I love teaching shapes to early learners. It’s just plain fun.

There are shapes all around us! So, once you introduce basic shapes to your preschoolers, expect them to point them out everywhere they look.

*Pointing to a window* – “Look, Mommy! A square!”

*Pointing to a plate* – “Look, Mommy! A circle!”

*Me pointing to the toddler bed in which mine should take a nap* – “Look! A rectangle! Don’t you want to get in it?”

(Doesn’t work, by the way.)

These farm shape playdough mats are great for building fine motor skills and shape recognition!

Plus, they’re a nice, quiet learning activity for kids to work with on their own.

Toddlers and preschoolers love to work with preschool playdough mats, such as our Apple Tree Playdough Mat and our Beach Number Playdough Mats.

And these shape playdough mats are tons of fun too! Kids can use dot markers or playdough to make shapes all by themselves.

Read on to see how to get yours! And don’t miss our list of farm books for kids to read!

Farm Fine Motor! Printable Farm Playdough Shape Mats

To use these farm playdough shape mats, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are provided below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer paper
• Playdough
• Laminator
• Optional: Dot Markers

This product includes eight mats featuring several basic shapes:

• Triangle
• Circle
• Square
• Rectangle
• Diamond
• Oval
• Heart
• Pentagon

Plus, this resource includes detailed suggestions for how to use these shape mats with students and as an in-class lesson!

How to Use Dot Shape Mats with Students

These farm-themed shape mats are so versatile for use with preschoolers and kindergartners.

You can print them and let kids use dot markers to fill in the shapes. Or if you prefer, you can laminate them and let kids use them with playdough!

You could also try using stickers instead of markers or laminating them and using them with dry-erase crayons or fingerpaint.

There are tons of ways to help kids use these and work on fine motor skills!

If you don’t plan to laminate these, you can simply print them on cardstock. They’ll hold up much better than on regular paper.

Hint: These are great for busy bag work too.

Just print them two to a page to make miniature shape playdough mats you can place in a busy bag for on-the-go fun!

Get a look at these farm shape mats in action in the video below!

Scroll down to get your set of Farm Shape Playdough Mats!

Add more learning ideas to your farm unit with these activities!

The post Farm Fine Motor! Farm Shape Playdough Mats appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

If you’re looking for a low-prep, easy craft that will keep your kids entertained, this is it! Roo, my most active child by a mile, actually sat in one spot and played quietly with the diorama after we finished. Talk about miracles!

Read on to see how to make this craft with your kids!

If you love this activity, don’t miss our other farm learning ideas, including our list of Kids’ Books about Farms and our printable Farm Animal Flashcards!

Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft

To make this craft, you’ll need the following:

• An empty shoebox (a child’s size shoebox is perfect)
• A copy of our free Farm Shoebox Diorama Printable Pack
• Printer (with ink)
• Printer paper
• Play sand
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers

Our Farm Shoebox Diorama Printable Pack has a background and farm props such as a barn, a tractor, and some farm animals. But you can also have your child draw his or her own farm pictures if you want to add a bit more art to the project.

After we cut out all of the pictures, Roo got to work on the background. We just used a blue marker for the sky, then he glued the farm scenery onto the bottom of the shoebox.

Then it was time to add the props! You simply fold each prop on the dashed line, then unfold it slightly to make them stand up!

Roo placed everything where he thought it should go.

Then we poured in about a cup of play sand. (Note: Resting the shoebox in the lid is a HUGE help when it comes to clean up.)

And we’re done!

If you look at Roo’s face, it’s basically saying “Hurry up and take the picture so I can play with it, Mom!” And that’s what he did. He sat there for over an hour playing with his farm set.

And it only took 10 minutes to make!

Round out your farm theme with these other farm resources!

Get even more craft ideas from my Simple Crafts for Kids board on Pinterest!

Check out the other fun farm-themed posts by the Early Elementary Blogging Team!

The post Farm Shoebox Diorama Craft appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

When I was about seven years old, we took a field trip to the dairy farm down the street from our elementary school.

I remember being amazed at how huge the cows were. They’re wayyyy bigger in person than when you see them out of the car window as you ride by.

Especially when you’re seven.

Our local zoo has a petting farm with goats, ponies, and pigs, so the kids have gotten a chance to see and touch these animals before.

So I thought it’d be fun to share a new set of free printable flashcards: Farm Animal Flashcards!

These are great for learning to identify animals, making matching games, and more.

Read on to see how to get your set – free!

And, for more farm fun, don’t miss our list of farm books for kids to read or our simple farm shoebox diorama craft!

Printable Farm Animal Flashcards

To use these farm animal flashcards, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer paper
• Scissors
• Laminator

This resource includes two sets of flashcards: one with animals and their names and a second set with no names.

In this resource, you’ll find names and pictures of 12 different farm animals:

• Chicken
• Cow
• Donkey
• Horse
• Lamb
• Pig
• Goat
• Rooster
• Bull
• Rabbit
• Turkey
• and Duck!

How to Use Farm Animal Flashcards with Early Learners

There are several ways you can use these flashcards with kids.

For toddlers and preschoolers, practice making farm animal sounds. Then ask if they can identify the animal that makes each sound.

Even better, have them make the sounds and then quiz you!

For older students, hold up the picture card and ask the class if they can identify the animal.

After they do, show the picture and name card and walk the students through how to read and spell each one.

Afterward, hold up the name cards and cover the picture with your hand. See if the class can remember the animals by just rereading the words.

Scroll down to get your free farm animal flashcards!

English and Spanish Farm Animal Learning Cards

Want to take this early learning theme even further?

Pick up our set of farm animal learning cards for English and Spanish learners!

These are fantastic for early learners and ELL students.

Each farm animal is named in both English and Spanish and a Spanish pronunciation guide is included!

This resource also comes with farm animal labels that you can have students match up with the picture cards at centers.

Scroll down to pick up these English and Spanish Farm Animal Learning Cards!

Don’t forget to stop by and check out our other farm-themed fun!

To get your set of our free Farm Animal Flashcards, click the image or the link below to have them sent directly to your inbox!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter!

>> Printable Farm Animal Flashcards <<

To get our English and Spanish Farm Animal Learning Cards, click the image or link below to pick them up from my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

>> English and Spanish Farm Animal Cards <<

The post Free Printable Flashcards: Farm Animal Flashcards appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.