Build Bouncer’s picture town

Gather a few big shapes

Use whole sheets of paper and thick age-appropriate crayons. A grown-up can draw two large circles, two squares and two triangles on separate sheets, or point to shapes in a book. No cutting is needed. Place the papers on a table or floor mat where everyone can reach without stretching. Add a larger blank sheet as the town map if you have one. You can also draw the whole town on one page.

Welcome Bouncer to town

Choose a shape together and decide what it might become. A square could be a house, a window or a picnic blanket. Place a triangle near it and notice whether the story changes. Take turns adding one idea at a time. Ask a concrete question such as “Where could the round sun go?” rather than asking your child to name every shape. Let them arrange, turn and describe the pieces in their own way.

Ages 2–3: choose between two

Put a circle and a square beside each other. Trace the round edge of the circle with your finger and let your child copy if they want. Then point to a corner on the square. Choose one shape for Bouncer’s pretend home. You can move the shapes while your child points, or let them place a whole sheet. Keep the story short: Bouncer arrives, finds a home and settles in.

Ages 4–6: notice what changes

Invite your child to count a triangle’s three corners or compare a square with a rectangle you draw. Turn the square and ask whether its corners disappeared. Add a tall rectangle as a tower or a road, then talk about where the puppy might go next. Let your child become the town guide and explain the route to you. A surprising shape choice is an invitation to hear their idea, not a mistake to erase.

Try a shape walk without collecting things

Look around from your play space for a round plate, a rectangular book or a square picture. Point rather than moving fragile household objects. If the real object is three-dimensional, say that its face or outline looks like your paper shape. Bring the idea back to the town with a drawing. When a shape is hard to find, make one on paper and continue the story.

Play with Edmund and Bouncer next

The website’s free Bouncer’s Shape Adventure has large matching choices and no timer to beat. A grown-up can read the prompt and take turns choosing a shape. Little Block Builders offers another way to choose pieces and imagine a house. These games are separate from this paper activity, so play either one in any order. To share a story first, watch The Train That Kept Trying on YouTube together, then build a new place for its imaginary passengers to visit.

Grown-up questions