Outer Space Preschool Theme Free Printable 2D Shape Posters

Space! The great unknown. It’s fascinating even for adults to imagine what it’s like in outer space. I think that’s what makes space-themed activities for preschoolers so engaging! What child doesn’t wonder about those bright, shining objects in the night sky or the daily appearance and disappearance of the sun and the moon?! These free shape posters will definitely get your kids talking and learning about our solar system!

Download the Outer Space Preschool Theme Free Printable 2D Shape Posters today! This printable is packed with goodies to fit with other space theme ideas for preschoolers. The free printable shape posters include 12 shapes! In addition to the full-page shape posters for your preschool classroom, I have included half-page cards for an interactive game of “I Spy 2D Shapes!” Whether you’re looking for space shuttle theme classroom decorations or a valuable learning activity, we’ve got you covered with this preschool space theme printable.

Learning Shapes in Preschool and Kindergarten

Shapes are an integral part of early math lesson plans. Learning the names and characteristics of shapes leads to the development of important skills that kids will draw upon later when math gets more complex.

• Gives young kids the vocabulary to describe the many shapes found in everyday life.
• Helps children categorize and organize information.
• Forms the foundation for learning letters and numbers (because essentially they are shapes).
• Encourages visual discrimination.

Learning shapes goes beyond what meets the eye! You might say it’s out of this world! Create excitement around shapes that lead to learning without monotony.

Included in the 2D Shape Posters Free Download

This printable is pretty darn easy to prep! It’s also a diverse learning tool. You can use the I Spy game included in a variety of ways, or you can just create a cute bulletin board with the larger shape posters. The set includes 12 shapes: circle, oval, square, rectangle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, triangle, rhombus, trapezoid, parallelogram, and star.

The half-page posters include the same 12 shapes. Additionally, I included smaller shape cards with the words, “I see a…..”

Finally, the I Spy Shapes gameboard comes in two different levels. The simplest game includes six shapes. If your learners are more advanced, they can try finding and identifying all 12 shapes.

How to Use the Shape I Spy Game and Posters

These pre-K pages are so versatile, just like your learners! Once you print the posters and game, get creative (or not) with how you present them to students. Trust me, any outer space theme idea for preschoolers will likely generate tons of excitement.

Whole Class Learning

Pin the posters on a bulletin board for whole class learning opportunities. For example, point to each shape during circle time and ask the students to identify it. Talk about the characteristics using terminology like straight sides, curved edges, corners, etc.

Play a guessing game with the bulletin board by saying, “I’m thinking of a shape that has four equal sides, for corners and no curved lines.”

Give students the opportunity to engage with the board by selecting a student a day to come up and point to each shape while the class identifies and characterizes them. As students become more familiar with the shape characteristics, ask them to think of clues for the guessing game.

*I like to make “telescopes” out of paper towel tubes for students to use during circle time to spot each shape.

Our Favorite Shape Resources:

We can’t live without these!

Once your child’s creativity is sparked with this fun activity, take it a step further with these engaging resources:

Independent Learning

Place the shape cards at a space station sensory bin or another learning station for students to explore individually. They can work on fine motor skills by tracing the protected pages with dry erase markers, or they can practice creating them with play dough.

Include 3D shape blocks for students to find in the sensory bin and then match with their 2D “partner.”

When students are familiar with how to play the I Spy 2D Shapes game, they can independently search and find the hidden shape cards. Ask them to leave them in their hiding place to save you time replacing them each day!

Some students may be ready to focus on shape words! Place the shape names on the word wall and hide the “I see a…..” cards around the room. When students find a card, they can find the matching word on the word wall.