1 · Flat shapes
Flat shapes have sides (the straight edges) and corners (where two sides meet). A triangle has 3 sides and 3 corners. A square and a rectangle have 4. A circle is round: no sides, no corners.
2 · Count the sides
A shape's name tells how many sides it has. Pentagon: 5. Hexagon: 6. Octagon: 8, like a stop sign.
Count the corners too: a shape always has the same number of corners as sides.
3 · Square or rectangle?
Both have 4 sides and 4 square corners. A square has all 4 sides the same length (the tick marks). A rectangle has 2 long sides and 2 short sides.
A square is a special rectangle, so every square is a rectangle too.
4 · Turn it: still the same shape
Turn a square on its corner and it is still a square. Some people call it a diamond, but the sides and corners have not changed.
A shape's name depends on its sides and corners, not on which way it is sitting.
5 · Solid shapes
Solid shapes are not flat: you can hold them. A cube is like a dice. A sphere is like a ball. A cylinder is like a can. A cone is like a party hat.
6 · Faces: the flat parts
A face is a flat side of a solid. A cube has 6 square faces. A box (rectangular prism) has 6 faces too. A cylinder has 2 flat faces, top and bottom. A sphere has none.
Solids with a curved part can roll: sphere, cylinder, cone. A cube can only slide.
7 · Shapes in the world
Look around: a ball is a sphere, a soup can is a cylinder, a dice is a cube, a cereal box is a rectangular prism, an ice-cream cone is a cone.
Flat shapes are everywhere too: a clock face is a circle, a door is a rectangle, a slice of pizza is a triangle.
8 · Halves and quarters of a shape
Cut a shape into 2 equal parts and each part is a half. Cut it into 4 equal parts and each is a quarter.
The parts must be the same size. A rectangle cut into 2 parts of different sizes is not cut in half.
9 · Symmetry: the fold line
A shape is symmetrical if you can fold it so both halves match exactly. The fold line is the line of symmetry.
A square has 4 fold lines. A rectangle has 2. A triangle with 2 equal sides has 1, straight down the middle.
10 · Shapes made of shapes
Two triangles can make a square. Two squares side by side make a rectangle. Six triangles make a hexagon.
Look for the cut lines and count the pieces.
11 · Sorting by a rule
Shapes can be sorted by a rule: "has 4 sides," "has a curve," "has 3 corners." A triangle, a square, and a hexagon all have straight sides. A circle and an oval have curves.
Which does not belong? Find the one that breaks the rule the others share.
12 · Shape riddles
"I have 4 sides. All my sides are the same length. What am I?" A square. "I have no corners and I can roll." A sphere. "I have 6 sides." A hexagon.
Read every clue, then pick the shape that fits all of them.
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