K.G.1 Positional Words

Here we go...the Geometry domain.

K.G.1
Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind and next to.

Prior to the common core, I used different objects to work on our positional words.  One of my favorite activities to do with my two and three year olds is to sing a teddy bear song that uses bears (either brought from home or made by the kids) and chairs.

Everyday Mathematics has a cute CD you can get to go along with the Pre-K program.  On it, there is a song about a teddy bear on the chair.  The students play along with the song, manipulating their bears over, under, besides until it falls asleep in their lap at the end.  So much fun but my Kindergarteners would never go along with it; but in a regular classroom it may still work fine.

With my Kindergarteners, I used positional vocabulary as a review workstation.  By the time they are in my Kindergarten level they fully know all 2D shapes, some 3D, and are secure in positional vocabulary.  From a mailbox magazine many years back I found a cute ladybug book.  Here is a shot of it:

The Kindergarteners loved playing with the stamp pads, stamping their fingerprint ladybug where each page told them to.  Once dry, they went back & added legs & antennae.  They cut, assembled & colored the books.  Nice quiet activity, practiced their sight words, and they could help each other.  I usually used this in the late spring, so most had a strong sight word vocabulary by then.

So how do we apply these two activities to the common core?  Easily! 

1 - Ask each child to select a shape - can be a 2D cutout or a 3D item (block, ball, etc) and play a game of Simon Sez!  Simon Sez if you have a sphere put it over your head. Simon Sez if you have a cylinder put it beside you.  You get the idea!  I could easily see multiple rounds of this game, switching shapes in between each round.

2 - I created a worksheet using 2D shapes that you can find here in my TpT store.  The students first have to identify which shape the direction is asking for, then put it in the appropriate spot on the page. This is a great worksheet for whole group, small group or individual assessments.  Check it out!! It also can be used with K.G.2 and K.G.5.