NCERT Maths Mela, Class 3, textbook pages 44–63

How to teach Class 3 Maths Chapter 5, Fun with Shapes, at home

Flat shapes, corners and nets of boxes, 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.

square corners marked

NCERT Class 3 Maths Chapter 5 Fun with Shapes: what it teaches

Your child draws rangoli on dot paper, opens up boxes to see the flat shapes inside, and meets the square corner (a right angle). They learn what makes a shape a square, rectangle, triangle or circle.

Why it matters later. Square corners are right angles, the base of angles, area and perimeter in Classes 4 and 5.

See it: this chapter in pictures

an opened box:6 rectangles
An opened box shows all its faces as flat shapes.
red marks: square corners
Square corners appear in squares, rectangles and some triangles.
A tilted square is still a square.

You need

  • an empty cardboard box to open up
  • dot paper (draw a grid of dots)
  • paper squares for folding
  • two paper strips and a pin

Tonight’s 10 minutes

  1. Carefully open a cardboard box flat. What shapes are the pieces? How many?
  2. Fold a paper corner neatly: that is a square corner. Test corners around the house with it.
  3. Make shapes with four sticks: when is it a square, when a rectangle?
  4. Draw a rangoli on dot paper using squares, triangles and a circle.

Words to use

  • square corner
  • side
  • corner
  • rectangle
  • square
  • triangle
  • circle
  • net

Watch for

  • Thinking any four-sided shape is a rectangle. Test every corner with the folded square corner. All four must fit.
  • Saying a tilted square is a diamond, not a square. Turn the paper. Sides and corners do not change when you turn it.

What it sounds like at home

A short example of the conversation. Your words will differ; the questions are what matter.

YouOpen the matchbox flat. What shapes?

Your childRectangles.

YouTest the corners with your square corner.

Your childThey all fit!

YouIs a tilted square still a square?

Your childYes, turning it doesn’t change it.

A game for this week: Corner detective

  1. Make a square-corner tester by folding paper twice.
  2. Go round the house testing corners: books, doors, tiles, plates.
  3. Sort finds into square corner, smaller, bigger.
  4. Most correct finds wins.

A 5-day plan, 10 minutes a day

  1. Day 1Open a box flat.
  2. Day 2Square corner tester.
  3. Day 3Stick squares and rectangles.
  4. Day 4Triangles and circles hunt.
  5. Day 5Dot-paper rangoli.

Everyday moments to practise

  • Floor tiles and windows: square corners.
  • Samosas: triangles.
  • Rotis and plates: circles.
  • Folding a letter into an envelope.

Quick check

Ask these at the end of the week. Tap to see the answer.

What shapes do you see when a matchbox is opened flat?

Rectangles.

How many square corners does a rectangle have?

4.

How many sides does a triangle have?

3.

Ready for the next chapter when your child…

  • Names square, rectangle, triangle and circle.
  • Tests corners with a square corner.
  • Knows boxes open into rectangles.

Activities, wording and illustrations are Mathify Kids’ own, following the topics of NCERT’s Maths Mela (Class 3). See the full Class 3 parent guide for every chapter.

Questions parents ask

What is a square corner?

A corner like the corner of a page: a right angle.

What is a net of a box?

The flat shape you get when you open a box out.

Is a square a rectangle?

Yes. A square is a rectangle with all four sides equal.