Shapes for kids: 2D and 3D shapes, with pictures

Every shape a child meets from kindergarten to grade 2, with its picture, how many sides, corners, faces and edges it has, and an everyday object to find it in. Then simple ways to teach shapes at home, a few questions to check, and 17 printable shape charts.

2D and 3D: flat shapes and solid shapes

2D shapes are flat. You can draw them on paper, and they only have length and width: a circle, a triangle, a square. 3D shapes are solid. You can hold them, and they have depth too: a ball, a box, a can.

The two are linked. Every flat surface of a solid is a 2D shape: the faces of a cube are squares, the ends of a can are circles. Pointing this out early saves a lot of confusion later, when children start calling a cube a “square”.

2D shape names with pictures

The ten flat shapes children learn first, with their sides and corners. Corners are also called vertices.

Shape	Sides	Corners	Find it in
Circle	0 (one curved line)	0	A plate, a clock, a coin
Oval	0 (one curved line)	0	An egg, a mirror, a race track
Triangle	3	3	A slice of pizza, a yield sign
Square	4, all the same length	4 square corners	A cracker, a window pane
Rectangle	4, opposite sides equal	4 square corners	A door, a book, a phone
Rhombus	4, all the same length	4	A diamond on a playing card
Trapezoid	4, one pair parallel	4	A lampshade side, a handbag
Pentagon	5	5	Home plate in baseball, the outline of a simple house
Hexagon	6	6	A honeycomb cell, a nut on a bolt
Octagon	8	8	A stop sign

Circles and ovals have no straight sides and no corners, so they are not polygons. Every other shape in this table is.

3D shape names with pictures

The six solids children learn first. The dashed lines show the edges you can’t see from the front: counting those is where most mistakes happen.

Solid	Faces	Edges	Vertices	Find it in
Sphere	0 (one curved surface)	0	0	A ball, an orange
Cube	6 squares	12	8	A die from a board game, a sugar cube
Rectangular prism (cuboid)	6 rectangles	12	8	A cereal box, a brick
Cylinder	2 circles + a curved surface	2 curved edges	0	A can of beans, a glue stick
Cone	1 circle + a curved surface	1 curved edge	1 (the point)	An ice cream cone, a party hat
Square pyramid	1 square + 4 triangles	8	5	The pyramids of Egypt, a tent

A face is a flat surface, an edge is where two faces meet, and a vertex is a corner where edges meet. Some books count the curved surface of a cylinder, cone or sphere as a face, so check how your child’s class counts them.

What makes a shape that shape

This is the most important idea in early geometry, and the one the Common Core actually tests. A shape is named by its defining features: how many sides it has, whether the sides are straight, whether it is closed. Its size, color and which way it is turned do not matter.

A square turned on its corner is still a square, not a “diamond”.
A long, thin triangle and a short, wide one are both triangles.
A red triangle and a blue triangle are the same shape.
A shape with a gap in it is not a triangle, even if it has three sides: shapes must be closed.

Children who only ever see shapes sitting flat and upright learn the picture, not the shape. Turn the paper, draw shapes at odd angles, and ask “is it still a triangle?”

What children learn about shapes, by grade

Kindergarten

Name circles, squares, triangles, rectangles and hexagons in any size or position
Name cubes, cones, cylinders and spheres
Say whether a shape is flat (2D) or solid (3D)
Describe where things are: above, below, beside, behind

Grade 1

Tell defining features (3 sides, closed) from ones that don’t matter (color, size)
Put shapes together to make new ones, such as two triangles into a square
Split circles and rectangles into halves and fourths

Grade 2

Draw shapes from a description, such as “a shape with 5 angles”
Name triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons and cubes by counting angles or faces
Split a rectangle into rows and columns of equal squares
Split shapes into halves, thirds and fourths

Five 10-minute ways to teach shapes at home

Shape hunt

Pick a shape and find as many as you can around the house in five minutes. Rectangles are everywhere; octagons are a challenge.

Feely bag

Put a few blocks or household objects in a bag. Your child feels one without looking and names its shape from the corners and edges alone.

Sorting piles

Cut shapes from card in different sizes and colors. Sort them by number of sides, then mix them up and sort by color, and talk about which sort tells you the shape.

Straw shapes

Build shapes from straws or sticks and play dough. A child who has built a triangle from three straws knows why it has three corners.

Unfold a box

Cut an empty cereal box along its edges and lay it flat. Count the rectangles together: that is all six faces of a rectangular prism.

Mistakes to watch for

Calling a turned square a “diamond”. Turn it back and ask if anything changed. Diamond is not a math name.
Thinking a square isn’t a rectangle. Check the rule together: four sides and four square corners. A square passes.
Using flat names for solids. A cube is not a square and a ball is not a circle. The flat name describes one face, not the solid.
Missing hidden faces. Children counting from a picture often find three faces on a cube. Hand them a real cube to turn.
Saying any pointed solid is a pyramid. A cone has a point too, but its base is a circle and its side is curved.

Try it

Ask these, then tap to check the answer.

What shape is this?

A square. It has four equal sides and four square corners. Turning it doesn’t change its name.

How many sides does this shape have?

6. It is a hexagon.

How many faces does this solid have?

6. It is a cube. Three faces are hidden at the back: the dashed lines show where they are.

What is this shape called?

A pentagon: 5 sides and 5 corners.

How many vertices (points) does this solid have?

1. A cone has one point at the top, one flat circle and one curved surface.

Is this a triangle?

Yes. Any closed shape with 3 straight sides is a triangle, even a long, thin, tilted one.

Practice and printables

Print the naming 2D shapes worksheet (24 picture questions with an answer key). When flat shapes are secure, move on to perimeter, area and angles, or see the whole geometry section.

Shape charts to print

Each chart puts one idea on one page, with an interactive version on screen.

Last reviewed October 2, 2026

Questions parents ask

Which shapes should a kindergartner know?

The Common Core lists squares, circles, triangles, rectangles and hexagons, plus the solids cube, cone, cylinder and sphere. By the end of kindergarten, children should name these whatever their size or which way they are turned, and say whether a shape is flat or solid.

Is a square a rectangle?

Yes. A rectangle is any shape with four sides and four square corners. A square has both, and its sides also happen to be equal, so every square is a rectangle. Not every rectangle is a square.

How many sides does an octagon have?

Eight sides and eight corners. A stop sign is the octagon most children know.

What is the difference between a square and a cube?

A square is flat (2D): you can draw it on paper. A cube is solid (3D): you can hold it. Each of a cube’s six faces is a square.

Is a circle a polygon?

No. A polygon is a closed flat shape made only of straight sides. A circle has one curved line and no straight sides, so it is not a polygon.

How do I teach shapes to a 4-year-old?

Start with circle, square, triangle and rectangle, using real objects rather than worksheets. Name shapes in everyday talk (“pass me the round plate”), go on shape hunts around the house, and let your child sort blocks or cut-out shapes into piles.