2D Shape Poems and Rhymes
One of my favorite ways to introduce students to 2D shape names and attributes is with rhyming activities. There’s just something about reciting shape poems that helps those concepts stick for our young learners! In this post, I’m going to share some of my favorite 2D Shape Poems and Rhymes that fit nicely in any kindergarten shape unit.
Using Poems for Learning Shapes
Rhyming can be such a helpful tool for learning, especially in preschool and kindergarten! Here are just a few reasons why it’s a great idea to have some shape rhymes in your teacher toolbox.
- Increase Engagement – The natural rhythm of poetry is engaging and can grab your students’ attention. They will be excited to learn about all of the shapes and their attributes with fun poems.
- Promote Memorization – Poems and songs can help to promote memorization and recall of new information. Shape poems can help students remember all of the different shape attributes, so they can have that knowledge on hand when they need it.
- Help with Pronunciation – Let’s face it: Shape names can be challenging for our young learners to pronounce! Practicing shape names through the rhythm of poetry can help students break down those long words into more manageable chunks.
Let’s take a closer look at some shape poems that you can use in your classroom to help your students master 2D shape names and attributes.
2D Shape Poems for Kindergarten
First are these colorful 2D shape poem posters. Over the years, my students have always loved to learn these poems! I know your students will love them, as well!
Each day of your shape unit, you can focus on one particular shape. Introduce the name of the shape, recite the poem together, and then talk about the characteristics of the shape. You can print the posters two to a page so they’re smaller than a regular sheet of paper. This makes it easier to fit them into a pocket chart or on a bulletin board.
You can start with the most common 2D shapes, but it’s helpful to have additional shapes on hand if your students are ready for the challenge. I created poem posters for the following shapes: circle, square, rectangle, triangle, oval, rhombus/diamond, hexagon, pentagon, octagon, trapezoid, heart, and star.
After your students have learned about each shape, you can hang up the posters in your classroom as an anchor chart. Your students will be able to refer back to them all year long!
2D Shape Game
This super fun shape game is another great way to use rhymes for shape practice. In fact, this rhyme is even more engaging because you can sing it to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”
Start this game by inviting your students to come sit in a big circle (a chance to show your students how we use shapes in real life). Once everyone is seated, you can review all of the shapes you’ve learned so far. Then you can walk around the circle with a bag full of plastic shapes. Each student can pull out one shape from the bag and hide it in their lap.
Give your students the chance to turn to their neighbor and tell them what shape they pulled from the bag. Give your students some think time to come up with the shape name. Neighbors can also help each other if they’re having trouble remembering the names of their shapes. Then it’s time to play the game!
Sing the shape game song and replace the underlined word with a different shape until every student has had a chance to stand up. Then students can switch out their shapes and play again until you’re out of time. The students always have a lot of fun playing and it’s an easy way to get them up and moving in a meaningful way.
3 More Ways to Use Shape Poems in Kindergarten
In addition to creating a colorful anchor chart and playing a circle time game, there are even more ways that you can use these shape poems in your daily learning routine.
1. Memory Game
Have students take turns flipping over or removing one of the shape posters from the pocket chart while one student covers their eyes. The students could even rearrange the other cards to make it more challenging. After uncovering their eyes, the student will try to identify which shape is missing from the lineup! You can repeat the poem for that shape after the student has identified which one it is.
2. Mystery Shape
Choose a “mystery shape” from the lineup of shape posters. Give clues about which shape you’re thinking of, one at a time, until the students have chosen the correct shape. This is a great way to review shape attributes when you have a few extra minutes.
3. Hide-a-Star
Put the shape posters in a pocket chart and then place a picture of a star (or any other picture you’d like) behind one of the posters. Invite students to guess where the star is by saying the name of the shape they’d like to guess. (This is a great way to help your students practice saying the shape names!) You can then recite the poem together as a class before lifting the poster to see if the star is hidden behind it. You can repeat this process until your students find the star.
Printable 2D Shape Poems
If you would like to use these fun shape rhymes in your classroom, you can grab the shape posters and game in one resource! This download includes colorful posters for 12 shapes along with everything you need to practice shapes with the circle time game I shared in this post. Just click below to take a closer look at this resource in my shop.
2D Shape Posters and Rhymes
Save These 2D Shape Rhymes
Be sure to save this post so you can come back to it later! Just add the pin below to your favorite teaching board on Pinterest. You’ll be able to quickly find it when you’re looking for fun ways to practice shapes with your students.
