Activities to Teach Students to Select Three-Dimensional Shapes
As students progress through their math education, one of the more challenging concepts to understand are three-dimensional shapes. While they may be able to easily identify two-dimensional shapes such as squares and circles, recognizing three-dimensional shapes can be more difficult. In order to aid in this effort, it’s important to find activities that can help students to both recognize and understand these more complex shapes. Here are a few activities that can help alleviate the difficulties behind these concepts.
Play a Game of 3D Shape Bingo
Elementary school students love games and bingo can be a great way to make the process of identifying 3D shapes fun. Teachers can create bingo cards with pictures of different 3D shapes that students can then match to identical shapes on the board. This can be an engaging activity that can help students differentiate and understand the differences between shapes.
Build 3D Shapes with Blocks
One of the most tangible ways to understand 3D shapes is to build them yourself. Teachers can provide students with different building blocks made of various materials to build 3D shapes. Students can build pyramids out of paper triangles and dowel rods, or a cube using cardboard. Direct students to identify the shapes they are building and name the parts involved. It’s also important to have students compare and contrast their creations with their peers.
Use Origami to Build 3D Shapes
Origami is another way to teach students about 3D shapes. By folding and creasing paper, students can create a variety of shapes such as cubes and pyramids. This activity teaches the properties of shapes while being fun and intriguing. Teachers can use colored paper to make it more visually appealing.
3D Shape Scavenger Hunt
This this activity encourages students to find different shapes around them where they live or study. Provide the students with a list or chart of 3D shapes they can look for such as spheres or cylinders. They can then be tasked with finding these shapes both inside and outside the classroom. This scavenger hunt can also integrate technological devices and tools to make the hunt an exhaustive experience.
Shape Descriptions
Occasionally on math assignments, students may not be required to draw shapes, but instead are asked to describe them in writing. This activity helps them to understand the properties, definitions, and relations of different shapes. Ask students to describe the properties of a sphere, for example, such as its curved surface, the way it rolls stops, and its relationship to circles and cylinders.
By using these interactive teaching methods, students can learn about 3D shapes and have fun doing it! Through play and experiential learning, students will be able to understand and apply these concepts even if math isn’t their favorite subject initially. By starting with these fun and engaging activities, students will have an easier time grasping the more challenging parts of three-dimensional shapes.