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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Parallel Perpendicular Lines Activity — Board Game
Play this parallel perpendicular lines activity with your students to give them practice identifying line types in a variety of settings.
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Parallel and Perpendicular Lines PPT — Teaching Slides
Download this parallel and perpendicular lines PPT to engage your students as you teach them about different line types!
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Intersecting, Parallel and Perpendicular Lines PowerPoint Interactive Activity
Introduce this intersecting, parallel and perpendicular lines PowerPoint interactive activity in your classroom to spice-up your geometry lesson!
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Parallel and Perpendicular Lines Games — Sorting Activity
Play parallel and perpendicular lines games in your classroom to give students practice sorting lines into intersecting, parallel, or perpendicular line categories.
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Interactive Area Puzzle (Triangles)
Have your students find the area of 16 triangles on the board and match the corresponding pieces to reveal a mystery picture.
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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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Halloween Shapes - Colour By 2D Shapes Worksheet
Don’t get too spooked while trying to identify 2D shapes with a printable Halloween Shapes Colour by Code worksheet!
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Batty for 2D Shapes - Halloween Shapes Worksheet
Go batty and identify the 2D shapes with a printable Halloween Shapes worksheet.
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Measuring and Drawing Angles – Task Cards
Improve student understanding of angle measurement with this set of 24 task cards.
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Types of Angles Task Cards
Explore the six main types of angles with this set of 24 task cards.
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Interior Angles of Shapes Interactive Game
Explore the interior angles of regular polygons with this detective-themed interactive maths activity.
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Interior Angles of Shapes – Differentiated Mazes
Explore the interior angles of regular shapes with this differentiated, maze-inspired worksheet.
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Interior Angles of Shapes Teaching Slides
Explore the interior angles of common two-dimensional shapes with this comprehensive set of teaching slides.
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Interior Angles of Shapes Sorting Activity
Play this sorting game when learning about the interior angles of common two-dimensional shapes.
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Drawing Angles Poster
Remind your students how to draw angles using a protractor with this classroom anchor chart.
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Types of Triangles Interactive Game
Explore the properties of acute, right and obtuse triangles with this interactive space adventure!
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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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Christmas Symmetry Worksheets - Symmetry Drawing Activity
Explore symmetry with these Christmas symmetry worksheets.
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Missing Angle Task Cards
Practise how to find the measure of a missing angle with this set of 18 task cards.
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Scarecrow Shape Hunt Worksheet
Practice identifying circles, squares, triangles and rectangles with a Scarecrow Shape hunt worksheet.
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All About Octagons Mini Booklet
A mini booklet to assist younger students in recognising and drawing octagons.
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All About Semicircles Mini Booklet
A mini booklet to assist younger students in recognising and drawing semicircles.
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All About Hexagons Mini Booklet
A mini booklet to assist younger students in recognising and drawing hexagons.
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All About Pentagons Mini Booklet
A mini booklet to assist younger students in recognising and drawing pentagons.
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All About Circles Mini Booklet
A mini booklet to assist younger students in recognising and drawing circles.
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Diagonals of Polygons Posters
A set of 7 posters demonstrating how to apply the rule for finding the number of diagonals of regular polygons.
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Diagonals of Polygons Worksheet
A worksheet for students to practise applying the rule for finding the number of diagonals on regular polygons.
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Types of Triangles Poster
A poster depicting and explaining the four types of triangles.
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I Have, Who Has? – Complementary and Supplementary Angles Game
Play a whole-class game to review complementary and supplementary angles.
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Measuring Angles Using a Protractor Posters
Remind your students how to measure angles using a protractor with this set of classroom posters.
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2D Shape Character Templates
A cute 2D shape display for your classroom.
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Learn and Play Spots - 2D Shapes and 3D Objects
Carpet rings perfect for velcro carpet dots, focusing on 2D shapes and 3D objects.
- 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