Hidden Shapes Run Home
Children reach into a bag, recognize a foam shape by touch (circle, square, triangle or star) and run to the matching house drawn on the ground. It builds tactile shape recognition, running and finding your way around the playground.
How to play
- Draw four big chalk houses on the ground: a circle, a square, a triangle and a star (2 min).
- With eyes closed, feel each foam shape and count its corners and points (2 min).
- Four bags in the middle: each child reaches in, grabs a shape without looking, names it and runs to its house (4 min).
- They check the shape on arrival, leave it in the house and run back a new way (hopping, on one foot) (3 min).
- Together, put all the shapes back in the bags and walk slowly along the outlines of the houses (3 min).
Rules
- Search without looking in the bag.
- Run around the houses, not over the shapes.
- Wrong house? No problem: just move it.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, only circle and square, and children may look at the shape before running.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, all four shapes and no looking until you reach the house.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, shapes in two sizes with big and small houses: match shape and size.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the child identifies the shape and carries it in their wheelchair, or sends it with a buddy to the house they name.
- Visual impairment: make houses from rope taped to the ground so they can be traced with the feet.
- Autism: give a card with each shape to check before running.
Learning goals
- Recognize geometric shapes by touch.
- Head toward a specific spot in the playground.
- Run and switch ways of moving.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Large foam shapes: 20
- Cloth bags: 4
- Chalk: 4
Teacher tip
Use shapes at least 6 in across, too big to go in a mouth. Space the houses well and use different routes out and back to avoid collisions.
PatioLab has "Hidden Shapes Run Home" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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