Shape-Matching Game

Get all matchy-matchy with this math game.

Submitted by
Kayla Chong

Sometimes it's kind of fun to be matchy-matchy. Admit it: You've felt moments of fabulousness when your shoes, purse and lip gloss are all the same shade. Give your kid that same giddy feeling as she matches identical shapes or colors with this fun, brain-teasing game.

Construction paper:
Whatever colors you have on hand, but you'll need to have at least two pieces of each color.
Scissors
Double-sided tape
A mixing bowl:
Or some Tupperware, or anything big enough to hold a bunch of construction paper shapes.

Stack two pieces of the same color construction paper on top of each other.
Being careful to keep the two sheets together, cut out a variety of basic shapes: green squares, blue circles, yellow triangles. They'll need to be big enough for your kid to easily find them "hidden" around the room. Continue cutting until you have a bunch of pairs of shapes in the same color. (Need a template? Print one out from NickJr.com.)
When you're done cutting, you should have two of each shape. Have your kid help you sort the shapes into two piles, putting one of each shape into each pile. In the end, there should be a square in each pile, a circle in each pile, etc.
Have your kid put all of the shapes in the first pile into the bowl.
While she's moving pile number one, put a small piece of double-sided tape on the back of all of the shapes in pile number two.
Have your kid hide her eyes (or distract her with some fishy crackers) while you take pile number two and stick the shapes all over the living room. You can stick shapes on the windows, the table, the couch, the TV ...
Start the game. Have your kid choose a shape out of the container.
With her chosen shape in hand, send her into the living room to make a match.
If she's having a hard time, show her how to hold up the shape in her hand and test it to see if it's the same as the other one. After a few tries, she'll become a match-making expert.