Free Printable Classroom Shapes – PDF

It is crucial to use diverse learning methods to keep students engaged during lessons. When working with children, shapes are some of the simplest yet most fundamental things they should learn. Printable shapes can be an interesting way to make learning enjoyable. They will form the basis for other learning activities like writing and mathematics. Therefore, using shapes and colors in a child’s education makes understanding concepts like numbers and letters easier.

It is even better to engage students in seasonal Christmas festivities by teaching them how to use different shapes. This teaching method is interactive and intense. Students learn more while using printable shapes.

For example:

They can gain motor skills, decision-making, and cognitive abilities.

Since there are numerous shapes they can make, you could even allow students to give ideas on their preferred shapes and incorporate them into the lesson. They also learn more by interacting and making decisions on cutting, using, and decorating their shapes. Even better, students can carry these decorations home. At the end of such sessions, you and your students may develop a bond and create special memories over the holiday season.

This article provides an excellent starting point if you want to know how to select and use printable Christmas shapes. It discusses the benefits of using shapes in the classroom and provides a few ideas you could use. It also discusses why teaching shapes is important in your class curriculum.

If you want to use printable shapes in your classroom, downloading and printing premade templates would be a good idea. They are easy to use; all your students need to do is cut and color them.

Below are many printable templates you can download for your use:

For a young preschooler, learning shapes can be incredibly helpful by offering an early step to understanding how numbers and objects relate to one another. Learning shapes can be helpful to develop skills that will help with learning in later stages. 

Here is why you should teach them to children in a classroom:

To differentiate between the types of shapes

Students need to learn to distinguish between different shapes as early as possible. From this learning, they can observe the characteristics of each shape, whether it has lines, sides, or curves. They can learn to distinguish between different shapes and identify similarities between shapes. This will form the basis on which they will identify similarity and differences in other objects as well.

To enhance problem-solving skills and understanding of spatial relations

When your students learn about shapes, they learn problem solving techniques as well. If you are using a shape sorter, students can observe the characteristics of shapes and determine where to place similar ones. Similarly, they are also learning through this exercise the spatial relationships between different shapes. 

To polish essential skills

The cutting and decorating of shapes is a form of craft that can improve the fine motor skills of young children as they learn to control their movements. They also learn to practice patience by observing shapes, selecting the preferred one, selecting colors to use, and cutting the shapes. These activities also allow them to develop their imaginations as they make different objects using shapes. They can exercise their creativity by choosing different colors and putting the shapes together to create something new.

For alphabet recognition

Alphabets are often made of different shapes. Once the students learn about shapes, they will also learn how to write words. Shapes are building blocks for students to differentiate between the shapes that make up an alphabet.

For example:

The letter ‘A’ takes the form of a triangle, while the letter “d” comprises a line and a circle.

By understanding shapes, students can quickly grasp writing concepts as they have developed a strong learning background.

To make them learn counting and patterns

Since shapes have sides and curves, they can be used to teach numbers and patterns to children. They can also form patterns from different shapes, especially when they are printed and cut from paper.

To enhance categorization skills

Since all shapes have different characteristics, students can learn to differentiate and categorize them according to their characteristics. Similarly, students can observe similar characteristics in shapes and group them.

While it may seem challenging to engage all your students when teaching shapes, you can always make it a fun activity by using different shapes. You can also use popular themes to encourage students to think of diverse but common ideas for Christmas shapes.

Some of the Christmas crafts you can prepare with your students include:

Popcorn garland

Popcorn garlands are simply popcorn on a string. They are fun to make because they involve popcorn and snacks that are presented in a creative way. You will need popcorn, a crafting needle, and pieces of string. Your students can then make a string by piercing through the middle of each popcorn kernel to make the garland. The garland can then be wrapped around a Christmas tree.

Cupcake Christmas tree

You can make your cupcake Christmas trees by gluing cupcake liners to cards and hanging the cards on Christmas trees. Another option is to pierce through cupcake liners with a string and make a garland, which you can then hang on your Christmas tree.

Paper snowflakes

Paper snowflakes are some of the simplest yet most fun and beautiful Christmas crafts. You can use plain printer paper or, if you prefer, colored paper. You should then instruct your students to cut out the shape of the snowflake. The snowflakes can be hung in strings around the room or draped around your Christmas tree.

