In Pre-K one of our units is construction. It was a foreign concept to me, but after 4 years of teaching I have come across some creative ways to integrate math instruction with the construction unit. One of the ways that I have done that is with the dump truck activity.
I teach a mini lesson on shapes to familiarize students with familiar shapes like circles, squares, and rectangles. I also show some videos of dump trucks to show students what they are used for. Then I tell them that we get to build our own dump truck using shapes!
It is a really simple and cute classroom craft. You just need:
-A Whole construction paper sheet
-Construction paper rectangles
-Small construction paper squares or rectangles
-Small construction paper circles
-Scrap paper that can be torn and crumbled
Here are the steps to make them:
Give each student a whole construction paper page.
Direct them to put it on their table horizontally.
Give them the big rectangle to glue horizontally in the middle of the page.
Give them the small square or rectangle to glue on a short side of the rectangle.
Give them two circle pieces to glue at the bottom long side of the rectangle.
To practice fine motor skills, allow them to tear pieces of scrap paper and crumble it up.
Direct them to glue the crumbled paper on the top long side of the big rectangle to fill up their dump trucks.
If time allows let students use any extra shapes to decorate their truck and give it more personality.
And you have completed your activity! It is such a fun way to review shapes, practice fine motor control, and cover the construction unit theme for preschool classrooms!
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