2D and 3D Shape Properties
2D and 3D Shape Properties moves children on from simply naming shapes (Year 1) to describing them using precise vocabulary: the number of sides and vertices (corners) for a flat, 2D shape, and the number of faces, edges and vertices for a solid, 3D shape.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Start with real 2D shapes (flat cut-outs) and real 3D shapes (a dice, a ball, a tin, a party hat) so the child feels the difference between flat and solid before any property words are used.
- Teach the vocabulary precisely and separately: a side is an edge of a flat shape, and a vertex (plural vertices) is a corner where two sides meet.
- For 3D shapes, teach face (a flat or curved surface), edge (where two faces meet) and vertex (a corner where edges meet), and count them on real objects, e.g. a cube has 6 faces, 12 edges and 8 vertices.
- Correct the common misconception directly: shape identity does not depend on size or orientation. A triangle turned upside down is still a triangle, and a very thin, long rectangle is still a rectangle, because the number of sides and vertices has not changed.
- Sort a mixed group of shapes by one property at a time, e.g. 'shapes with 4 sides' or 'shapes with a curved face', which is a more reliable way for young children to group shapes than sorting by name alone.
- Move to pictures of 3D shapes: count the faces that are visible in a drawing, and explain that some faces are hidden from view and cannot be seen.
- Practise comparing two shapes and stating one similarity and one difference in their properties, e.g. a square and a rectangle both have 4 sides and 4 vertices, but only the square has all 4 sides the same length.
Worked example
How many faces, edges and vertices does a cube have?
- Picture or hold a cube, like a dice, and count the flat faces one at a time, turning it to see each one.
- A cube has 6 faces in total: the top, the bottom and 4 sides.
- Count the straight edges where two faces meet: a cube has 12 edges.
- Count the corners where edges meet: a cube has 8 vertices, so a cube has 6 faces, 12 edges and 8 vertices.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Look at a square and a rectangle. Say one thing that is the same about them and one thing that is different.Show answer
Answer: Same: both have 4 straight sides and 4 corners. Different: a square has all 4 sides the same length, but a rectangle usually has two long sides and two short sides.
Q2How many vertices (corners) does a square have?Show answer
Answer: 4 vertices
Q3Name a 2D shape that has no straight sides.Show answer
Answer: A circle
Q4How many faces does a cube have?Show answer
Answer: 6 faces
Q5Name a 3D shape that can roll because it has a curved face.Show answer
Answer: A sphere (a cylinder or a cone are also correct)
Q6A shape has 4 sides, but they are not all the same length. Could it still be a rectangle?Show answer
Answer: Yes, because a rectangle only needs opposite sides to be equal, not all 4 sides
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a KS1 Maths exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A shape has 3 straight sides and 3 vertices. Name the shape.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 1 available
Look at a cylinder. State the number of flat faces it has and the number of curved faces it has.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 2 available
Priya says a square and a long, thin rectangle are completely different shapes because they look different. Explain why Priya is not fully correct, using the properties of the two shapes in your answer.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 2 available
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the 2d and 3d shape properties worksheet pack - 8 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
Next topics
Not quite what you needed?
Tell us what is missing on 2d and 3d shape properties, or which topic to write up next. Every request is read, and we reply to every one.
Build a full practice pack.
This topic is one of hundreds in the library - pick the ones a student needs and generate a printable PDF in minutes.