2D Shape Anchor Charts

If you know me, you know I love anchor charts! I use anchor charts for all subjects, including math. I know anchor charts really help my students learn and understand the concept being taught. I am really excited to share with you how I use anchor charts to introduce my young learners to 2D shapes. These are some of the first anchor charts my students are exposed to. Therefore, I try to make the process as simple and straightforward as possible. Let’s see how we can use 2D shape anchor charts and activities below.

What Is A 2D ShapeAnchor Chart?

A 2D shape anchor chart is a visual tool you and your class create together to learn all about a 2D shape. I know that my students each learn in different ways, so I am intentional to make sure to use a variety of activities in each lesson to meet different learning styles. Anchor charts are a great tool for my visual learners and since we talk through everything too, they also reach auditory learners. Then I engage my kinesthetic learners by having them help in the creation of the anchor chart. Student involvement is also a great way to increase interest and engagement!

Use these fun and engaging 2D shape anchor charts and activities to introduce your students to 2D shapes

2D anchor charts and activities are a great way to build practice important skills like:

Shape identification
Drawing the shape
Writing and Spelling the name of the shape
Shape Attributes

The 2D shape anchor charts also give my students a great opportunity to make those important real-world connections. Once introduced to the shape we connect it to real world items that we see and use in the same shape. I love taking my students on a “shape hunt” around our building to find the 2D shape we are working on. Then we come back and add some to our anchor chart.

It’s so fun to see their faces light up whenever they notice a shape they didn’t know before. I love the sense of pride they feel when they are able to make those connections from the anchor chart activities into their every-day lives.

2D Shape Puzzle Activity

Now it’s time for the fun to begin! I start by getting out the pieces to our 2D shape puzzle. I have these cut and laminated so I can use them again and again.

Depending on the size of my class, I will either print out one really huge puzzle for the entire class to put together or print out several large puzzles for groups to put together collaboratively. The big 2D Shape they make will end up being the centerpiece for our 2D anchor chart.

After we have put together the 2D shape puzzle, we add it to the middle of our anchor chart paper. Then it is time to work on naming the shape we created. I usually start with a circle because it’s a shape most children will know before they even start kindergarten. When I ask the class to tell me what shape we have just made, I will usually have many students who already know the name of the shape.

We take some time saying the name of the shape together as a class. Then we practice drawing it in the air with our fingers.

Building the Anchor Chart

2D Shape Rhyme Time

Next, it’s time to start exploring the attributes of the shape and building our class anchor chart together. I use a really cute rhyme for each of my 2D shape anchor charts. This rhyme includes information on the shape attributes and helps students learn the important features that make up each shape.

Within the rhymes you will find important shape vocabulary. There’s something about adding these vocabulary words to the rhyme that really helps the students learn them quickly. We say the rhyme as often as we can during the week. And . . . we sometimes add in hand motions too! This is a great way to connect multiple learning styles in one activity.

Here’s just a few times you can use the rhyme during your day:

As a whole class transition – say the rhyme as you move to your next activity
When you are getting lined up to leave the room for recess, lunch, or electives classes
At the end of the day in those remaining 1-2 minutes before the bell
And obviously . . . during your math block

Reviewing the rhyme as often as possible really helps students to remember it! I love when we are working and I hear a sweet student humming our rhyme or sweetly saying it to themselves.

2D Shape Treasure Hunt

Now, it’s time for my favorite activity! We get to find real-world examples of our 2D shape! I call this our Shape Treasure Hunt!

Use the word and shape cards to help your students make real-world connections on the 2D shape anchor charts

First, I ask students to tell me things they can think of in the shape we are studying. Then, we write these down on a big piece of paper or on the whiteboard. You can also have students draw a picture or use the provided picture cards to paste onto the anchor chart.

Next, we get our traveling whiteboards or clipboards and go roaming around the school building in search of our new 2D shape. If we are studying a circle, for example, we might be walking down the hall and spot a clock. Someone points to it and says, “I spy a circle”.

Then, everyone plops down and draws the clock on their traveling whiteboards or papers with clipboards. There is so much engagement in this activity. My students have such a great time on their shape treasure hunt! It’s a fun and engaging activity that you can do in the school hallways, on the playground or even in the classroom.

When we come back to our anchor chart, I ask for a few student volunteers to name some of the items we found on our shape treasure hunt. If my students created drawings, we cut some of them out to put with the printed cards on the anchor chart.

2D Shape Worksheet

These practice worksheets are the perfect way for students to review all the information from the 2D shape anchor charts

We review our learning with a 2D shape worksheet. This shape activity helps the students practice writing the name of the shape, tracing the shape, describing the attributes of the shape, and drawing the target shape.

These worksheets are perfect to use throughout the duration of the 2D shape lesson including:

Morning work
Math centers
Small group work
Independent work

You can even cut the worksheets into sections to create a mini-2D shape book. Your students will love assembling on their own. These are so cute! The students really love showing off their learning when we send these home at the end of the 2D unit of study.

Just check out all the fun your students will have with these amazing shape anchor chart activities!

Grab Your FREE Heart Anchor Chart!

As you can probably already tell, I love using anchor charts any time of the year. I really believe that anchor charts help my students grasp the new learning in fun and engaging ways. I think they are the perfect way to introduce a new concept. Then we use the anchor chart to review. There’s something about the interactiveness of the anchor chart that really leads to the students taking ownership of the learning.

Because I know just how much you will love using anchor charts to teach 2D shapes, I am excited to offer my Interactive Heart Shape Anchor Chart Set to you for FREE!