The Prints: A Picture Book for Pre-Formal Geometry

Abstract

A pre-test questionnaire was conducted in a kindergarten and it showed that, although the children were able to give various examples of objects, from their everyday lives, that are similar to solid shapes, the examples they gave for plane figures were also tangible objects. Since it is suggested that geometry instruction has to begin early, children need rich experiences of the connections between plane figures and solid shapes. The researchers provided a picture book as an impetus for kindergartners’ mathematical thinking. We developed and shared a picture book, The Prints, as an auxiliary means for helping kindergarten children identify the print of a solid shape. Through the picture book—which presents plane figures as prints of solids real life objects—children could link plane figures and solid shapes. The research questions we posed were: (a) Can kindergarten children identify the origin of the plane figures presented? (b) Can they relate the objects presented to the plane figures presented? After sharing the picture book—through the storytelling tradition—and completing the related activities, the identification of the print of a solid shape became more accessible and more engaging to children. They were also able to give appropriate examples of plane figures from their everyday lives. This finding was affirmed by the post-test conducted.