The Farm Shape Game will help students practice math skills and visual discrimination skills by finding what’s missing from a set of shapes. The shapes are sweet little farm animals that your little learners are sure to love!
This “What’s Missing” style game offers two options. You can use a slideshow on a computer projector, interactive whiteboard, or tablet, or you can use a set of printable cards in the Math Center.
Find more Farm Theme Activities here.
To prepare the Farm Shape Game:
The only prep needed for the slideshow game is simply to have it ready on your chosen device (projector, interactive whiteboard, or tablet).
To prepare the set of cards, just print out the set and cut along the dotted line. There are 4 cards per page. Laminate them for durability if you choose. Hole punch the corner of each card and attaching them with a metal binder ring, ensuring they stay in order. Separate these cards into two or more sets on binder rings, if you choose.
How to play the Game:
Use the slideshow with the whole class first to help them understand how the game works. Then add the card set to the Math Center for children to use on their own or with a friend.
Show the children the first slide in the slideshow with 3 shape cows: circle, triangle, square. Then show the magnifying glass in the upper right corner and let them know that this symbol means they are supposed to look carefully at this slide. (See image below.)
Show the second slide with only 2 cows and the question mark symbol indicating a missing shape. Encourage children to guess the missing shape, referring back to the first slide if needed. (See image below.)
Continue playing with different farm animal shapes, prompting children to look at the slide, then figure out what’s missing on the next slide.
This What’s Missing game is the same one that can be played using real objects on a tray, covering them with a cloth while you secretly take one away, then uncover the cloth for children to guess what’s missing. With this slideshow game, it’s already prepped for you!
Similarly, children use the card set, flipping through the cards on the ring. The first card displays 3 shapes, while the next card displays only 2 shapes with one missing.
Here’s another option: you can print the slideshow on paper for a larger version. Staple the pages into a book to share during Circle Time or for children to explore during Centers.
Download the Farm Shape Game:
Note: This is a free printable, just click to download.
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Farm Math & Literacy
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