Kindergarten Geometry: 2D and 3D Shapes

If you’re looking for a quick and easy activity for 2D and 3D shapes grab these FREE easy-to-use printables.

Poster

Print and laminate for long-term use. Enlarge it if you’d prefer a bigger poster.

As well as making a great poster, try the following ideas.

One-to-one correspondence: Give your child small 2D and 3D shapes for them to match to the shapes in the poster.

Compare and contrast

• Ask your child how many sides and corners in each 2D shape
• Ask them to draw matching 2D shapes but make them bigger or even smaller…it doesn’t matter their size, they are still the same shape
• Learn to draw 3D shapes by copying the lines in the transparent shapes
• Can they put shapes together to create new shapes? Or bigger shapes?
• Look at the 3D shapes in the room. How many corners (vertices) do they have? How many flat surfaces do they have? Can they roll? Can they stack?
• Take the poster around the room and compare the shapes with real objects. Can they find similar shapes? How are 2D shapes different to 3D shapes?

Cut-and-Paste

Print each page. Children can cut on the dotted lines and then glue each shape into the correct space. On the 3D page I have included (in brackets) what that kind of shape looks like. So a sphere is like a ball etc.

You may need to chat about real world objects not always being perfect shapes. For example, this die doesn’t have sharp corners and the pot has a handle and is hollowed out to make it useful. The crayon in the poster is like a cylinder with a cone on top.

Have you already downloaded this freebie? If not, you can download this cut-and-paste shapes activity here.

Need more geometry?

You can find a free 2D shapes word wheel to download here.

These pages have come from my Kindergarten Geometry pack … over 150 pages including 32 teacher posters, student printables and mini-books, play dough task cards, shapes to construct transporters, environmental shape hunt book and building new creations from shapes board game.

I wish you happy teaching and learning!