Frugal, Educational Fun

Childhood education is a journey.  It is full of obstacles, adventures, new waters, and discoveries all while trying to continue moving forward.  One obstacle I hear discussed quite often is cost.  Cost of toys, activities, and even time.  But, much like most areas of life, educating our children can be simplified and made more affordable without sacrificing quality.

Shapes for Toddlers

Several companies offer expensive ways to teach your children shapes; everything from tracing techniques, to sorting techniques, to language techniques.  Essentially, learning the basics is all a matter of understanding and repetition.  Below is my no-cost version of what companies try to sell you.

First, take four brown paper bags (free from the grocery store).  Draw a shape on each one and label it Circle, Square, Triangle, and Rectangle.  Then pull out some miscellaneous toys that are lying around the house.  Show your child how to sort the toys based on shapes.  Start with the obvious shapes (blocks, balls, etc.) then move onto more abstract shapes (finding shapes in less obvious toys, such as a plastic ice cream cone being a triangle, a bowl is a circle, and so forth).  Let your children have fun with this activity and encourage them to find other objects in the house that fit into each shape category.  Do this often.

You can also cut out the shapes and lay them on other paper bags for the child to trace.  Make sure they frequently tell you what shape they are working on to further enforce language development.

Repetition is key to learning the basics.  As a constant follow-up, ask them to point out shapes to you everywhere you can (in the kitchen, at the grocery store, driving down the road).  It will help them learn to apply their knowledge to everyday activities.














For more educational fun, check out: Confessions of a Homeschooler