2D Shapes
Year 1Week 1
Year 1 Shapes Worksheets
10 worksheets across 2 weeks
Our free Year 1 Shapes worksheets help children aged 5-6 recognise, name, and describe common two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes, fully aligned to the England National Curriculum. Geometry is a fundamental strand of primary mathematics, and the shape knowledge children build in Year 1 provides the vocabulary and visual understanding they need for more complex work with properties, symmetry, and angles in later years. The 10 worksheets are organised across 2 weeks of focused daily practice. Week 1 covers 2D shapes, where children learn to recognise and name circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles. They explore properties such as the number of sides and corners and begin to identify these shapes in everyday objects and patterns. Week 2 moves to 3D shapes, introducing cubes, cuboids, pyramids, spheres, cylinders, and cones. Children learn to recognise these shapes in the real world and begin to describe them using vocabulary such as faces, edges, and corners. Each worksheet includes fluency questions for rapid shape identification, word problems that ask children to apply their shape knowledge in practical contexts such as sorting objects or describing shapes in a picture, and reasoning challenges where children explain why a shape does or does not belong to a particular group. This three-section structure ensures children develop recognition, application, and deeper thinking skills. Parents can reinforce shape learning by going on shape hunts around the house or during walks, pointing out 2D shapes in signs and patterns and 3D shapes in packaging and buildings. Teachers can use these worksheets to consolidate practical shape lessons or as a daily starter activity during a geometry unit. Through these worksheets, children will build a secure understanding of the key 2D and 3D shapes, develop accurate geometric vocabulary, and practise identifying shapes in different orientations and real-world contexts. These are the core geometry objectives of the Year 1 National Curriculum and essential preparation for the properties of shape work in Year 2.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which shapes should a Year 1 child know?
- Year 1 children should recognise and name common 2D shapes (rectangles, squares, circles, triangles) and 3D shapes (cuboids, cubes, pyramids, spheres, cylinders, cones). They should be able to describe their properties in simple terms.
- How do I help my child learn about shapes at home?
- Go on shape hunts around your home and neighbourhood. Ask your child to spot circles in clocks, rectangles in doors and windows, triangles in roof shapes, and cylinders in tins. When looking at 3D shapes, let your child hold and examine real objects such as boxes, balls, and tins, and talk about whether they can roll, stack, or slide. Build shapes using construction toys and compare them. The key is to help your child see that shapes are everywhere in the real world, not just on a worksheet.
- What is the difference between 2D and 3D shapes for Year 1?
- Two-dimensional shapes are flat shapes with length and width but no depth, such as circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles. Three-dimensional shapes are solid shapes that take up space and have length, width, and depth, such as cubes, cuboids, spheres, cylinders, cones, and pyramids. In Year 1, children learn to tell the difference by understanding that 2D shapes are flat like a drawing and 3D shapes are solid like real objects you can pick up. Our worksheets help children recognise both types and begin to describe their properties.
- How many questions are in each shapes worksheet?
- Each worksheet contains between 8 and 12 questions across fluency, word problem, and reasoning sections. Fluency questions focus on identifying and naming shapes. Word problems ask children to apply shape knowledge in practical contexts, and reasoning questions involve sorting, comparing, or explaining why a shape belongs to a particular group. Each worksheet takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete.