Shape hunt: 3-D shapes in everyday objects: what children learn
Spotting shapes in everyday objects is one of the best ways for Year 1 pupils to learn the names of 3-D shapes. A football is a sphere, a dice is a cube, a cereal box is a cuboid, a tin of beans is a cylinder and a traffic cone is a cone.
In this game children sort everyday objects into groups by the 3-D shape they are most like. Each round uses three shapes, so they compare shapes that are easy to mix up, such as cubes and cuboids, or cylinders and cones.
This topic covers the Year 1 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Geometry – properties of shapes): pupils should be taught to “recognise and name common 2-D and 3-D shapes”. Year 1 pupils are usually aged 5–6.
For families following US standards, the closest Common Core standard is K.G.A.1, which is taught in Kindergarten.
How to play
Sort the cards into the right groups. Tap a card, then its group. You can also drag a card, or press the number on its group. Each game has 3 rounds with no timer. Every card is checked as soon as you place it: a card in the wrong group comes back with a hint, and you get a point for each card you place right first time. For a quicker go, choose Quick quiz: 10 multiple-choice questions in 150 seconds (choose Relaxed for more time).
Step by step
- Picture the object. Think about what the object looks like and how it would feel in your hand. Is it round all over, or does it have flat faces?
- Round all over is a sphere. Balls, oranges and marbles are spheres. They have one curved surface and no flat faces.
- Box shapes: cube or cuboid?. A cube has 6 faces that are all squares, like a dice. A cuboid is box-shaped with rectangle faces, like a cereal box or a brick.
- Curved and flat together. A cylinder has a circle at each end, like a tin. A cone has one circle and a point, like an ice-cream cone.
Worked examples
Example 1: What shape is a glue stick most like?
Working: It has a circle at each end and a curved side.
Answer: cylinder
Example 2: What shape is a shoebox most like?
Working: It is a box with rectangle faces.
Answer: cuboid
Example 3: What shape is a party hat most like?
Working: A circle at the bottom and a point at the top.
Answer: cone
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Calling every box a cube. Check the faces. If they are all squares it is a cube; if some are rectangles it is a cuboid.
- Calling a cone a pyramid. A cone has a round base and a curved surface. A pyramid has a flat base with straight edges and triangle faces.
- Naming the flat shape instead, such as 'circle' for a tin. Ask 'is it flat or solid?' Solid objects have 3-D shape names.
Activities to try at home
- Hunt for spheres, cubes, cuboids and cylinders in the kitchen cupboard.
- Sort the recycling by shape before it goes in the bin.
- Build a model with boxes and tubes and name each part.
Ideas for the classroom
- Set up a shape table where pupils bring in objects for each 3-D shape.
- Take photos on a shape walk around school and label them.
- Hide objects in a feely bag and let pupils guess the shape by touch.
Free printable game and worksheet
The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a colour-by-answer picture, an answer maze or a secret-code joke, followed by a worksheet. Both use the same checked questions as the online game, and the answers are on the last page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.
Open the free printable game and worksheet
Frequently asked questions
Why does it say 'most like'?
Real objects are not perfect shapes. A brick may have rounded corners, but it is still most like a cuboid.
Which shapes are included?
Sphere, cube, cuboid, cylinder, cone and pyramid, the common 3-D shapes named in Year 1.
Can it be played with a keyboard?
Yes. Tab to an object, press Enter to pick it up, then choose the group it belongs in.