2-D and 3-D shapes

2-D and 3-D shapes: what children learn

In this game children match a short description to the shape's name. Each description uses simple features a child can see or feel, such as straight sides, corners, a point or a curved surface, so they learn what makes each shape different.

Telling shapes apart by their defining attributes, such as sides, corners and faces, is Grade 1 standard 1.G.A.1. Naming flat and solid shapes starts in Kindergarten (K.G.A.2). This focused game does not cover the entire standard.

Common Core connection: 1.G.A.1. This is focused practice for part of the standard.

How to play

Pick a card on the left, then the card on the right that matches it. Each game has 6 pairs. Wrong matches are counted as mistakes, and you get three stars for a game with no mistakes.

Step by step

1. Flat or solid?. First decide whether the shape is flat (2-D) or solid (3-D). A square is flat; a cube is solid.
2. Count sides and corners. For flat shapes, count the straight sides and the corners. 3 sides is a triangle, 5 is a pentagon, 6 is a hexagon.
3. Square or rectangle?. A square has 4 sides all the same length. A rectangle has 4 sides too, with 2 long sides and 2 short sides.
4. Think of real objects. A ball is a sphere, a dice is a cube, a cereal box is a cuboid, a tin of beans is a cylinder and an ice-cream cone is a cone.

Worked examples

Common mistakes and how to fix them

• Calling a cube a square. A square is flat. A cube is solid and has 6 square faces.
• Calling a sphere a circle. A circle is flat, like a drawing. A sphere is a solid ball.
• Thinking a rectangle stops being a rectangle when it is turned. Turn shapes around and show that the sides and corners stay the same.

Activities to try at home

• Go on a shape hunt at home or in the park and name the shapes you find.
• Build with boxes, tubes and balls and name each 3-D shape.
• Put a shape in a feely bag and describe it for someone to guess.

Ideas for the classroom

• Feely bag: students describe a hidden shape using its sides, corners or faces.
• Sort a set of shapes into flat and solid.
• Use printing with the faces of 3-D shapes to make 2-D shapes.

Free printable game and worksheet

The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a color-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

Related topics

• Shape hunt: 3-D shapes in everyday objects (Grade 1 math) – Is a tin of beans a cylinder or a cuboid? Sort everyday objects by their 3-D shape in this free Grade 1 math game.
• Sides and vertices of 2-D shapes (Grade 2 math) – Order triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons and octagons by their sides and vertices. A free Grade 2 math game.
• Faces, edges and vertices of 3-D shapes (Grade 2 math) – How many faces, edges and vertices does a cube have? Match 3-D shapes to their properties in this free Grade 2 math game.
• Right angles: less, equal or greater? (Grade 4 math) – Is the angle at 2 o'clock bigger or smaller than a right angle? Sort angles in this free Grade 4 math game.
• Parallel and perpendicular lines (Grade 4 math) – Railway tracks are parallel; a plus sign is perpendicular. Sort pairs of lines in this free Grade 4 math game.
• Acute and obtuse angles (Grade 4 math) – Clock hands, triangles and hexagons: sort angles into acute, right and obtuse in this free Grade 4 math game.

Back to Grade 1 math