Shapes and angles
Grade 4 · Math
Explore numbers, spot patterns and explain how you worked it out.
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Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
Right angles: less, equal or greater?
Is the angle at 2 o'clock bigger or smaller than a right angle? Sort angles in this
Play Right angles: less, equal or greater?Parallel and perpendicular lines
Railway tracks are parallel; a plus sign is perpendicular. Sort pairs of lines in this
Play Parallel and perpendicular linesAcute and obtuse angles
Clock hands, triangles and hexagons: sort angles into acute, right and obtuse in this
Play Acute and obtuse anglesTriangles and quadrilaterals
Isosceles or scalene? Rhombus or kite? Match each set of properties to its shape in this
Play Triangles and quadrilateralsAngles in degrees
Is 190° obtuse or reflex? Sort angles in degrees into acute, right, obtuse and reflex in this
Play Angles in degreesAngles on a line and at a point
Angles on a straight line make 180° and at a point make 360°. Find missing angles in this
Play Angles on a line and at a point
Learning about shapes and angles
These Grade 4 Math games practice Right angles: less, equal or greater?, Parallel and perpendicular lines, Acute and obtuse angles, Triangles and quadrilaterals, Angles in degrees, Angles on a line and at a point. 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.
Right angles: less, equal or greater?
In this game children sort angles, from clock hands to the corners of shapes, into less than a right angle, a right angle, and greater than a right angle. Comparing each angle with the square corner of a piece of paper is the method to use.
Try an example: The angle between clock hands at 3 o'clock
The hands make a square corner.
Show the answer
a right angle
What to look out for
Judging an angle by the length of its arms. The size of an angle is about the turn between the arms, not how long they are.
Parallel and perpendicular lines
In this game children sort pairs of lines from everyday objects and shapes into parallel, perpendicular and neither. Parallel lines stay the same distance apart and never meet. Perpendicular lines meet at a right angle.
Try an example: The two rails of a straight railway track
They stay the same distance apart and never meet.
Show the answer
parallel
What to look out for
Thinking parallel lines must be horizontal. Show parallel lines at a slant, like the sides of a parallelogram.
Acute and obtuse angles
In this game children sort angles into acute, right angle and obtuse, using clock hands, shape corners and turns. An acute angle is less than a right angle. An obtuse angle is greater than a right angle but less than a straight line.
Try an example: The angle between clock hands at 2 o'clock
Smaller than a right angle.
Show the answer
acute
What to look out for
Mixing up the words acute and obtuse. Acute angles are 'a cute' little angles. Obtuse angles are the wide ones.
Triangles and quadrilaterals
In this game children match descriptions of sides, angles and parallel lines to shape names, from isosceles triangles to trapezoids and kites. Each description fits only one name, so children have to read every property.
Try an example: 4 equal sides, but no right angles
Equal sides like a square, but slanted.
Show the answer
rhombus
What to look out for
Thinking a square cannot be a rectangle. A rectangle has 4 right angles. A square has them too, so it is a special rectangle.
Angles in degrees
In this game children sort angles given in degrees into acute, right angle, obtuse and reflex. Knowing the boundaries, 90° and 180°, is all children need to sort any angle.
Try an example: 45°
45 is less than 90.
Show the answer
acute
What to look out for
Calling 180° obtuse. 180° is a straight line. Obtuse angles are less than 180°.
Angles on a line and at a point
In this game children use these facts to find missing angles on a straight line, around a point and in quarter turns. Every question needs one fact and one subtraction.
Try an example: Two angles sit on a straight line. One is 40°. What is the other?
180 − 40 = 140.
Show the answer
140°
What to look out for
Using 360° for a straight line. Draw a straight line and a half circle above it: half a turn is 180°.
Practice away from the screen
- Go on a right-angle hunt around the house: doors, books, tiles.
- Find parallel and perpendicular lines in the kitchen: tiles, shelves, cupboard doors.
- Make angles with arms or with two pencils and name them.
- Look for triangles and quadrilaterals in buildings, bridges and road signs.
- Turn on the spot by 90°, 180°, 270° and 360°.
- Cut a paper circle into pieces and check that the angles add up to 360°.
Curriculum connections
Right angles: less, equal or greater?
Supports part of Common Core 4.G.A.1: drawing and identifying right angles. This focused game does not cover the entire standard.
Common Core connection: 4.G.A.1. This is focused practice for part of the standard.
Parallel and perpendicular lines
Supports part of Common Core 4.G.A.1: identifying perpendicular and parallel lines. This focused game does not cover the entire standard.
Common Core connection: 4.G.A.1. This is focused practice for part of the standard.
Acute and obtuse angles
Supports part of Common Core 4.G.A.1: right, acute and obtuse angles. This focused game does not cover the entire standard.
Common Core connection: 4.G.A.1. This is focused practice for part of the standard.
Triangles and quadrilaterals
Supports part of Common Core 4.G.A.2: classifying two-dimensional figures by parallel or perpendicular lines and angles, including right triangles. This focused game does not cover the entire standard.
Common Core connection: 4.G.A.2. This is focused practice for part of the standard.
Angles in degrees
Supports part of Common Core 4.MD.C.5: angles measured in degrees. Reflex angles go a little beyond it. This focused game does not cover the entire standard.
Common Core connection: 4.MD.C.5. This is focused practice for part of the standard.
Angles on a line and at a point
Supports part of Common Core 4.MD.C.7: angle measure is additive, so missing angles can be found by subtracting. This focused game does not cover the entire standard.
Common Core connection: 4.MD.C.7. This is focused practice for part of the standard.
Questions families ask
Where should we start with shapes and angles?
Start with Right angles: less, equal or greater?. 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.