The ‘Shapes: Parts and the Whole’ game

About the game

How do you make a whole circle from two halves? What if there are three or four pieces? Children find the answers not from explanations, but by putting together geometric shapes themselves, as if they were little jigsaw puzzles.

‘Shapes: Parts and the Whole’ is a wooden game in which a circle, a square and a triangle are presented both as whole shapes and divided into 2, 3 and 4 parts. The child selects the pieces, compares them and sees how the individual parts form a single shape.

From simple halves to thirds and quarters — abstract concepts become understandable through play.

In the set

• a 30 × 22 cm base with slots for inserts
• 12 shapes in 4 colours: 4 circles, 4 squares, 4 triangles
• each shape is either whole or divided into 2, 3 or 4 parts; 30 pieces in total

How to play

1. Remove all the pieces from the base.
2. The child places each shape in its correct position.
3. Compare: which pieces make up each shape.

Where to start

Start with whole shapes and halves. Thirds and quarters are the next step.

Game variations

• ‘Find a pair’: parts that make up a whole;
• ‘From smallest to largest’: by number of parts;
• ‘Shape and colour’: sorting by two characteristics;
• ‘Half, third, quarter’ — learning basic fractions using your hands.

What children can practise

• geometric shapes
• the concept of ‘part and whole’
• logic and spatial reasoning
• colours

Who it’s for

Children aged 3 and over; at home, at kindergarten, or during lessons with a teacher.

Material

Wood-based board (pressed wood), bright print.