In this activity, children will use different Magna-Tiles® shapes, including triangles, rectangles, and squares, to accomplish the following learning objectives:
- Identifying the names and colors of shapes
- Describing where the shapes are in relation to one another with terms like:
- Above
- Behind
- Below
- Beside
- In front of
- Next to
This lesson plan focuses on teaching children how to correctly identify basic shapes in varying sizes and orientations. It also enables children to work on their counting skills. By building a Magna-Tiles® creation, they’ll develop a better understanding of cardinality and the relationship between quantities and numbers.
The core objectives of this activity aim to foster a greater understanding of numbers and quantities, as well as connect the concepts of counting and cardinality. With Magna-Qubix® pieces, students can visualize the difference between 2D and 3D shapes and practice vocabulary to use when describing the differences, similarities, and orientations of each tile.
Not only does this activity inspire teamwork, as students will work together to build a car out of Magna-Tiles®, but it also covers the four major areas of STEM learning, including:
- Science: Students will test which group’s car travels fastest down the ramp and explore why.
- Technology: Introduce your students to a stopwatch by timing the rolling speed of each car.
- Engineering: The objective is to build the car that will go the fastest, requiring design and architectural skills.
- Math: Gather data about each car, such as how long it takes to roll down the ramp, and graph the results to introduce students to data analysis, as well as practice addition and subtraction by identifying the differences between each car’s time.
In another great STEM activity, students work together to build a strong, effective bridge out of Magna-Tiles® for the Gingerbread Man to safely cross. Along the way, children can count the number of tiles they use, test their problem-solving skills, and think creatively.
Ideal for use with both Magna-Tiles® and Magna-Qubix® magnetic building sets, children can work independently or in teams to discover how magnets work in front of their very eyes. Using different magnetic shapes, they can test which poles attract to one another and which repel.
This lesson plan is home to a host of patterning activities that require students to identify, reproduce, extend, and create patterns with our magnetic shapes. The objective is to strengthen the students’ understanding of repeated patterns and help them correctly name each shape, regardless of their size or orientation.
This activity reinforces children’s knowledge of fractions by using Magna-Qubix® tiles. They’ll be asked to describe each magnetic shape correctly in terms of fractions, using words and phrases like:
- Halves
- Thirds
- Fourths
- Half of
- A third of
Inspired by a quintessential childhood tale, this STEM activity has students construct three houses, each made from different materials: sticks, straws, and Magna-Tiles®. Then, they’ll explore the reasons why one is sturdier than the other, as well as practice counting and utilizing technology.
