Fun Ways to Practice Geometry in the Elementary Classroom

My third graders are knee deep into a geometry math unit. We are having a blast learning about shapes and their attributes! I thought I would share some of the fun activities that have my class begging for more math.

I like to begin our geometry unit by reading the book The Greedy Triangle . 

It is an adorable book about a triangle who decides to become a plethora of other shapes before realizing that he likes being a triangle. The book has excellent vocabulary and reviews lots of 2-D shapes.

Another fun book to share with your students is If You Were a Quadrilateral.

This book does a great job of introducing attributes of quadrilaterals but still being interesting enough to engage our students. Plus, it has a fun activity at the end of the book!

Polygon Scavenger Hunt

A polygon scavenger hunt is a really fun way to get kids up and out of their seats while they notice shapes all around them. Take your class on a walk around the school and see how many different shapes they can find by looking at the floor, walls, doors, etc. 

Play-Doh Shapes

I have lots of students who are very kinesthetic. They need to play with the shapes in order to really commit them to memory. Give students some Play-doh and ask them to make different shapes. They can make 2-D or 3-D shapes with the doh! THESE small Play-dohs are perfect for this activity!

Our absolute favorite way to practice shapes is with a game of Shapes HedBanz ! The game is very inexpensive (and great for indoor recess or fun Friday). All you need are the headbands for this version. Give students cards with shapes on them, or increase the rigor by just giving them cards with shape names. Students take turns asking yes or no questions to guess their shape. 

I encourage my students to use their good math vocabulary. So they ask questions like: “Am I a quadrilateral?” “Do I have any right angles?” “Do I have any parallel lines?” The rest of the group has to answer their questions. It is  great practice form everyone and they kids LOVE to play!

Shape Riddles

I also like to mix a little creativity with a little writing. Students are secretly given a shape and they must write three clues that become a riddle about what shape they are. Again, I encourage them to show off their math vocabulary when they write their clues. 

Students love to write them and they really love to read the riddles written by their classmates. You can grab this riddle activity for FREE by clicking HERE.

Geometry Centers

Once we have finished our geometry lessons, students will complete geometry centers to review the skills that we learned. You can read more about how I organize my centers by clicking HERE.

These geometry math centers have the same format as all of my other math centers which makes it easier for my students. And they are FREE! Yup! You can try out this mini set of geometry centers in your classroom for free! Click HERE to download your free centers.

What geometry activities get your students excited to learn?

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