2D Shapes Teaching Resources
Bring dimension to 2D shapes for primary students with printable worksheets, digital activities, maths games and more — created by teachers for teachers!
This comprehensive collection of teaching resources includes editable lessons on two-dimensional shapes, aligned to the Australian curriculum and ready to be printed and used in the classroom. Explore the entire collection to find educational games, geometric activities, posters and vocabulary word wall cards to assist your students when they are learning to identify 2D figures by their names and their attributes.
Teaching this part of the maths curriculum for the first time in a while? Read on for a primer from the teachers on the Teach Starter team.
What Are 2D Shapes?
Two-dimensional shapes, or 2D shapes, are shapes that have only length and width, but no depth. Each of these geometric shapes has its own unique characteristics and properties, such as the number of sides, the types of angles and the relationship between the sides and angles.
For example, a square has four equal sides and four right angles, while a circle has no sides and no angles.
Teaching about 2D geometric shapes is crucial in those early years classrooms as these are the building blocks of more complex geometric concepts. Understanding them is an important foundation for developing spatial reasoning skills. It will also lay the groundwork for learning about symmetry, angles and perimeter and area, among other geometry and measurement concepts.
2D Shapes — A Kid-Friendly Definition
Looking to provide a simple definition for your primary students? Here's a kid-friendly definition you can use:
A 2D shape is a flat shape that has only two dimensions — length and width. When something is two-dimensional, it's flat like a drawing or a picture on a piece of paper.
Understanding 2D shapes is important because it helps us recognise and describe the shapes we see around us, and it can also help us with math and other subjects.
2D Shape Examples
A definition is a good start, but providing concrete examples will help students begin to wrap their heads around these two dimensional-objects!
Let's look at some of the common examples of 2D shapes that we teach in the early years:
Square
A square is a 2D shape with four straight sides that are all equal in length and four right angles. It is a type of rectangle and a type of parallelogram.
Rectangle
A rectangle is a 2-dimensional shape that has four straight sides. Unlike a square, a rectangle has two sides that are longer than the other two. It has four right angles and opposite sides that are parallel and equal in length.
Parallelogram
Like a rectangle and square, the parallelogram has four sides and is considered a 2D shape. The four straight sides of a parallelogram are parallel to each other. Opposite sides of a parallelogram are equal in length, and opposite angles are equal in measure. Squares, rectangles and rhombuses are all examples of parallelograms.
Trapezium
A trapezium (or trapezoid) is a quadrilateral shape with two parallel sides and two non-parallel sides. The parallel sides are called the bases of the trapezium, and the non-parallel sides are called the legs. Even though a trapezium has four sides, it is not a parallelogram!
Triangle
A triangle is a two-dimensional shape that has three straight sides and three angles. The angles of a triangle always add up to 180 degrees.
Circle
A circle is a 2D geometric shape that is round and has no straight sides. It is defined as the set of all points in a plane that are at a fixed distance (called the radius) from a single point (called the center).
Ellipse
An ellipse is a 2D shape that is similar to a circle, but its shape is stretched out or elongated. It is defined as the set of all points in a plane whose distances from two fixed points (called the foci) add up to a constant value.
Pentagon
A pentagon is a 2D shape that has five straight sides and five angles. The word 'pentagon' comes from the Greek words 'penta' (meaning 'five') and 'gonia' (meaning 'angle'). Each angle of a regular pentagon measures 108 degrees, and the sum of the angles in a pentagon is 540 degrees.
Hexagon
A hexagon is a 2D shape that has six straight sides and six angles. Each angle of a hexagon measures 120 degrees, and the sum of the angles in a hexagon is 720 degrees. Snowflakes are a common example of hexagons found in nature, and so is the honeycomb!
Rhombus
A rhombus is a 2D shape with four straight sides that are all equal in length. It is a type of parallelogram, and it has opposite angles that are equal in measure.
Octagon
An octagon is an eight-sided 2D shape. A stop sign is an octagon that students might recognise from seeing it along the road on the way to school.
Quadrilateral
A quadrilateral is a 2D shape with four sides and four angles. The sum of the interior angles of a quadrilateral is always 360 degrees. The following are all examples of quadrilaterals:
- Square
- Rectangle
- Parallelogram
- Trapezium
- Rhombus
What Are Polygons?
Many of the 2D shapes that students learn about are polygons.
A polygon is a 2D shape that has three or more straight sides and angles. Polygons can have any number of sides, but they must be straight, and they must not cross each other.
The word 'polygon' comes from the Greek words 'poly' (which means 'many') and 'gonia' (which means 'angle').
Here are some common examples of polygons:
- Triangles
- Squares
- Rectangles
- Pentagons
- Hexagons
- Octagons
A circle and an ellipse are both 2D shapes, but they are not polygons. They have a curved shape, while polygons consist of a closed structure with sides.
