Spring break is officially over, so back to homeschooling we go! Did you know that learning AND fun can actually coincide?! I know, a novel concept, right? In all seriousness, teaching kids from home can, at times, feel like an arduous, daunting and frustrating task. Once the whining/pouting/complaining starts, it makes me feel like giving up!
As parents and teachers, we want to provide activities that serve a purpose, while also giving kids a chance to learn in new and exciting ways! This can certainly happen…it just might require us to change things up a bit.
Recently, I pulled out my handy geoboards to use with my boys. With the coordinating activity cards, your child can learn simple math concepts and terms, improve fine motor skills, and use their imagination to create their own designs!
Although my geoboards hail from the dark ages and probably aren’t sold online or in stores, these Learning Resources Geoboards would work just as well! We used this pack in my classroom and my students loved working with them.
Something to note is that the rubber bands included with the pack are not the best in terms of durability, color, and amount provided! My favorite rubber bands that stretch well without breaking, also having an assortment of vibrant colors are the 500pc. 1 inch assorted rainbow rubber bands
At the end of this post, you can find sets of activity cards for Kindergarten through 6th grade! Some are for making simple shapes, while others offer a slightly more elaborate design.
My 4 year old was able to confidently and successfully form the simple shapes he has learned at school, from triangles, squares, rectangles and more!
My 6 year old enjoyed creating spring themed pictures from turtles and butterflies to a raindrop and flower!
The activity cards have the same number of pegs as most standard geoboards, which are 5×5! For younger kids, as they create these models, ask them to identify the colors and shapes within each picture!
For older kids, ask them to identify more complex shapes, such as isosceles and equilateral triangles, different types of angles, the total number of vertices, etc. There are a variety of math concepts you can cover !
Once they have been able to complete all of the activity cards, encourage your child to try the challenge cards, creating designs all on their own!
It’s time to encourage their creativity. The geoboard can be their empty palette with the rubber bands serving as paint. A masterpiece they will make, indeed!
My 6 year old was very proud of his design that he titled, “The Hexagonner”, although I’m not even sure if he used a hexagon within his design?! It’s the effort that matters, right?
Click this link above in order to download the ACTIVITY CARDS and save for later! *Because the file is a ZIP, you won’t be able to download on a mobile device. You will need to use a laptop/computer*
You can print now….or to save ink, especially with times we’re in, print later and view them below:
Designs using 1 shape
Designs using 2+ shapes
Spring themed designs
CHALLENGE CARDS BELOW !
From one homeschooling, quarantined mama….keep up the good work and don’t forget to make learning FUN!! We’re all in this together.
