This was a great idea on my mom’s behalf. Iza has a fantastic game on her iPad which uses matching shapes, and she has really enjoyed it. She thought to make it analog so it was more tactile on with fun, sparkly shapes. She did this during Zai’s birth so Iza would have a special new toy.
Iza has these terrific blocks from Melissa & Doug that fit into a wooden box. It is a Montessori activity that she uses in her classroom as well, so she is very used to the shapes. We used these as the template for making the shapes so they were both familiar and easy for her to pick up.
Lay them out on a white piece of paper and trace. For every shape create 2 tracings so you will have a duplicate. Add in a paper clip on 4 sides to a stack of colorful paper. We recommend doing no more than 3 pieces of paper at a time to ensure it stays in place.
Create two piles of shapes and put one set in an envelope.
Note: Don’t screw this step up or your kid will go nuts looking for the missing piece!
Lay out all the shapes on a 18″ x 24″ board. Pick a material that is thick enough to not be flimsy, but light weight enough to be manageable for carrying around. If you a have an older kid you could go up a size to 24″ x 36″.
Here’s what the board looks like laid out. We just glued everything down with a silicone and then it was ready to go. In hindsight it would have been fun to add her name to the top like “Iza’s Matching Game” or something that made her feel like it belonged to her, but she really loved it.
How to Play:
1st level – Just match the shapes. Lay the shapes from the bag over the shapes on the board. We recommend keeping the shapes in the bag until they are placed on the board.
2nd level – Direct matches to color and shape.
