You don’t always have to spend tons of money on pretty toys or authentic Montessori materials to teach your children the basics.  Many beautiful works can be made with just paper (and a laminator, if you want it to last for a while), and they are just as interesting to young children.  I made this shape work for L as her language is beginning to grow.  She is now saying a lot of words, so I wanted to add some shape and size words to her vocabulary.

I cut out each shape in three different sizes.  We use the words “big,” “medium” and “small” to describe each triangle, square, and circle.  In the beginning, this work is good for simply sorting each shape regardless of size.  Once the sorting by shape has been mastered, we can begin to work on laying them out by size as well.  For now, L uses this work to name each shape, and for more practice using a work rug.