one of the shapes. As you call out a shape name, ask the
child to place the shape on the cookie sheet. As the child places the shape on the cookie
sheet, ask him/her to say the name of the shape in a sentence, such as, “This is an oval.”
Review the additional shapes in the book. Repeat the activity using the circle, square,
triangle, rectangle, and star magnetic shapes. Remember to ask the children to use the
shape name in a sentence.
Ask the children to sit on the floor. Call out different shape names and ask them to create
shapes with their bodies.
First Reading of the Book
Ask the children to look at the cover of the book, Shapes All Over Town. Tell them the
name of the book and the author’s name. Ask them to tell you the name of the shapes
they see on the cover of the book. Remove the magnetic shapes from the book. Tell the
children that the shapes are magnetic and that they will stick to the shapes in the book.
Use the triangle to show them how the magnetic triangle shape will stick to the triangle
shape found on page 1 of the book. As you read the book, look for the small box that asks
the children to match objects and shapes on the pages you are reading.
Display the Activity Pictures #7. Point to and say each CORE and Rich Vocabulary word.
Before you begin reading the book, give each child one of the magnetic shapes. Tell the
children that while you are reading, they will be placing their magnetic shape on shape
pictures in the book. While reading the book, help the children identify the shape
pictures on the pages in the book. Help the children match the shapes. Always ask them
to use their shape name in a sentence, such as, “My hexagon shape matches the shape of a
stop sign.” or “My crescent magnetic shape matches the shape of the moon.” Gather the
shapes from the children and review all of the shapes.
While reading, match the CORE Vocabulary words on Activity Pictures #7 with the
shapes in the book.
Family Child Care Home Instructional Unit 2013 - Shapes
Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida
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Second Reading of the Book
Give each child one of the magnetic shapes from the book for this activity. Ask each child
to identify and say the name of his/her shape. Tell the children that you are going to read
the Shapes All Over Town book and you want them to listen for clues so they can match
their shapes with the shapes in the book. As you read each page of the book, ask the
children to match their magnetic shapes with the illustrated shapes in the book and place
the magnetic shapes on the cookie sheet.
Review the Rich Vocabulary word cards from Activity Pictures #7.
After reading the book, ask the following questions while showing them the pages in the
book:
• What shape matches the shape of the tires?
• What shape matches the fuel sign?
• What shape matches the car wash door?
• What shape matches the stack of cans?
When reading the book, highlight the CORE and Rich Vocabulary words.
Read the book several times throughout the week.
Read the books suggested in the Additional Books section.
Give each child a Take-Home Bracelet from Activity Pictures #9.
Activities
Place various shaped cookie cutters and play dough on a table. Help the children flatten
the play dough and use the cookie cutters to form different shapes. As the children form
shapes, ask them to identify each shape.
Give each child a piece of thick yarn ten to twelve inches long. Ask the children to make
shapes with the yarn. (circle, square, rectangle, triangle, oval, crescent, diamond) If the
children have difficulty forming the shapes with the yarn, help them form the shapes.
Ask the children to use their bodies to make the following shapes:
• Make a wide circle with your arms.
• Make a tall triangle with your arms.
• Make a square with your fingers.
• Make an oval with your fingers.
• Make a diamond with your fingers.
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Activities
Give each child a piece of paper and one shape. Ask the children to draw a picture using
the shape that they were given.
Play the What Shape Am I game.
The wheels on my bike are the shape of __________ .
The book in my hand is the shape of __________ .
The table in the class is the shape of __________ .
The roof on the house is the shape of __________ .
The stars in the sky are the shape of __________ .
Give each child one of the magnetic shapes. Sing the Give a Laugh song with the
children.
Give a Laugh
Tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you have the shape of (circle), give a laugh (Ha-Ha)
If you have the shape of (circle), give a laugh (Ha-Ha)
If you have the shape of circle (circle), come and put it in the bag. (Ha-Ha)
If you have the shape of circle (circle), give a laugh (Ha-Ha)
Continue singing the song and changing the shapes until all shapes have been used.
