Shapes are a very important topic for my children at UCP. Circles, squares, triangles – you name it, they’re learning about it! Here is a song called “Shapes, Shapes” (how creative!) that I wrote to help facilitate the process of learning shapes.

Click here if you’d like to purchase the sheet music and use this song in your sessions! Sheet music is $1:





This activity can be structured in a number of different ways, but here is how I usually do it: each child is given a different shape which I’ve cut out of colored paper and laminated. They must listen to the song lyrics, and when I sing their shape name, they must stand up. For example when I sing “Who has a star? Who has a star? Stand up!” whoever is holding a star stands up. This continues until each of the shapes has been named in the song.

Adaptation #1 ~
I have adapted this song for individual and small group sessions, as well. I place all the various shapes on the floor and spread them out. The child listens and when a specific shape is named, they must find it on the floor and stand on it. I change the lyrics to go like this…

“Shapes, shapes, shapes, shapes,
There are all kinds of shapes around.
Stand on a square, stand on a square,
Stand on a sqaure!”

Sounds simple right? However, not all of us are visual learners. I work with a lot of kinesthetic learners and the movement of their body in space is great for them.

Adaptation #2 ~
I have also adapted the activity for younger children. I start with all the shapes with me in the front of the room, and place one out in front of me at a time (for example circle). As I sing through the song, I change the lyrics and sing…

“Shapes, shapes, shapes, shapes,
There are all kinds of shapes around.
What is this shape? What is this shape?
It’s a…..circle!

Shapes, shapes, shapes, shapes,
There are all kinds of shapes around.
Circles go round and round
Circles go round and round
Round and round!”

The children always seem tickled by the 6/8 meter in the song, and I usually find them waving their shapes back in forth in the air in time with the music. Good fun!
:)