Shapes are everywhere. In Year 1, children name common 2D shapes — circles, triangles, squares and rectangles — count their sides, and spot 3D shapes like cubes, spheres and cylinders in everyday objects.
What your child will learn
- Recognise and name circles, triangles, squares and rectangles
- Count the straight sides of simple 2D shapes
- Recognise and name cubes, cuboids, spheres, cylinders and cones
- Find shapes in the world around them
Flat shapes and solid shapes
2D shapes are flat, like drawings on paper. 3D shapes are solid objects you can hold — a football is a sphere, a dice is a cube and a tin of beans is a cylinder.
Geometry Space mixes shape pictures with real-world objects so children connect shape names to things they see every day.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. What 3D shape is this ice cream cone?
🍦- Cylinder
- Cuboid
- Cube
- Cone
Show answer
Answer: Cone. A ice cream cone is shaped like a cone.
2. What is the name of this shape?
- Rectangle
- Circle
- Triangle
- Hexagon
Show answer
Answer: Triangle. This is a triangle. It has 3 sides and 3 corners.
3. What is the name of this shape?
- Triangle
- Rectangle
- Square
- Hexagon
Show answer
Answer: Square. This is a square. It has 4 sides and 4 corners.
Tips for grown-ups
- Go on a shape hunt around the house or park.
- Sort building blocks by shape and talk about why they roll or stack.
- Draw shapes together and count the sides as you draw.