Squares And Triangles

Squares And Triangles gives a toddler two clearly different shapes and one place where each of them belongs. The child lifts a piece out, holds it, turns it and lowers it back until it drops flush, and the whole cycle can be repeated as long as the interest lasts. Turning a triangle until the corners line up teaches more about angle and orientation than any naming exercise, because the piece goes in only when the hand has it right. Two shapes are enough for a first real decision, this one here and that one there, which is where sorting begins. The material sits with the first inset and sorting work on the toddler shelf, in the first three years.