In this activity, children built on their prior knowledge of geometry and created shapes with their bodies. Through teamwork and mathematical discussions, the children started with identifying and creating shapes, and ended with a delightful discovery of shape transformation, division, and fractions.
Materials:
- Simply bring our bodies!
- Smart phone or tablet to take photos of the shapes built by the children
Instructions:
When considering making shapes using our bodies as a tool in my pre-K class, I first considered my student’s prior knowledge. The students had already been taught basic geometric concepts such as identifying shapes, sides, and points. Next, I considered how to make this a whole body experience. This led to the idea that the children could make shapes with their own bodies using teamwork and mathematical discussions.
As a class we tapped into our prior knowledge through a whole group discussion about what we know about shapes. Then, I introduced the concept of making shapes with our bodies. The children were eager to get started.
They began by standing and making shapes individually. They then came to the conclusion that it would be easier to work together and make shapes on the floor. The children organized themselves into two groups, one group built a triangle and a the other built a square. We discussed how many points and sides there were in each.
Next, the whole class decided to make a larger shape as one big group. It began as a rectangle (see picture 1) until a child lay down the middle to “cut the shape in half” (picture 2). The children observed, “We now have two rectangles!” We then had a spirited discussion about the transformation of shapes (What happens when we cut a shape? What smaller shapes do we get?), as well as division and fractions (When we cut a big shape in half, and how many shapes do we have?).
The children made a rectangle together
A child decides to “cut” the shape in half.
Modifications:
When children are engaged in building a shape as a group, they can’t see themselves in the shape, so it helps to have an audience to observe, identify the shape, and count points and sides. Break the children into small groups so that while one group is building and showing their shape, others can observe, identify, and discuss their discoveries.
To make this activity more challenging, ask the children:
- Build a shape that has 3 (or 4, 5, 6) sides and points.
- How many different kinds of triangles (or quadrilaterals) can you build?
- How many different ways can you “cut” a shape? What happens when you do – how many smaller shapes and what kind?