I am so excited to bring another story and sensory activity set to you! I love sharing favorite picture books with my toddler and I know these books will be in heavy rotation for years to come. That’s why it was so important to me to create activities to go along with favorite books that will continue to engage her from toddlerhood all the way through elementary school. Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh is such an adorable story about mice trying to outsmart a cat that kids don’t even realize they’re learning about shapes while they’re reading!
By kindergarten, children are not only expected to identify and describe shapes but they are also going to need to analyze, create, compare, and build shapes. It is so important to create a foundation for those important skills early on. That’s why I wanted to create activities to go along with a loved story about shapes that would help expand children’s learning and tie in some fun!
In this Mouse Shapes Story and Sensory Activities Packet, there are 7 different activities that will not only help your little ones learn and name their shapes but also give you opportunities for them to play and build their own shape creations too. Being able to recognize shapes and name them is an important skill but this activity packet helps take it one step further so your little ones will be ready for the kindergarten standards they are expected to master. Using play dough and the shapes provided in the packet there are so many ways to have little ones compose their own shapes and objects they see in the story.
One of my favorite ways to get my daughter engaged in new concepts is through a sensory bin. I’m so excited to use both versions of the shape sensory bin with her to help her recognize and name the different shapes in the story. I created one sensory bin card option for solid color shapes and then another with fun happy shapes so she could practice her learning in many different ways! My favorite sensory bin filler for these kinds of activities are dry black beans, but you could really use anything! Some other ideas are:
- dry pinto beans
- colored pasta
- plain dry pasta
- oats
- dyed or plain rice
the possibilities are endless! If you need ideas for sensory bin fillers, make sure to visit my post here on our favorite sensory bin fillers!
As parents and teachers, our main goal is to prepare our little ones for the future. That’s why I love using activities at home with our favorite picture books to practice important skills that my daughter will need once she starts school. It’s truly never too early to learn and when they’re learning through play it’s even better. My hope with these Story and Sensory Activities is that it will be a fun way for children to learn and stress free for parents and teachers since all of the materials are provided!
If you would like to see more about this packet of activities to help your little ones name and build their own shapes, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store here!
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