At Home Play
  • Home
    • About
  • Responding To COVID-19
  • For Parents
    • Teaching At Home
    • Social Emotional Tips For Parents
  • Read-Alouds
  • At Home Activities
    • Express Yourself >
      • Acting Out Emotions
      • Balloon Breathing
      • Breathing Buddies
      • Empathy Song
      • The Color Wheel
      • Empathy Cards
    • Reading, Writing, Listening, Oh My >
      • Alphabet Hunt
      • Bingo
      • Letter Collage
      • Reading Signs
      • Smack Letters
      • Writing Letters
    • Math And Science Lab >
      • Dancing Popcorn
      • How Many Dots?
      • Making A Band
      • Nature Walk
      • Putting Away and Sorting
      • Let's get Building
    • Let's Get Physical >
      • Ball Hop
      • Dance Party
      • Pillow Poses
      • Toss And Count
      • Move Like An Animal
      • Let's Get Flexible
  • Songs
    • Ants Go Marching
    • Baby Bumble Bee
    • Five Little Ducks
    • Five Little Monkeys
    • Five Little Pumpkins
    • Old MacDonald Had A Farm
    • Itsy Bitsy Spider
    • Wheels On The Bus
  • Media
  • Contact
Picture

Let's Get Building: Learning geometry through problem solving 


Young children often become frustrated and disappointed when they are confronted for with a challenge. This is because young children are still building the  executive function skills necessary to begin problem solving and the social emotional skills to regulate their behavior as they face challenges. 

As an adult, you can help build these skills in a fun and engaging way, so that when your child is confronted by different problems they will be better able to handle problems independently. Start by posing a goal and talking about your materials. For this activity you will need small marshmallows and toothpicks. As you lay the materials out in front of yourself and your child, talk about how you want to build the tallest tower ever!

Model sticking the toothpicks into the marshmallows. While you stick the toothpicks into the marshmallows, discuss the different shapes that you are forming. For example, if you stick three toothpicks together to form a triangle, make sure to highlight the points you are creating. Continue to make shapes, now including your child, allowing them to construct their own shapes. 

After working together to create several shapes, such as triangles, squares or rectangles, ask your child, "how you can make the tallest tower ever?" Acknowledge their responses and  help them test out their ideas. If the tower keeps falling, identify how your child feels and then provide encouragement for your child to keep going. For example, you might say, "I see you are frustrated that the tower fell. I wonder what we can do to keep it from falling down?" 

Your tower might not be the tallest tower ever, but the true goal is the quality of vocabulary and problem solving that is being practiced. As you continue to acknowledge your child's emotions and provide encouragement, you build their perseverance. And as you talk about the lines, points, and curves that you make by combining the marshmallow and toothpicks, your child will build foundational skills for future geometry knowledge. 


Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
    • About
  • Responding To COVID-19
  • For Parents
    • Teaching At Home
    • Social Emotional Tips For Parents
  • Read-Alouds
  • At Home Activities
    • Express Yourself >
      • Acting Out Emotions
      • Balloon Breathing
      • Breathing Buddies
      • Empathy Song
      • The Color Wheel
      • Empathy Cards
    • Reading, Writing, Listening, Oh My >
      • Alphabet Hunt
      • Bingo
      • Letter Collage
      • Reading Signs
      • Smack Letters
      • Writing Letters
    • Math And Science Lab >
      • Dancing Popcorn
      • How Many Dots?
      • Making A Band
      • Nature Walk
      • Putting Away and Sorting
      • Let's get Building
    • Let's Get Physical >
      • Ball Hop
      • Dance Party
      • Pillow Poses
      • Toss And Count
      • Move Like An Animal
      • Let's Get Flexible
  • Songs
    • Ants Go Marching
    • Baby Bumble Bee
    • Five Little Ducks
    • Five Little Monkeys
    • Five Little Pumpkins
    • Old MacDonald Had A Farm
    • Itsy Bitsy Spider
    • Wheels On The Bus
  • Media
  • Contact