Learning Colours and Shapes
Anita uses building blocks and picture cards to teach four-year-old Rahul the names of colours and shapes.
Key words and phrases
Useful sentences
- Ask What colour is this block?
- Answer It's blue!
- Ask Can you find something shaped like a circle?
- Answer Yes, this ball is a circle.
- Ask How many corners does a triangle have?
- Answer It has three corners.
- Ask Can you sort these blocks by colour?
- Answer Yes, I'll put all the red ones together.
- Ask Can you match the picture card to the right shape?
- Answer Yes, this square card goes with the square block.
- Ask Can you find something shaped like a star?
- Answer Yes, this sticker is a star.
- Ask Is this block big or small?
- Answer It's the big one.
- Ask Are these two blocks the same colour?
- Answer No, they are different colours.
- Ask Can you count how many green blocks are here?
- Answer Yes, there are three green blocks.
- Ask What shape is this rectangle card?
- Answer It's a rectangle, like the door.
Dialogue
AnitaRahul, can you tell me what colour this block is?
RahulIt's yellow! And this one is a triangle.
AnitaVery good! Now can you sort them by shape?
RahulI'll put all the circles here and the squares here.
AnitaPerfect! You're identifying shapes so well now.
RahulCan we match the picture cards next?
AnitaOf course! Here is a red star and a green rectangle.
RahulThe star is small, and the rectangle is big!
AnitaThat's right. Now can you count how many stars we have?
RahulOne, two, three! We have three stars, and they are all the same colour.
Common mistakes
- Saying "this is round shape" instead of "this is a circle" or "this shape is round."
- Saying "colour of red" instead of "the colour red" or "red colour."
- Saying "how many corner" instead of "how many corners" — corners is plural when counting more than one.
- Saying "this shape is big shape" instead of simply "this shape is big" (avoid repeating the word "shape").
- Saying "they are same colour both" instead of "they are the same colour" (put "the" before "same," and drop "both").
- Saying "count how much" instead of "count how many" — use "many" with countable things like blocks or stars.
Quick quiz
1. How many sides does a triangle have?
2. A shape with four equal sides is called a ___.
3. Complete: "Let's ___ the blocks by shape."
4. What do you call a shape with several pointed corners?
5. Complete: "These two blocks are the ___ colour."
6. What is the colour of grass and leaves called?
Practise speaking and listening
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