Learning Activities
Materials Needed
Cut out Activity Pictures #1, #2, #3
Play dough
Cut out the letters from Activity Pictures #4 and #5
Shaped food items
Magazines
Shape cookie cutters
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Activities
Use the letters of the alphabet found in Activity Pictures #4 and ask the children to
match the beginning letter and the shapes from Activity Pictures # 1 and #3. As they
match the shapes with the beginning letters of each word, ask them to say the name of the
shape and the beginning letter sounds.
• A variation of this activity would be to ask the children to use the words from Activity
Pictures #5 to match the shape from Activity Pictures #1 and #2. As they make the
match, ask them to say the name of the shape.
Give each child a ball of play dough and ask him/her to flatten out the play dough and
use the cookie cutters to cut the shapes. As the children make the shapes, ask them to
name each shape.
• A variation of this activity would be to ask the children to use their cut out shapes and
additional play dough to make a house. They can use a large square for the body of the
house, a triangle for the roof, squares for the windows, a rectangle for the door, circles
and ovals for the plants, and diamonds for the flowers. Ask the children to be creative
when making their houses. Ask them to tell you about all of the shapes they used when
forming their houses.
Pick out foods that come in different shapes, such as crackers, corn chips, cookies, pizza,
cheese slices, cherry tomatoes, eggs. Place the different shaped food items on a tray and
ask the children to pick out a shaped food item to eat for snack and name the shape of the
snack. There are additional ways to incorporate shapes into your snack or mealtime
including cutting sandwiches into squares, triangles, rectangles, diamonds, hexagons, and
circles.
Use the cut out shapes from Activity Pictures #2 to make various shape patterns. Place
the cut out shapes on a table. Make a shape pattern and ask the children to make the
same pattern with their cut out shapes. Vary the patterns as the children make progress.
, Give each child a piece of paper and a shape. Ask the children to draw pictures of items
that are the same shape.
Play the Shapes Around the Classroom game. Select one of the shapes from Activity
Pictures #1 and Activity Pictures #3. Hold the shape up for the children to see and
ask them, “Where do you see this shape in the classroom?” Continue until all of the
children have had an opportunity to find a shape object in the classroom.
Family Child Care Home Instructional Unit 2013 - Shapes
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Activities
Give each child a piece of paper with a shape drawn on top. Ask the children to look
through magazines to find, cut out, and glue similar-shaped pictures on the paper.
Place several shapes on the floor. Use either magnetic shapes or shapes from Activity
Pictures #1 and Activity Pictures #3. Pull out a name of a shape from Activity
Pictures #5 and ask the children to read the name of the shape and find the shape that
matches the shape name card.
Give each child a piece of paper and one of the shape name cards from Activity Pictures
#5. Ask the child to write the word and draw a picture using the shape that is on the
card. This activity can be repeated until the children have printed several shape words and
have drawn several shape pictures.
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Shapes
Activity Pictures #1
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Shapes
Activity Pictures #2
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Shapes
Activity Pictures #3
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Shapes
Activity Pictures #4
c s r
t s o
c d h
Family Child Care Home Instructional Unit 2013 - Shapes
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Family Child Care Home Instructional Unit 2013 - Shapes
Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida
rectangle triangle
circle
square
Shapes
Activity Pictures #5
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Family Child Care Home Instructional Unit 2013 - Shapes
Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida
hexagon
crescent diamond
star
oval
Shapes
Activity Pictures #5
22
Shapes
Activity Pictures #6
circle
triangle
square
rectangle
star
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Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida
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Shapes
Activity Pictures #7
circle
star
square
oval
triangle
crescent
rectangle
diamond
hexagon
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Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida
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Shapes
Activity Pictures #8
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star
Family Child Care Home Instructional Unit 2013 - Shapes
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Shapes
Activity Pictures #9
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, oval, diamond
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, oval, diamond
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, oval, diamond
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, oval, diamond
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, oval, diamond
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, oval, diamond
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, oval, diamond
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, oval, diamond
Today we read a story about shapes.
Ask me to find the following shapes:
circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, oval, diamond
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