Play the Shape Twister Game

Young kids love bright colors and shapes.   Visit a first grade playground some time and you’ll also see: they adore moving around.   Here is a first grade activity that combines all three—shape, color, and motion—to teach core first grade skills that will be especially useful in math later on, when kids move to studying three dimensional shapes and early geometry. 

It's a fun game that's kind of like Twister...with a twist!

You Will Need:
• Construction paper- various colors
• Child safety scissors
• Crayons or markers
• 1 metal paper fastener
• Scotch tape
• Pencil
• Lined paper

What to do:

Set the stage.  Explain that this is a fun game to practice identifying colors and shapes while also following directions that can be a little tricky.   Let your child know you consider this a challenge—but one that she can also do well. 

Make the game.   Have your child use crayons or markers to draw 2 of each of the following shapes: square, rectangle, triangle, diamond, circle, & star.  Make them fairly large—at least 6-8” across, and use plenty of different colors of paper.  Then lay them in rows on the floor.

Make directions.  Ask your child to create a list of directions.  Either you or he can write them on a sheet of lined paper. Examples:
"Place your right hand on the ____ ."
"Place your left hand on the _____ ."
"Place your right foot on the ______ ."
"Place your left foot on the ______ ."
"Move your right hand and place it on the _____ ."