Get into Shapes

The supermarket is filled with geometric shapes.

What you'll need

Items from the supermarket

What to do


1. Show your child pictures of the different shapes -- cubes, rectangles, squares, cylinders, etc., -- before going to the supermarket. This will help to identify them when you get to the shop.

2. At the supermarket, ask your child questions to generate interest in the shapes.

Which items are solid? Which are flat?

Which shapes have fiat sides?

Which have circles for faces? Rectangles?

Do any have points at the top?

3. Point out shapes and talk about their qualities and their use in daily life.

Look to see what shapes stack easily. Why?

Try to find some cones. How many can you find?

Look for pyramids.

Determine which solids take up a lot of space and which ones stack well.

Discuss why space is important to the shopkeeper and why the shopkeeper cares about what stacks well.

Boxes, cans, rolls of toilet paper or paper towels, ice cream cones, lush produce such as oranges, grapes, and tomatoes are all geometric shapes. Recognizing these shapes helps children connect math to the real world.