This easy to set up Color and Shape Movement Game builds multiple skills for kids. From learning colors and shapes to gross motor movements, speech, and multi-step directions, pull this game out for an indoor activity again and again.
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This Color and Shape Movement Game is an oldie, but goodie around here.
We started playing it when our oldest was just two years old and were doing some little home learning “lessons” with her while our middle child napped.
She absolutely adored it and would even request to play it.
Now, we pull this game out often to get in some movement, burn some energy, and practice a variety of skills.
Whether you use the provided printable, or you cut out your own shapes, definitely save your shapes in a folder or plastic sleeve in your Family Movement Binder. You will want to use them again and again!
Get your printable here.
How To Play
To play the original game:
- Spread the shapes on the floor around the room.
- Have a “start” point where you and your child stand.
- Call out a color and shape combination for your child to find and stand on. For instance: red square, blue circle, yellow triangle.
- After your child has found and stood on that shape, have her come back to the start point before calling out the next one to find.
Once you have played this original version a few times and your child seems to have mastered their colors and shapes, start to mix it up! Try variations like:
- Call out just the color or just the shape (rather than both).
- Go from one shape to the other after each call instead of returning to the start.
- Move to a new shape in different ways – crawl, skip, roll, jump, etc.
- Do a specific motion when she gets to the shape – jump on it 3 times, spin around on it, stand on it with one foot, sit on it, etc.
- Trace the shape with her finger when she gets to it.
- After playing one way for a bit, have your child close her eyes so you can move the shapes around. Then try playing all over again with everything in a new place.
- Don’t forget to let your child tell you a color and shape to stand on as well! The kids just love it when you participate as a “student” and they get to be the “teacher”.
Other Games To Play With The Color and Shape Movement Game Cards
- Twister. Line the pieces up by shape or color in one row and take turns calling out where to put your hands and feet.
- Freeze Dance. Put on a freeze dance song (you can find them on Youtube) and start moving around the shapes. When the song freezes, everyone has to stand on the shape closest to them and state what color and shape they are on.
- Floor is Lava. Set the shapes in a line from one starting point to the other. You can also have your line be more curved or zigzagged depending on your child’s ability. As your child steps on each shape to get through the lava, she has to state what shape (or color) it is.
Learning Skills With This Game
With all the variations that you can create with this color and shape movement game, there are countless skills the kids are learning. A few of these skills include:
- Shape recognition
- Color recognition
- Multi step directions
- Body awareness
- Body movements like balance and changing directions
- Speech
- Creativity and imaginative play
What’s Included In Your Download
You can certainly cut these shapes out of construction paper or draw them and color them in. However, if you get the free download you receive:
- 4 shapes – circle, square, triangle, heart
- Each shape comes in 4 colors – red, blue, green, yellow
- 1 set of shapes in block colors
- 1 set of shapes in outline color with the color word written in the middle. This is an excellent option to use to save on printer ink and to support your early reader.
Supplies Needed
The supplies for this color and shape movement game are very easy!
- 8 pieces of cardstock (16 if you plan to print both types of shapes – the block color and the outline color versions)
- Scissors
- Sheet protector to store your shapes for future play
I do not recommend laminating your shapes as they will become really slippery if kids are walking on them.
I know you are going to have so much fun playing this color and shape movement game and all the variations with it. We have adored this game for years.
Other Movement Games You Will Love:
Printables from moveplaygo.com are for personal and classroom use only.