Shapes you can see at home

Every shape has a job — find it in the room before naming it.

The question

What shape is a chapati?

The trick

Do not start with the name — start with the object. Find the shape in your own house first, then give it its name.

Worked example

1Circle: a chapati, a bangle, a coin, the full moon.
2Square: a slice of bread, a floor tile, a window pane.
3Triangle: a samosa, a slice of cake, a road sign.
4Rectangle: a door, a book, a phone.

So: A circle

Remember it like this

Go on a shape hunt around the house. Whoever spots the most circles wins. Five minutes of this beats an hour of flashcards.

In the exam

Ask 'how many corners?' as well as 'what is it called?' Counting corners is what separates a triangle from a square when the child cannot remember the word.

Why it works

A shape learned as a picture in a book stays in the book. A shape learned as 'the thing Amma makes for dinner' is attached to something the child sees every day, so it is recalled every day.

Explain this to my childGet the words to teach it, in your language

Try it yourself

0/4 correct

1
What shape is a bangle?
2
What shape is a samosa?
3
How many corners does a square have?
How many corners does a square have?
4
How many corners does a circle have?
How many corners does a circle have?