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.
- Free Plan
Sorting Symmetrical Shapes Worksheets
Use this simple but effective symmetry worksheet to reinforce the concepts of symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes with your Year Four students.
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A World Without Right Angles – Worksheet
Help your students explore the vital role that right angles play in our environment with this differentiated maths worksheet.
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Build a City Activity
Engage your learners with this cross-curricular build a city activity that invites them to create a digital city all their own.
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Spatial Reasoning Worksheets
Share these spatial reasoning worksheets with your students to help them master spatial relationships and composite shape standards.
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2D Shapes Poster Set
Hang this 2D shapes poster set in your classroom to give students an easy reference for the attributes of two dimensional shapes.
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Santa's New Sleigh – Christmas 2D Shapes Worksheet
Design Santa a new sleigh using 2D Shapes with a fun Christmas maths worksheet.
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Measuring Angles in Images Worksheets
Get your students using their protractors to measure acute, obtuse, right, straight and reflex angles with this set of differentiated angles worksheets.
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Angles in Our Environment Teaching Slides
Explore angles in the environment using this comprehensive teaching presentation for Year 3 students.
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Colour by 2D Shape (Basic Shapes)
A set of five colour by shape worksheets.
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Angles Bingo
Generate excitement about angles in your classroom by playing this whole-class types of angles bingo game.
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Tangram Activity
A poster showing examples of tangram shapes and a tangram template.
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Flip, Slide and Turn Poster Set
Examine the difference between flipping, sliding and turning a shape.
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Fire Truck Shape Craft
Use a Fire Truck Shape Craft template to help your students identify 2D shapes during Fire Safety lessons.
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Guess the Angle Board Game - The Case of the Missing Degrees
Engage your students with our 'Guess the Angle' board game that will have them estimating and measuring angles as they make their way to the finish.
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Lines of Symmetry Teaching Slides
Introduce your students to the concept of lines of symmetry using this comprehensive and easy-to-understand 12-slide teaching presentation!
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Identifying Lines of Symmetry Interactive Activity
Explore this rail-yard themed interactive activity with your students to teach them how to identify lines of symmetry.
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Right Angle Turns: Spin and Win! – Interactive Game
Get your Year 3 students spinning to win with this engaging digital maths game about right angles as measures of a turn.
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2D Shape and 3D Object Flashcards
Explore 2D shapes and 3D objects with this set of 20 full-page flashcards.
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Angle Sum of a Quadrilateral – Year 7 Maths Worksheet
Calculate the missing angle in a variety of quadrilaterals with this one-page worksheet.
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Acute, Right and Obtuse Angles – Cut and Paste Worksheet
Identify acute, right and obtuse angles with this cut-and-paste sorting worksheet.
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Tessellation Poster
Making tessellating patterns is fun!
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Matching Lines of Symmetry Worksheets
Introduce the concept of ‘multiple lines of symmetry’ to your Year Fours with this match-up worksheet set.
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Constructing Triangles Worksheet Pack
Use this triangle construction worksheet pack to help students develop accuracy with rulers and protractors as they construct triangles from given measurements.
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Classifying Shapes Activity — Number Talk Cards
Spark discussion with this classifying shapes activity that will have students identifying the attributes of 2D shapes.
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2D Shape Poster Set
Use this set of 16 brightly coloured 2D shapes with your geometry lessons.
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Shapes and Symmetry — Year 2 Worksheet
Assess year 2 students' understanding of 2D shape symmetry with this set of two worksheets.
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2D Shapes in the Environment Cut and Sort Worksheet
Students will categorise and sort 2D shapes using this ability-levelled worksheet set.
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Colour By Shape Christmas Worksheets
Use knowledge of 2D shapes to colour in these Christmas-themed colour by shape worksheets.
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Finding Corresponding Angles – Year 7 Maths Worksheet
Identify and calculate corresponding angles with this one-page maths worksheet.
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2D Shape Bingo
Engage your students while consolidate learning about 2D shapes, their names and properties with 2D Shape Bingo!
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Shape Playdough Mats for Fine Motor Development
A set of 6 shape playdough mats to help children develop their fine motor skills and identify different 2D shapes.
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Identifying Lines of Symmetry Worksheets
Use this set of differentiated worksheets to help students practise the process involved with identifying lines of symmetry on two-dimensional shapes.
- 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