Santa and reindeer puppets

Santa and reindeer puppets are one of the most popular crafts to make. They involve the use of different shapes and materials. The materials required to make these puppets include papers, glue sticks, and even crayons. You should instruct your students to cut papers into triangles to be used for the heads and circles to be used for the eyes. You can also use cupcake liners to make Santa’s beard. These puppets can be used as decorations or during Christmas performances.

Paddle pop stick characters

Paddle pop characters are fun and offer your students many options. Your students can decorate their stick figures with colors and items, including googly eyes and glitter. These sticks make good decorations to be hung on the Christmas tree.

Owl baubles

Besides being adorable, owl baubles offer students many coloring and embellishment options. You can begin with a bauble kit and allow your students to select colors and glitter to add to the baubles. The baubles are perfect for hanging on the branches of your tree.

Reindeer baubles

You can print customized reindeer baubles for your students and allow them to decorate them with horns, glitter, and googly eyes. You can hang these baubles on your tree or around your classroom.

Reindeer hat

Reindeer hats are easy to create and a fun way to teach your students how to cut triangular shapes. You can make the activity fun by instructing your students to use their forearms as reindeer antlers. On a plain piece of paper, the students can trace around each other’s forearms to make the antlers. They can wear these hats or gift them to their parents.

Pasta wreath

You can have fun making this wreath using different shapes of uncooked pasta. You should instruct your students to glue the pieces to each other and arrange them on a frame. You can paint it in different colors. The wreath can be hung on your Christmas tree or door.

Cardboard wreath

You need a paper plate and toilet paper wrap to make your cardboard wreath. They are made by cutting a circle in the middle of your round cardboard and wrapping the toilet paper around the remaining piece. You can then allow your student to paint it with the colors of their choice. Your students can take the wreaths home and hang them on their front doors.

Salt dough ornaments

You can bring the premade salt dough to the classroom and allow the students to imprint their palms on the dough. To make it even more fun, paint imprints before baking them. The ornaments are perfect to be hung on Christmas trees.

Christmas tree with ribbons

Ribbons are some of the easiest decorations. You can request that your students select the colors they would love to use and teach them how to make knots using ribbons. The ribbons can be tied around branches to decorate the tree.

Gingerbread house

For the gingerbread house, you need brown paper, lunch bags, glue, scissors, and colored pens. Your students can draw on the lunch bags and glue colored pieces of paper for the roofs and doors.

Holiday nature wands

Holiday nature wands allow your students to interact with nature while making decorations. You can take them outside to collect sticks and leaves. They can crumble the leaves and stick them on cardboard. The sticks should be glued to the cardboard to make the nature wands.

Fairy light jars

You need glue, mason jars, and a battery-powered fairy light for the light jars. Your students can place the fairy lights inside the jar and glue sponges or pom poms for decoration. These light jars can be placed in the classroom for decoration and lighting.

Since Christmas is a worldwide holiday, students would like to feel included in the festivities. Christmas crafts present both learning and bonding opportunities.

They benefit both you and the students in many ways, such as:

Creates a sense of accomplishment

Christmas decorations might be fun activities, but they are also considered educational projects. Each step, from decision-making to cutting and coloring, to achieving the desired result,  is seen by the student as an accomplishment. At the end of the project, the student feels a strong sense of pride in their achievement.

Makes children appreciate the Christmas season

Crafting sessions can help your students feel the Christmas spirit. Engaging in these crafts allows your students to enjoy the occasion even as they learn. They can learn about gifting and appreciating each other’s talents.

Boosts confidence

Through crafts, your students can boost their confidence in their decision-making skills. It is also a safer environment for students to make and correct mistakes through self-regulation. Beyond this, students can also learn to be confident in implementing new ideas, which raises their esteem.

Helps spend quality time

Crafts are an excellent way to spend quality time with your students outside the normal structure of the class. This is important because it allows you to connect with students. Furthermore, spending quality time with students allows you to create memories and make schooling an enjoyable experience for them.

Christmas crafts are meant to be fun; to make this possible, you should select popular crafts and also include your students’ ideas. Since the students will be doing most of the work, they should feel like their opinions matter. You should let them know in advance about the planned activities. You should also be prepared for the activity by purchasing and printing all the required supplies to ensure that the session is conducted without any problems.

Even while having fun, you should ensure safety protocols are followed. You can begin the class by teaching the students the safety rules of crafting and telling them how to keep each other safe. Finally, ensure the students have an enjoyable session by allowing for ample opportunities to engage with one another. You can also hang their decorations around the room or let them take them home as a gift for their parents.