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Features

Big outlines of a circle, triangle, square, rectangle, oval, heart, star and hexagon
A tree, a fish, a sun and a butterfly to fill
How many did it take? with a big box to write in
I used: pebbles, buttons, leaves, shells, sticks or gems to circle
Hand-drawn lines and earthy colors
Every page in color and in black and white

Skills Covered

Name a circle, triangle, square, rectangle, oval, heart, star and hexagon
Notice sides, corners and curves by lining them with objects
Fill a space with smaller pieces

Count how many pieces filled a shape
Compare which loose parts cover more space
Make choices and talk about them

How to Use This Pack

Eight mats to use with real loose parts. Pages 1 to 4 each have two big shapes: a circle and a triangle, a square and a rectangle, an oval and a heart, a star and a hexagon. Children fill a shape with pebbles, buttons or leaves, or line its sides with sticks, then count how many it took and write it in the box, and circle the loose parts they used. Pages 5 to 8 are pictures from nature, a tree, a fish, a sun and a butterfly, each big enough to fill with a whole handful: leaves for the tree, shells for the fish's scales, sticks for the sun's rays, buttons and flowers for the butterfly's wings.

In the Classroom

Set the mats on an invitation table with baskets of loose parts and let children choose a mat and their materials. Ask open questions: Did big pebbles or small buttons take more to fill the circle? How did you make the corners of the square? Can the two sides of your butterfly match? Children who line a shape with sticks discover sides and corners for themselves. Photograph finished mats before the parts go back in the baskets, and write down what children say about their choices.

At Home

Collect a bowl of loose parts on a walk or from around the house: pebbles, pasta, buttons, coins, leaves, bottle caps. Fill a shape together, count the pieces, then fill it again with something bigger or smaller and count again. Talk about the shapes: How many corners does the triangle have? Is a circle the same as an oval?

Tips for Success

Offer loose parts of different sizes: children notice that fewer big pieces fill the same shape
Lining the sides with sticks shows the straight sides and corners of a shape
Let children choose; there is no right number for "How many did it take?"
An adult can write the number in the box while the child counts aloud
Laminate the mats or put them in sheet protectors to use them again and again

Common Core Standards Alignment

This pack supports the following Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:

K.CC.B.5 Tell how many: up to 20 objects in a line, array or circle, or 10 scattered. Also count out a requested number up to 20.
K.G.A.1 Use shape names for everyday objects, and tell where things are with position words like over, under, next to and behind.
K.G.A.2 Name shapes correctly even when they are turned, tilted, bigger or smaller.
K.G.A.3 Tell whether a shape is flat (two-dimensional) or solid (three-dimensional).
K.G.B.5 Make shapes seen in the world by drawing them or building them from parts such as straws and clay.
K.G.B.6 Put small shapes together to make bigger ones, such as joining triangles to make a square.

Loose Parts Shape Mats

Pre-K – K

Reggio-inspired shape mats with big outlines of eight shapes and four pictures from nature, made to be filled with real pebbles, buttons, leaves and other loose parts. Children fill each shape or line its sides, count how many pieces it took and circle the loose parts they chose.

Download PDF

What’s Included

8 mats in color and in black and white (16 pages)
Four mats with two big shapes each
Four mats with a picture from nature: a tree, a fish, a sun and a butterfly
How many did it take? and I used on every shape and picture

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Free to print and share

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