Shapes and angles
Grade 1 · Math
Explore numbers, spot patterns and explain how you worked it out.
Choose a game
Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
2-D and 3-D shapes
Match each 2-D and 3-D shape to its name, from triangles and hexagons to cones and cylinders.
Play 2-D and 3-D shapesShape hunt: 3-D shapes in everyday objects
Is a tin of beans a cylinder or a cuboid? Sort everyday objects by their 3-D shape in this
Play Shape hunt: 3-D shapes in everyday objects
Learning about shapes and angles
These Grade 1 Math games practice 2-D and 3-D shapes, Shape hunt: 3-D shapes in everyday objects. 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.
2-D and 3-D shapes
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.
Try an example: Which shape is flat with 3 straight sides and 3 corners?
Flat, 3 sides.
Show the answer
triangle
What to look out for
Calling a cube a square. A square is flat. A cube is solid and has 6 square faces.
Shape hunt: 3-D shapes in everyday objects
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.
Try an example: What shape is a glue stick most like?
It has a circle at each end and a curved side.
Show the answer
cylinder
What to look out for
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.
Read the full Shape hunt: 3-D shapes in everyday objects guide
Practice away from the screen
- Go on a shape hunt at home or in the park and name the shapes you find.
- Hunt for spheres, cubes, cuboids and cylinders in the kitchen cupboard.
Curriculum connections
2-D and 3-D shapes
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.
Shape hunt: 3-D shapes in everyday objects
Review: describing everyday objects with shape names is Kindergarten standard K.G.A.1 in Common Core.
Questions families ask
Where should we start with shapes and angles?
Start with 2-D and 3-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. These games provide focused practice. Grade suggestions do not replace your school’s curriculum, and any Common Core connection applies only to the skill described.