2D and 3D Geometry Activity Cards and Mats – Fun Themes

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When introducing 2D shapes, I like to have some shapes cut out from paper. (There are some cut-out shapes included with the shape cards. You can use plastic shapes, like these. Technically, they do have some height to them, so they could be considered 3D. Paper shapes are inexpensive and easy to prep. If using repeatedly, you may want to laminate them.

Also, have some paper and crayons or a pencil on hand. You can have your children draw in 3-D with this 3-D Drawing Activity.

Shapes are all around us, and we can group them into two main types: two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional shapes. We shorten those descriptions to 2D and 3D.

A 2D shape is flat and has only length and width. This means you can draw it on a piece of paper.

Some examples of 2D shapes are squares, circles, and triangles. A square has four equal sides and looks like a box. A circle is round and does not have any corners. Triangles have three sides and can point up or down.

Have your child pick out the triangle, square, circle cut-outs. Then, haven them draw the shapes.

When teaching about 3D shapes, haver a small box and an unopened food can on hand. You may also want to grab a hexagonal-shaped nut that is used with a bolt or a hexagonal shaped pencil.

Explain that 3D shapes are not flat. They have length, width, and height. This means they take up space and can be held in your hand. Some examples of 3D shapes are cubes, spheres, and cylinders.

A cube looks like a box and has six flat square faces. Have your child count the sides on the cube.

A sphere is like a ball and is round all the way around. A cylinder is like a can; it has two flat circles on the top and bottom with a curved side. Ask your child to run their hand around the curved side of the cylinder and touch the top and bottom of the cylinder.

Ask your child to look around and find some 2D and 3D shapes in your home or school. Next time you’re out and about, perhaps at the store, ask your child to find some 2D and 3D shapes (think price tags, traffic cones, food packaging, etc.)

The Properties of 2D and 3D Shapes

2D shapes are flat and can be described by their properties. A property is a detail or feature that helps us describe and understand a shape. These details help us know what makes each shape special.

Have your child hold the square cut-out and explain that a square has four equal sides and four corners. These important properties (or details) tell us it is a square. Ask your child to point and count the four sides.

Then, let them know other properties can include the angles and corners, like how many right angles a shape has. Show them the 4 right angles and corners on the paper square.

The length and width of a 2D shape can also help us describe it, like how long a rectangle is compared to its height.

A triangle has three sides and three corners, which we call vertices.

Now let’s talk about 3D shapes. Unlike 2D shapes, 3D shapes are not flat; they have length, width, and height. The properties of 3D shapes include faces, edges, and vertices.

Using a square or rectangular box to help your child have a concrete example of working with, point to the faces on the box. These are the flat surfaces on a 3D shape. For example, this box has six square faces. Edges are where two faces meet, and vertices are the points where edges come together. A cube has twelve edges and eight vertices.

For 3D shapes, properties include features like faces, edges, and vertices.

• Faces are the flat surfaces of a 3D shape. For example, a cube has six square faces, while a sphere has just one curved face.
• Edges are the lines where two faces meet. A cube has twelve edges, while a cylinder has just two curved edges and two flat edges.
• Vertices are the points where edges come together. A cube has eight vertices, but a sphere does not have any vertices since it is round.

These details about a 3D shape help us understand how 3D shapes are different from each other.

Other Resources You Might Like

Request the 2D and 3D Activity Cards and Mats

We have prepared some worksheets and 2D and 3D geometric activity cards. There are also some fun shape worksheets for preschool and kindergarten.

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