- Plus Plan
Measuring and Classifying Angles Activity
Introduce this measuring and classifying angles matching activity to your students to give them engaging, hands-on practice with key geometry concepts.
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Calculating Missing Angles Interactive Activity
Get your students to find missing angles with this interactive game perfect for Year 6 maths lessons.
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Angles in the Environment Worksheet
Help your students identify acute, right and obtuse angles in the environment with this differentiated worksheet.
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Angles in the Environment — Year 5
Help students identify, estimate, measure and classify angles in real-world settings around their school with this angle exploration worksheet pack.
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Rotational Symmetry Teaching Presentation
Share this 12-slide rotational symmetry teaching presentation with your Grade 4s to expose them to the concept of rotational symmetry.
- Free Plan
Directions with Right Angle Turns Worksheet
Teach your students to give and follow directions using right angles with this 2-page maths worksheet for Year 3 students.
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Right Angle Turn Patterns Worksheet
Teach your students to make shape patterns using right angle turns with this differentiated maths worksheet for Year 3 students.
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Colour by 2D Shape (Basic and Complex Shapes)
A detailed set of colour by shape activities.
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Colour by Missing Angles Worksheets
Get students to find the size of missing angles on right angles, straight angles and angles at a point with this maths worksheet with a difference!
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2D Shapes and 3D Objects – Worksheets
Focus on drawing 2D shapes and describing 3D objects with this set of differentiated worksheets.
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2D Shape Match
A fun match-up activity to consolidate your students’ knowledge of 2D shapes and their properties.
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2D Shapes and 3D Objects - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Learn the difference between 2D shapes and 3D objects with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Tangram Treats – Task Cards and Templates
Explore the properties of geometric shapes with this set of scaffolded tangram shapes task cards and cut-out tangram templates.
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Identifying Lines of Symmetry Task Cards
Use this set of 24 task cards to help your students practise identifying lines of symmetry in 2D shapes.
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Is It a Line of Symmetry? Worksheets
Assign this lines of symmetry worksheet to your students to check their understanding of the existence of a line of symmetry on various 2D shapes.
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Tessellating Shapes Worksheet Set
Download this tessellating shapes worksheet set to introduce your students to the beauty of tesselations.
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Line and Rotational Symmetry Teaching Slides
Use this comprehensive deck of 20 teaching slides to introduce your Grade 4 students to line symmetry and rotational symmetry.
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Angles in Our Environment Interactive Game
Bring an extra dimension of fun into your Year 3 maths classroom with an interactive game exploring angles in the environment.
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Printable Angle Maker Template
Create and classify some angles with this hands-on printable that is super fun to use.
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Geometric Reasoning Worksheets - Year 6
2 worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
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Ye Olde Geometry Town Project
Build a charming medieval village in our Ye Olde Geometry Town project, designed to give your students engaging hands-on practice with multiple geometry standards.
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Pattern Block Design Cards
Build shape recognition and have fun building composite figures with Pattern Block Design Cards.
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Rotational Symmetry Interactive Activity
Use this engaging interactive resource to consolidate student understanding of rotational symmetry by answering a series of questions.
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We're Going On a Shape Hunt! Graphing Game
Consolidate students' knowledge of 2D shapes while teaching about data collection, recording and graphing!
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Regular and Irregular Polygons
A poster chart showing regular and irregular polygons.
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Tracing and Drawing 2D Shapes Worksheet
A simple trace and draw worksheet for 2D shapes.
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2D Shape Activity Sheets
A set of nine worksheets where students demonstrate their understanding of various 2D shapes.
- Free Plan
Classifying Angles – Sorting Activity
Help students recognise different types of angles in everyday life with this hands-on sorting activity.
- Free Plan
2D Shapes and 3D Objects Vocabulary Poster
A poster that explains 2D and 3D shapes and lists associated vocabulary.
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Geometric Reasoning Worksheets - Year 4
2 geometric reasoning worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
- Plus Plan
2D Symmetry Poster - Reflection and Rotational
This 2D symmetry poster explores both reflection and rotational symmetry.
- Free Plan
2D Shapes and 3D Objects Crossword with Solution
A crossword with clues for both 2D shapes and 3D objects.
- 2D Shapes Worksheets
- 2D Shapes Games
- 2D Shapes Posters
- 2D Shapes Teaching Presentations
- 2D Shapes for Preschool/Kindergarten
- 2D Shapes for Foundation Year
- 2D Shapes for Year 1
- 2D Shapes for Year 2
- 2D Shapes for Year 3
- 2D Shapes for Year 4
- 2D Shapes for Year 5
- 2D Shapes for Year 6
- 2D Shapes for Year 7