Exploring Square and Round
Age: approx. 6 months to 2 years
Materials: Collection of square objects (cubes) and round objects (spheres)
Exploring the different properties of the different shapes. Some with angles and some without.
Some roll and some don't! Why? Let baby find out by experience.
Baby is Learning:
- Fine motor skills
- Co-ordination
- Hand and eye coordination
- Manipulation
- Size differences
- Shape differences
- Shape differences
- Senses. Different textures, smooth, soft, angled, corners etc
- Cause and effect (ie. pushing something round makes it roll)
- How to grasp small objects
- About gravity
- What to do
- How to stack and whack (more whacking than stacking in the earlier months!)
- Emotions. Delight, excitement, curiosity
Handy Tips:
- Repeat this activity as often as you like as babies (and children) need repetition in order to consolidate their learning and understanding
- Provide a range of different sized, coloured, textured etc. round and square objects
- Provide a range of different sized, coloured, textured etc. round and square objects
- Simplify by starting with one group (ie. round), then introduce the next before introducing them together to explore the differences
- Extend this activity for older babies by talk about the colours. You could also attempt to stack both groups. Will the round things stack?
- Talk to your baby about what they are doing. This will help them begin to understand the physical and mental processes they are going through as well as helping develop their vocabulary.
- Supervise. Babies must be supervised at all times. One of the main ways that they learn about objects is by putting them in their mouth, so please be cautious about what you are providing them or what they could access.
- Give your baby your time. It's the best gift you could ever give them.
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