Spatial Reasoning- Shapes! and their connection to the community.
Shaping Minds with Shapes
Shapes abound—all around us. From the smallest details of nature to towering skyscrapers, the world is described through the language of basic forms. Children’s literature often introduces young learners to this concept: a circle for the sun, a square for a window, a triangle for a roof. These simple visuals help children begin to see how the abstract is connected to the concrete.
In art and design, we call these the Elements of Design: shape, color, form, texture, and line. How these elements are used together creates the Principles of Design: unity, repetition, balance, and emphasis. Mastering these basics is essential—not only for artists but for all learners as they begin to interpret and create within the world around them.
At The Genius Child, LLC, we created Templaytes® with these fundamentals in mind. Inspired by the philosophy of Friedrich Froebel (1782–1852)—the German educator who invented Kindergarten and championed learning through play—Templaytes® are a modern expression of his “gifts” and “occupations.” His timeless idea was simple: by working with shapes, patterns, and natural forms, children develop both creativity and critical thinking.
Templaytes® are colorful, durable manipulatives that invite exploration. Used as drawing tools, they help children and young adults alike connect abstract concepts with real-world understanding.
For example, middle school students once used Templaytes® to compare the skylines of Milwaukee and New York. With rectangles and squares, they traced buildings across the page, noticing how tall and short structures lined up against the horizon. When asked to include Milwaukee’s iconic Calatrava addition to the Art Museum, students identified its essential triangle shape—but puzzled over why it “floated” above the rectangles. This sparked a metacognitive moment: the concept of space. By using boxes on the table as models, they could finally see how overlapping and perspective create depth on a flat surface.
The same breakthrough occurred with a high school senior struggling with geometry. She could recite the formula for finding the volume of a cube but didn’t understand it. When given a box, she counted sides. When shown how overlapping squares on paper could form a cube, she made the mental leap. With the help of a purple Templayte®, lines and formulas suddenly carried meaning.
This is the power of connecting shapes to form, symbols to space, and words to visuals.
When children point and ask, “What’s that?” we often answer with nouns—“a building,” “a truck,” “a bird.” Rarely do we name the shape, the color, or the line that defines those things. By introducing that vocabulary early, we nurture deeper ways of seeing. We help children describe the world not only by what it is but by how it is made.
At The Genius Child, we believe that shapes are not just child’s play. They are the building blocks of thought, design, and innovation. With Templaytes®, we give young learners the tools to explore, imagine, and ultimately shape their own understanding of the world.
SHAPING MINDS.