Recognise, describe and sort 3D shapes

I can recognise, describe and sort 3D shapes.

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Lesson 10 of 15

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Recognise, describe and sort 3D shapes

I can recognise, describe and sort 3D shapes.

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Key learning points

Understand how to sort shapes into 2 sets using the criteria 'has' and 'has no'.
Cuboids have rectangular faces and cubes have square faces.
Cylinders and cones both have some circular faces.
Pyramids always have some triangular face and may have a different shape face as a base.

Keywords

Face - Any of the flat surfaces of an object.
Circular face - A flat surface of a 3D shape that is shaped like a circle with one curved line.
Square face - A flat surface of a 3D shape that is shaped like a square with four equal sides.
Rectangular face - A flat surface of a 3D shape that is shaped like a rectangle with four sides.
Triangular face - A flat surface of a 3D shape that is shaped like a triangle with three sides.

Common misconception

Children might begin to confuse 2D and 3D. For example, describe a cube as a square.

Use geometric construction materials to explore the 2D shapes within 3D shapes. Look for familiar 3D shapes in the environment and discuss.

Children should revisit their EYFS experiences of 2D shape before this lesson. You could also provide opportunities to use cardboard nets and geometric construction materials to explore nets to support children to visualise the 2D shapes within 3D.

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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).