Compose and Decompose Shapes – Cutting up Shapes

Description

upport children’s early mathematical development, shape knowledge and fine motor skills with this practical composing and decomposing shapes activity. Designed for EYFS and Reception children, this resource encourages children to explore what happens when a shape is cut into different pieces and how those pieces can be put back together to create the original shape.

Begin by providing children with the first sheet of shapes and asking them to carefully cut around the shape. Children can then explore cutting the shape into smaller pieces. The second resource sheet can be used to demonstrate where to make the cuts, providing additional guidance and support when introducing the activity.

Once the shape has been cut into pieces, encourage children to investigate the new shapes they have created and experiment with putting the pieces back together. This provides a hands-on opportunity to develop children’s understanding of composing and decomposing shapes, while encouraging them to notice how shapes can be separated and recombined.

Use mathematical questioning to encourage children to describe and explain what they have discovered. Suggested questions include:

What shape is this?
What new shapes have you made?
Can you put them together again?

The activity also provides valuable opportunities to develop scissor skills and fine motor control. Cutting around shapes and then cutting them into smaller pieces encourages children to practise holding and controlling scissors, following lines and developing hand-eye coordination.

This EYFS shape activity is ideal for maths lessons, continuous provision, small-group activities or adult-led learning. It combines practical shape exploration with fine motor development, making it a useful addition to Reception maths and physical development provision.

This activity is ideal for:

EYFS and Reception children
Composing and decomposing shapes
Shape and space activities
Developing spatial reasoning
Scissor skills and fine motor development
Hand-eye coordination
Mathematical vocabulary
Maths provision and continuous provision
Small-group activities
Adult-led learning

A practical EYFS maths and fine motor activity that encourages children to cut, explore, combine and rearrange shapes while developing their understanding of shape and strengthening their scissor skills.