Shape Board Match

from 22 months · 5-10 min · Fine motor

What you need

a wooden shape inset board with three to five chunky pieces, each too big to fit through a toilet roll tube

Sit on the floor with the board between you and lift all the pieces out into your lap.
Hand over one piece and name it: "Here's the circle."
If it does not drop in, run a finger round the edge of its hole together.
When it is in, hand over the next one, until the board is full.

One piece at a time leaves only one hole to look for, so their hands get to do the turning and fitting without a pile of pieces in the way.

Fitting and turning: Turning a piece in the hand until it drops into the hole.
Matching shapes: Looking between the piece and the board for the hole that goes with it.
Shape names: Hearing circle, square and triangle as each piece comes over.

Watch for their fingers feeling round the edge of a hole before they try the piece.

Choose a board with no small or loose parts, check the knobs are firmly fixed, and put it away if a piece cracks or a knob works loose.

Easier: start with the circle, which fits whichever way it turns

Harder: hand over two pieces at once and let them choose which goes first