ABSTRACT
Shape and space is the area of mathematics that will develop as geometry in later schooling. Understanding shape and space is essential for making sense of the world, since all physical objects possess three-dimensional shape and are located in spaces within our environment. Shape and space concepts will be experienced and used in other areas of the curriculum including the expressive arts and knowledge and understanding of the world. The van Hiele levels show how important it is in the early years on activities which involve visualisation, and on providing lots of opportunity for children to notice and name shapes in the environment. D. H. Clements et al. emphasise three essential elements of teaching about shape: regularity, orientation and the use of non-examples. Children need to experience a wide variety of shapes, in different orientations, and to talk about their properties in order to develop higher level concepts.
