Materials
Shape sorter and shapes
Directions
Shape sorters are a classic preschool toy, widely praised by early educators for 
promoting basic math skills, vocabulary, awareness of same/different, and fine motor skills. Set a shape sorter in front of your child with all the shapes beside it. Explain to your preschooler that each shape has its own special “door” into the sorter, and his job is to find the right door for each shape. Pick up a shape and identify it to your child (a circle, triangle, star, – whatever the shape may be.) Give the shape to your child to examine, talking about what makes it different from the others. Then, let your child examine the sorter itself. Typically, there are cutouts for the shapes on all sides of the sorter, so you can examine the sides of the sorter, one at a time, comparing the cutouts to the shape. Let him try the shape in some of the cutouts, gently encouraging him to perhaps turn the shape a little to fit it into the sorter. Congratulate him when he finds the correct “door”. Then choose another shape and proceed in the same manner.
If you don’t have a shape sorter, you can make a shape sorting sheet on paper. Trace some simple shape outlines on a piece of paper. Using cardboard, or another color of paper, cut out shapes to match those you’ve traced. See if your child can lay the paper shapes on the correct outline.