Free printable types of quadrilaterals chart

Grades 3–7Square, rectangle, rhombus, parallelogram, trapezoid and kite — what makes each one different, and why a square counts as four of them at once. Print it for the wall, or tap through the family below and watch the overlaps light up.

Types of Quadrilaterals math chart for kids Tap the chart to open it at full size

Tap a shape to see what else it counts as

Each shape lists its own properties and highlights the wider families it belongs to. The highlighted shapes are not similar to it — they are categories it genuinely sits inside, with all their properties plus extra rules of its own.

Start with the square. It lights up almost everything, because a square has four equal sides like a rhombus, four right angles like a rectangle, and two pairs of parallel sides like a parallelogram. It is the most specific shape on the page, not the most basic.

That is the idea children find hardest here, and it is worth dwelling on. Asked whether a square is a rectangle, most say no. The correct answer is yes — a rectangle needs four right angles and opposite sides equal, and a square has both. It just has more besides.

Tap a shape to see what else it counts as

Its properties
Tap any shape above
It also counts as
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Every shape here is a quadrilateral. Some are several things at once, which is the part worth exploring.

How to use this quadrilaterals chart at home

Sort before naming. Cut out a dozen four-sided shapes and ask your child to put them into groups, any groups they like, and explain the rule they used. They will invent categories like all-sides-equal or has-square-corners, which are exactly the properties the official names are built on. The vocabulary then has somewhere to land.

Ask about properties rather than names. Does it have parallel sides? Are the corners square? Are any sides the same length? A child who can answer those three questions about a shape can work out what it is called, and will not be thrown by seeing it rotated or stretched.

Then go hunting for the awkward cases. Is a square a rectangle? Is a rhombus a kite? These are the questions that make the family structure visible, and the widget above answers them by lighting up rather than by asserting.

Why shapes belong to more than one family

Most sorting a child has done before puts things in exactly one box. Animals are mammals or birds, not both. Quadrilaterals do not work that way, and nobody usually mentions the change.

The rule is that each name is a set of requirements, not a description of appearance. If a shape meets the requirements for rectangle, it is a rectangle — regardless of whether it also meets stricter requirements for something else. A square meets the rectangle rules and the rhombus rules simultaneously.

It helps to point out that this is how ordinary categories work too. A terrier is still a dog. A square being a rectangle is the same kind of statement, and children who see the parallel stop finding it a trick question.

The trapezoid disagreement, and why it matters

There are two definitions in circulation. The inclusive one says a trapezoid has at least one pair of parallel sides, which makes every parallelogram a trapezoid. The exclusive one says exactly one pair, which keeps them separate.

This page uses the inclusive definition, which is what most modern curricula and the widget above follow. But plenty of US textbooks still use the exclusive one, and a child can lose a mark for a correct answer under the other convention.

It is worth checking which one is being taught, and worth telling a child that the disagreement exists. Mathematics is usually presented as having no opinions, and finding out that a definition is a choice is genuinely useful rather than confusing.

Where quadrilaterals usually go wrong

Saying a square is not a rectangle. The most common error in the topic, and the one the family highlighting above exists to fix.

Judging by orientation. A square turned forty-five degrees gets called a diamond, and a rectangle stood on its end gets treated as a different shape. Turning a shape changes nothing about its sides or angles.

Confusing a rhombus with a kite. Both look diamond-ish. The rhombus has all four sides equal; the kite has two pairs of equal sides adjacent to each other. Every rhombus is a kite, but not the reverse.

Assuming parallel means equal. Parallel sides run in the same direction and never meet; they can be completely different lengths. A trapezoid is the standing proof of that.

After the chart goes up

A chart explains the idea but gives a child nothing to do. These do the rest.

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Questions parents ask

What is a quadrilateral?

Any flat shape with four straight sides and four corners. That is the whole requirement. The angles always add up to 360 degrees, and beyond that nothing is guaranteed — every other shape on this page is a quadrilateral with extra rules attached.

Is a square a rectangle?

Yes. A rectangle is a quadrilateral with four right angles and opposite sides equal, and a square has both of those. It also has four equal sides, which is extra rather than disqualifying. A square is a rectangle, a rhombus and a parallelogram all at once.

What is the difference between a rhombus and a parallelogram?

A rhombus has four equal sides; a parallelogram only needs opposite sides equal. So every rhombus is a parallelogram, but most parallelograms are not rhombuses. A rhombus is sometimes called a diamond, though that is not a mathematical name.

What is the difference between a trapezoid and a parallelogram?

A trapezoid needs at least one pair of parallel sides; a parallelogram needs two. Under the inclusive definition used on this page, every parallelogram is therefore also a trapezoid. Some US textbooks use an exclusive definition where a trapezoid has exactly one pair, which would make the two groups separate — worth checking which your child's class uses.

What makes a kite different?

Its two pairs of equal sides sit next to each other rather than opposite. That is the whole distinction, and it gives a kite one line of symmetry and diagonals that cross at right angles. A rhombus is a special kite where all four sides happen to be equal.

What grade is this quadrilaterals chart for?

Grades 3 to 7. Naming the shapes usually starts in Grade 3, sorting by properties in Grade 4 or 5, and the overlapping family relationships around Grade 5 to 7 — which is where the square-is-a-rectangle question tends to arrive.

Is this quadrilaterals chart free to print?

Yes. Open it full size and print as many copies as you need for home or a classroom, with no account and no watermark. Reselling it or re-hosting the file elsewhere is not allowed — link to this page instead.