Building Shapes STEM Cards

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Kids will have an awesome time building popular 2D and 3D shapes with these free STEM activity task cards!

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Building Shapes STEM Cards

Getting Ready

I began by printing the the task cards on cardstock to give them extra durability.

Then, I ran them through my laminator and cut along the dotted line in the center of each page to separate the halves.

Building Shapes STEM Cards

I grabbed a ball of playdough kids could use to build the 3D shapes and filled a small basket with a variety of rainbow-colored popsicle sticks.

(The unstained kind would work well, too. They are available in a variety of sizes from mini to jumbo size!)

STEM Activity: Building Shapes

I spread out the 2D shape task cards around one table and placed the basket of popsicle sticks in the center. The kids took turns making each shape.

Building Shapes STEM Cards

Later, we talked about shape properties like the number of corners (vertices) and sides (edges) on each one.

Building Shapes STEM Cards

On another table, I challenged kids to make 3D shapes. After placing one card at each seat, I placed a basket of popsicle sticks and playdough in the center.

Building Shapes STEM Cards

The kids used the playdough to join each of the sides together which involved a lot of problem solving.

One of the kids figured out that he needed a bit more playdough so that the popsicle sticks would stay in place, but not too much because or his cube would fall over!

For the 3D shapes, it’s fun to include a variety of materials such as popsicle sticks, colored matchsticks and straws. That way kids can explore different materials and discover which ones are easier for building.

For instance, straws are sometimes a bit easier for modeling because they are lightweight and can be easily cut into different lengths but they’re not as strong and durable as craft sticks.  The best part of this STEM activity is that you can tweak it many different ways!

Grab Your Set

Ready to play along too?! Click the blue download button to download your free set.

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11 Comments

    1. Hi Nadia,
      When you click the teal “Download Here” button, a pop-up should open. You can try checking to make sure your browser isn’t blocking pop-ups from the site or try using a different browser. Let me know if you’re not able to get the cards!
      Warmly,
      Sarah // Playdough to Plato Team

    1. Hi Caitlyn,
      I did check that the button is working on our end. Please let me know if you were able to try enabling pop-ups or using a different browser!
      Warmest regards,
      Sarah // Playdough to Plato Team

  1. I would also love this download, but it is not working for me either. Can you put a link in the chat?

    1. Hi Priscilla,
      When you click the teal “Download Here” button, a pop-up should open. You can try checking to make sure your browser isn’t blocking pop-ups from the site or try using a different browser. Fingers crossed the pop ups do the trick!
      Warmly,
      Sarah // Playdough to Plato Team

    1. Hi Suzanne,
      Since the cards are all in the same file, you should be able to print them all at once. The file is a PDF, so it will work best when it’s opened in Adobe Reader. If you don’t have this program, you can download it for free here http://get.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/. Fingers crossed this helps!
      Warmly,
      Sarah // The STEM Laboratory Team

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