Slanted lines and corners

A square makes you stop and turn four times. Ready?

ArabicAges 4–515 minutes3 pagesInk-light

Being written

This one is planned but not finished yet. Everything below is what it will contain.

Skill: The harder pre-writing strokes: diagonal, then the square with its four corners
You will need: Pencil
Your job: Observe
Stage: KG2 · ages 4–5

Not drawn yet

I can draw a slanted line, and a square with four corners.

How the fifteen minutes go

The five steps on this sheet, in the order a child meets them. This is what you will actually be doing, not a description of the method.

Print the one that fits today. Same skill, three depths — and on this sheet they differ like this.

Support

Diagonals only, four large dotted ones.

Fewer items, more pictures, hints included, parent reads the instructions.

Core

Four diagonals, then three squares.

The standard task, recognition, practice and explanation.

Challenge

Draw a triangle. It is the hardest shape at this age; celebrate any attempt.

Open-ended. Explain why, make your own example, use it somewhere new.

The same guide that is printed on the back page, so you can read it before you decide to print anything.

The answers

Nothing to mark. Corners are the milestone: a square drawn as one rounded loop means the corners are not there yet, which is normal until about four.

If they get stuck

Walk a square on the floor, stopping and turning at each corner. Then draw it.

Common mistakes

When they finish early

Count the corners of things in the room. Find something with no corners at all.