Curving and zigzag lines and shapes are important for children to learn before kindergarten. Letters and numbers have both. Think of the letter "Z" and the number "7" for zigzag. And, most letters in the alphabet have curves.

For the preschooler this lesson is kinesthetic practice for preparing to read and print; later write in cursive.

Some curving shapes are "s" curves, half circles, and full circles.

Ideas for practice

1. For fun and learning outdoors have the children run in a curving line across space or make sharp turns for zigzag shapes like the toddler and preschooler in the photo.

2. Indoors, lay out an alphabet letter with masking tape for the preschooler to walk on as a path.

3. Toddlers can follow the basic geometric shapes laid out very large with masking tape. Lay out other shapes using curves, too, such as the moon half full.

4. For more zigzag shapes try taping the shape of a slice of pizza with it's rounded outer edge and zigzag shape at the point.

5. Try laying out masking tape in other shapes combining s-curves, like a long snake.

Make the shapes laid out with masking tape big enough for the children to easily negotiate the corners.

Questions to ask children and then answer: "What are corners?" "Does the shape change at the corner?"

Homepage for Toddlers and Preschoolers
How to Teach Motor Skills

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Rhythms and Dances for Toddlers and Preschoolers
How to teach toddlers and preschoolers rhythms, floor exercises, large motor skills, expressive dance, kinesthetic mini-lessons and full dances in a 98 pages including photos and illustrations.


Article and photo credit by Susan Kramer