Felt Board Shapes

Yes,

felt board fever

 is still running high in this household, so I thought I'd share some more ideas about how to use the 

SHAPES set

from the Suczezz range,

since that is such a favourite with moms who buy from me!

The first - and probably most obvious - activity is to let your child

identify a shape

and place it on the felt board. The set contains two of each shape - for this activity, set out only one of each to make it easier for a younger child. We like to sit on the carpet when we play with the felt board, and I lay out the pieces on a plastic tray in front of the board.

• For the really little ones, put out only the very basic shapes, like a large circle, square and triangle.
• Once they know a few more shapes, put out the rest of the set.
• Make the game a little more interesting by saying "I Spy with my little eye...a large pink circle!" (only mention colours if your child can identify them easily.)
• This is a great way to introduce the concept of small and large, since the set contains most of the shapes in two sizes. Ask: "Can you place a large circle and a small square on the board?"
• And you can work on position and vocabulary by asking: "Place a small circle on top of the large one / next to the square / behind the rectangle / right at the bottom of the board."

The next time you take the felt pieces out, let your child

explore on his or her own.

It is a good idea to place the pieces with the black print lines facing down - I find that it is easier to see the creative possibilities that way! You can casually show your child how to put a few pieces together to make a 'picture', but be careful not to immediately build a house or other 'real' thing. I find that this inhibits my little girl - she cannot produce the same kinds of recognizable things yet, and then gives up.

A friend of mine came over recently and her seven year old son, on seeing the felt board out, immediately set about building a very interesting 'robot' with the shapes. Sweetpea, on the other hand, just likes stacking the pieces on top of each other in little piles resembling multi-coloured club sandwiches!

Once your child knows the basic shapes, introduce the more difficult ones, like the parralellogram, wedge and semi-circle, by getting out

both sets

and playing a

matching game.

If you have the large green felt board from the Suczezz range, just stand it on its side so the fold down the centre divides your board into two. If you have another kind of board, cut a long, thin strip of felt as a dividing line.
OK, back to the game: You place a shape on your side, your child places the match on her side! In our household, though, Sweetpea will probably be the one to start and I'll follow! If your son is playing with you, capitalize on his competitive nature and keep a score card with little gold stars!

Develop this game even further and use it to introduce your child to

SYMMETRY.

Continue along the vein of the matching game, but encourage your child to mirror your arrangement on his/her side of the board. When they grasp the concept of symmetry, build a butterfly together!

And to think you can do

ALL THAT

with a

SINGLE SET

of

FELT BOARD SHAPES
that you can order from me for a mere
R44!

To place your order, please e-mail me.