Pretend to be detectives and figure out the case of the mystery shape.

Materials

• Notebook
• Crayon

Directions

1. Think of two objects in your home that are clearly visible and are the same shape. Don’t tell your child what they are.
2. Pretend with your child that they are a detective, and They are going to need to focus and look closely to help solve a shape mystery. They can even use her hands as pretend binoculars to help them stay focused.
3. Give your child clues about what it is they should be looking closely to find. Be sure to include information about the shape of the object such as, “It has four sides that are all the same size,” or “It has three sides and three angles.”
4. Once they have guessed the object, have them draw it in their detective notebook.
5. Follow the same steps for the second object.
6. Encourage them to focus and look closely at the two pictures. After looking, the objects are clues to figure out the mystery shape. See if they can guess the shape.
7. Play the game again with another shape and take turns giving clues and being the detective.
8. Talk together about what each mystery shape looks like and then search for more objects around your home that are the same. Which shape can you spot the most?
9. Go on a shape hunt around your neighborhood. This time, you can pick a shape ahead of time together and play “I Spy.” Say, “I spy something that is round, is on the bottom of a car, and helps it move,” or “I spy something with two long sides and two short sides that opens and closes.” Take turns giving the clues and guessing.

This craft comes to you from the creators of Sesame Street.

Iowa PBS STEAM Activities and Crafts provided by PBS KIDS Parents.