Look closely at almost any cartoon character and you will find simple shapes. A robot’s head is a square, its eyes are circles, its body is a rectangle. A cat’s ears are triangles. A monster’s body is an oval. Cartoonists build characters from shapes because shapes are easy to read and easy to draw.
That makes cartoon coloring pages a great way to learn shapes.
The shape hunt
- Pick a character. Robots are perfect for beginners because they are made almost entirely of shapes. Trace Then Color: Cartoon Robots and Trace Then Color: Baby Robots are great choices.
- Hunt for shapes. "Can you find a circle? A square? A triangle?"
- Make a color key. Circles are red, squares are blue, triangles are yellow, rectangles are green.
- Color by shape. Color each shape with its key color.
- Count them. How many of each shape did you find?
Shapes to look for
- Circle: eyes, wheels, buttons, noses
- Oval: bodies, heads, eggs
- Square: robot heads, boxes, windows
- Rectangle: arms, legs, doors
- Triangle: ears, teeth, hats, spikes
- Star, heart, diamond: decorations
- Half-circle: mouths, domes
Tracing shapes
Tracing a dotted outline helps kids feel the shape: the smooth curve of a circle, the straight sides and sharp corners of a square. Talk while tracing: "This side is straight. Now turn the corner." See line types in tracing.
Monsters with mixed shapes
Monsters are fun because they combine shapes in surprising ways. A monster might have a triangle body with circle eyes and rectangle legs. Trace Then Color: Cute Cartoon Monsters is full of shape combinations.
Talk like a geometer
Use shape vocabulary:
- Sides: "How many sides does a triangle have?"
- Corners: "Does a circle have corners?"
- Curved and straight lines
- Big and small
The drawing connection
When kids see that characters are built from shapes, drawing feels less scary. "I can draw a circle, so I can draw a head!" That is why many drawing lessons start with shapes. When your child is ready, see from tracing to drawing, and the step-by-step drawing books on BestDrawingBooks.com.
Questions parents ask
What shapes should a preschooler know?
Most preschoolers learn circles, squares, triangles and rectangles. Many also learn ovals, stars and hearts.
My child calls every shape a circle. Is that normal?
Very common in toddlers. Point out corners and sides, and keep playing shape games.
Do shape activities help with math?
Yes. Recognizing and describing shapes is part of early geometry, and research links early spatial skills with later math.
About Kevin Coulston
Kevin Coulston is a cartoonist and member of the National Cartoonists Society who has written and illustrated more than 100 drawing, tracing and coloring books for kids, including the Trace Then Color series. Meet Kevin or browse all his books on FirstArtBooks.com.
