NCERT Joyful Mathematics, Class 2, textbook pages 32–43
How to teach Class 2 Maths Chapter 4, Shadow Story (Togalu), at home
2D shapes: circle, triangle, square, rectangle, taught with things you already have at home: a 10-minute activity, a game for the week, a 5-day plan and the mistakes to watch for.
NCERT Class 2 Maths Chapter 4 Shadow Story (Togalu): what it teaches
Flat shapes come from solid ones: trace round a bottle cap and you get a circle; trace a matchbox and you get a rectangle. Your child learns to name, draw and find circles, triangles, squares and rectangles, and to count their corners and sides.
Why it matters later. Recognising flat shapes and counting sides and corners leads to perimeter and area in Classes 3 to 5, and tracing faces links flat shapes to the solids of Chapter 2.
See it: this chapter in pictures
You need
- a torch
- paper and a pencil
- a bottle cap, eraser, matchbox and coin to trace
- paper cut into squares
Tonight’s 10 minutes
- In a dark room, make hand shadows on the wall with the torch. Move the torch closer and further and watch the shadow change size.
- Trace round a bottle cap, an eraser and a matchbox. Name each shape you drew.
- Hunt around the house: two things with a circle face, two with a rectangle, one with a triangle.
- Fold a square paper corner to corner to make two triangles.
Words to use
- circle
- triangle
- square
- rectangle
- side
- corner
- trace
- shadow
Watch for
- Calling any four-sided shape a square. A square has four equal sides. Measure the sides with a strip of paper.
- Thinking a triangle turned upside down is not a triangle. Turn it in your hands. Three sides and three corners, any way up.
What it sounds like at home
A short example of the conversation. Your words will differ; the questions are what matter.
YouWhat shape did you get when you traced the bottle cap?
Your childA circle.
YouAnd the matchbox?
Your childA rectangle.
YouCan you find a triangle in the kitchen?
Your childThe samosa!
A game for this week: Shape hide and seek
- Say a shape: “circle!”
- Your child runs to touch something with that shape in it (a clock, a plate).
- Score a point for each correct find in 10 seconds.
- Take turns calling shapes.
A 5-day plan, 10 minutes a day
- Day 1Torch shadows on the wall.
- Day 2Trace everyday objects and name the shapes.
- Day 3Shape hunt around the house.
- Day 4Fold paper squares into triangles.
- Day 5Shape hide and seek game.
Everyday moments to practise
- A clock face and a roti: circles.
- A door and a phone: rectangles.
- Samosas and sandwiches cut in half: triangles.
- Floor tiles: often squares.
Quick check
Ask these at the end of the week. Tap to see the answer.
How many corners does a triangle have?
3.
What shape do you get by tracing a coin?
A circle.
Is every rectangle a square?
No. A square is a rectangle with all sides equal.
Ready for the next chapter when your child…
- Names circle, triangle, square and rectangle.
- Counts sides and corners of each.
- Finds each shape in everyday objects.
Activities, wording and illustrations are Mathify Kids’ own, following the topics of NCERT’s Joyful Mathematics (Class 2). See the full Class 2 parent guide for every chapter.
Questions parents ask
What is Togalu Gombeyaata?
A shadow-puppet art from Karnataka. The chapter uses shadows to show how flat shapes come from solid objects.
How many sides does a rectangle have?
4 sides and 4 corners. Opposite sides are equal.
Why does a shadow change size?
Moving the light closer to an object makes the shadow bigger; moving it away makes it smaller.