Montessori Geometry

Can you draw a quatrefoil? How about an acute angled scalene triangle? Well today you have the opportunity to give your kids a play filled experience with these shapes (or you can use it yourself to brush up on your geometry knowledge).

Montessori Geometry is one of the most comprehensive geometry apps we have seen to date. The app is filled with games, free exploration activities and other learning gems in the traditional style of Maria Montessori.

8 Features in Montessori Geometry

A detailed shape glossary for seeing and reading about each of the 23 geometric shapes. Tap any of the boxes and listen to the shape name.

Free discovery activity for interacting with 3D shapes (tap on the pencil). Touch, turn and resize each shape to count the sides, edges and vertices.

A geometry cabinet that organizes the 30 shapes into 6 categories. From the cabinet kids can play with puzzles and one of our favorite activities…

Explore shapes in the real world with the “Shape-Finding Cities.” A personal favorite! Kids tap the shapes found in 6 cities from around the world. Haven’t found them all? Explore with the “Magic Paintbrush” to reveal all the hidden shapes.

Games for matching, comparing, sorting, patterning and seeing how much you have learned.

As kids play they earn points that translate into medals. The app restarts the point record each time you play. That’s okay, they made points very easy to earn and don’t put much emphasis on earning points during the game.

Play in one of 8 different languages! Find the language options in the setting page.

A 2 player game where multiple people can gather around the iPad and help in sorting shapes. Fun for the whole family!

There are so many advantages for kids to using the app. Kids see, listen, play, move and engage through dynamic interactions with 23 shapes. It is a wonderful resource for teachers and parents to help older kids who are learning more advanced shapes. Start young kids with Montessori Geometry to expose them to the variety of shapes that they (CAN!) will be learning.

We realize that teaching 5 year olds about “right angled trapezoids” is not something that is common place. Having taught 5 year olds, I know first hand how they love playing with “adult” vocabulary and that they enjoy playing with shapes they don’t know the names of (yet).

As the developers put it, there are very young kids who can easily identify and learn dinosaur names like “Brachyceratops” and “Velociraptor.” We say – Why not let them be exposed to the real names of shapes!

There is so much more to Montessori Geometry than we could cover in this single review! Read more by tapping on the post-it note on the main screen. It contains a detailed and informative “note to parents.”

Doing geometry requires the ability to visualize relationships of objects in space. Early experiences help develop these skills. We use them throughout life in such things as reading, sketching maps, following directions when putting toys together and playing Tetris. These activities today will provide experiences in moving and visualizing geometrical shapes.

Activity: Create a Puzzle

The objective of this activity is to give you child a simple, playful opportunity to build and solve a sequenced series of puzzles.

What You’ll Need:
• Scissors
• Heavy Paper cut into a square

Make one straight cut in any direction on the paper. Then, make a second straight cut on one of the halves. Fit the pieces together to solve this 3 piece puzzle. Continue to add additional straight cuts to make a more complicated puzzle while continuing to use your original square. Have your child share the puzzle they made for a sibling to solve.

If you want to make the puzzle easier to solve you can color the backs of the pieces a different color than the front. You can copy and print a picture from your photo library or take a new one. I have found that this usually takes away from “shape” objective. But I leave that up to you.