Class 2 geometry: 2D and 3D shapes, sides and corners
Geometry in Class 2 is about looking closely at the shapes that are already all around us. Children name flat (2D) shapes like circles, squares and triangles, and solid (3D) shapes like cubes, spheres and cylinders — and count their sides, corners and faces.
This is a topic where the vocabulary does most of the work. A child who can say "a square has four equal sides and four corners" is doing real geometry. The maths is careful looking and accurate counting.
What your child needs to know
- Name common 2D shapes: circle, square, rectangle, triangle
- Count the sides and corners of a 2D shape
- Name common 3D shapes: cube, cuboid, sphere, cylinder, cone
- Know that a face of a solid is one of its flat surfaces
- Match 3D shapes to everyday objects, and tell which roll or stack
Worked examples
How many sides and corners does a square have?
Hint — trace round the edge with your finger and count each straight edge and each corner.
A square has 4 sides and 4 corners, and all four sides are the same length.
How many sides does a triangle have?
Hint — "tri" means three.
A triangle has 3 sides and 3 corners. Any closed shape with three straight sides is a triangle.
How many flat faces does a cube have?
Hint — think of a dice and count each flat surface.
A cube has 6 faces, and every face is a square — just like the six faces of a dice.
Which one rolls: a ball or a box?
Hint — a shape with no flat faces and no corners can roll.
A ball is a sphere, with a smooth curved surface and no corners, so the ball rolls. A box has flat faces and corners, so it stacks instead.
How Olympiads test this
Olympiads such as SOF IMO and CREST CMO at Class 2 usually show shapes and ask children to count sides or corners, name a shape, or match a 3D shape to a real object like a ball or a tin. Some ask which shapes roll or stack. Spotting shapes in the house and counting their parts is the best practice; the exact questions in any exam can never be foretold.
Practice questions
Show 5 practice questions and answers
- How many sides does a rectangle have? — 4
- How many corners does a triangle have? — 3
- A ball is which 3D shape? — a sphere
- How many faces does a cube have? — 6
- Which 2D shape has no corners? — a circle
Inside Talyzo: World 9, Housing
Geometry is World 9, themed around houses and buildings — bricks, windows, roofs and doors, each a shape to name and count. As in every world, each question gives a hint before the answer and a full explanation after, so shape names and their sides and corners become second nature.
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