Shapes and angles
Year 2 · Maths
Explore numbers, spot patterns and explain how you worked it out.
Choose a game
Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
Sides and vertices of 2-D shapes
Order triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons and octagons by their sides and vertices.
Play Sides and vertices of 2-D shapesFaces, edges and vertices of 3-D shapes
How many faces, edges and vertices does a cube have? Match 3-D shapes to their properties in this
Play Faces, edges and vertices of 3-D shapes
Learning about shapes and angles
These Year 2 Maths games practise Sides and vertices of 2-D shapes, Faces, edges and vertices of 3-D shapes. Choose a game above for a short activity, or explore the examples below before you play. The full guide for each game explains its controls, gives more examples and includes a free printable for practice away from the screen.
Talk it through
Use counters, a drawing or a number line before moving to a mental method. Ask your child to explain a choice, then change one number and try the method again.
Ask: “How could you show the same answer another way?” Give your child time to explain. Return to an example after playing and ask whether they would approach it differently.
Sides and vertices of 2-D shapes
Year 2 pupils learn to identify and describe the properties of 2-D shapes, including the number of sides, and to compare and sort common shapes. Vertices is the mathematical word for corners.
Try an example: Put hexagon, triangle, square in order by sides, fewest first.
3, 4, 6.
Show the answer
triangle, square, hexagon
What to look out for
Thinking an octagon has 6 sides. Link oct to octopus: an octopus has 8 arms and an octagon has 8 sides.
Faces, edges and vertices of 3-D shapes
Year 2 pupils learn to describe 3-D shapes by their faces, edges and vertices. A face is a flat or curved surface, an edge is where two faces meet and a vertex is a corner where edges meet.
Try an example: How many faces, edges and vertices does a square-based pyramid have?
1 square base and 4 triangles; 4 edges round the base and 4 up to the top; 4 base corners and 1 at the top.
Show the answer
5 faces, 8 edges and 5 vertices
What to look out for
Counting only the faces you can see in a picture. Hold a real shape and turn it over, or mark each face with a sticker.
Practise away from the screen
- Find shapes on road signs, tiles and windows and count their sides.
- Look at a cereal box and count its faces, edges and vertices together.
Curriculum connections
These games support selected practice connected to Properties of shapes in the National Curriculum in England. Use your school’s sequence to decide when to introduce and revisit each skill. A game covers selected examples, rather than assessing every requirement.
Questions families ask
Where should we start with shapes and angles?
Start with Sides and vertices of 2-D shapes. Look at the worked example together, then try a round. If the task feels unfamiliar, use the full game guide or its free printable before trying again.
Does this cover everything taught at this level?
No. This page brings together the games currently available for this topic. It supports selected skills and does not replace the full programme of study or practical teaching.