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.
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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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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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Identifying Parallel and Perpendicular Lines in Shapes Worksheet Pack
Present this parallel and perpendicular lines in shapes worksheet pack to your students to give them practice identifying attributes of 2D shapes.
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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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Shape Investigation 2D Figures Task Cards
Combine fun and learning with these 2D shapes and symmetry task cards for your Grade Four students!
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Pattern Block Flowers Interactive
Use this flower-themed interactive activity for your students to practise using manipulatives to create or expand on shapes using a pattern or symmetry model.
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Angle Word Problems – Worksheet
Download these angles word problem worksheets so your students can practise calculating missing angles.
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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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Angles in Our Environment Teaching Slides
Explore angles in the environment using this comprehensive teaching presentation for Year 3 students.
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Angles as Measures of a Turn Teaching Slides
Teach your students about the relationship between measures of a turn and right angles with this teaching presentation for Year 3 students.
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Measuring Angles – Mystery Picture Worksheet
Find the measure of each angle and use the colour guide to reveal a mystery picture with this worksheet designed for year 5 students.
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Bug Shapes - Playdough Mats
Build fine motor skills and build shape recognition skills with a set of fun minibeast playdough mats.
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Find and Colour – Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt where students search for 2D shapes in their surrounding environment.
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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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Geometric Reasoning Worksheets - Year 3
2 geometric reasoning worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
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Geometric Reasoning Worksheets - Year 5
4 geometric reasoning worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
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Geometric Reasoning Worksheets - Year 6
2 worksheets linked to the Australian Curriculum.
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Identifying and Naming Angles – Cut-and-Paste Worksheet
Identify acute, right, obtuse, straight, reflex and revolution angles with this cut-and-paste sorting 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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Parallel and Perpendicular Lines Activity — Escape Room
Engage your students with this parallel and perpendicular lines activity that encourages cooperation and problem solving to escape!
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Drawing Parallel Lines and Perpendicular Lines Worksheet Set
Utilise this drawing parallel lines and perpendicular lines worksheet set to give your students practice drawing line types on their own and on 2D shapes.
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Draw the 2D Shape! Worksheet
Use this single-page symmetry worksheet to spark students’ creativity, as they think of and draw shapes which fit the provided lines of symmetry.
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Pattern Block Butterflies Symmetry Task Cards
Bring some colourful fun into your classroom with these symmetry butterflies, a hands-on learning activity for young students to explore the concept of symmetry.
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Building With Angles – Interactive Game
Transport your students to a local construction site to solve building-related angle problems with this interactive maths game.
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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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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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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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Classifying Triangles (By Angles) Sorting Activity
Play this sorting game when learning how to classify triangles according to their internal angles.
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Advanced Angles Poster Pack
Teach your students about alternate, co-interior, corresponding and vertically opposite angles with this set of classroom posters.
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Tessellation Christmas Tree - Printable Project
Engage your students in the weeks before Christmas with a collaborative Christmas Tree Tessellation project.
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2D Shapes in the Environment Poster Pack
Explore 2D shapes in the environment using this set of 8 display posters showing the shapes and everyday examples.
- 2D Shapes Worksheets
- 2D Shapes Games
- 2D Shapes Posters
- 2D Shapes Teaching Presentations
- 2D Shapes Templates
- 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