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Kindergarten · K.G.A.2

Shape names in kindergarten

Kindergarten covers the shape names for flat shapes, like circle, triangle, square, rectangle and hexagon, and for solid shapes, like cube, cone, cylinder and sphere. Your child learns that a shape keeps its name when it is turned, tilted, made bigger or made smaller.

What the standard says

The official Common Core wording, quoted exactly. The plain version follows.

K.G.A.2 Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.

What it means, in plain words

2D shapes are flat, like a drawing on paper: circle, triangle, square, rectangle and hexagon. A hexagon has 6 straight sides, like a cell in a honeycomb. 3D shapes are solid, like things you can hold. A block is a cube, an ice cream cone is a cone, a soup can is a cylinder and a ball is a sphere.

Naming shapes in kindergarten has one big rule: size and turning do not change the name. A triangle standing on one point is still a triangle, and a tiny square and a huge square are both squares. A square turned on its corner is still a square, even though people often call it a diamond. What makes the shape is its sides and corners: a triangle has 3 straight sides and 3 corners however it sits.

Many children learn shape names from one typical picture, such as a triangle with a flat bottom and equal sides. Then a long, thin triangle looks like something else. Seeing many different examples of each shape, in many sizes and positions, helps the shape names stick to the right shapes.

Your child should be able to:

  • Name circles, triangles, squares, rectangles and hexagons
  • Name cubes, cones, cylinders and spheres
  • Name a shape correctly when it is turned, tilted, very big or very small
  • Say what makes a triangle a triangle: 3 straight sides and 3 corners

Example

A yield sign on the road points down. What shape is it?

  1. Count the sides: the sign has 3 straight sides.
  2. Count the corners: it has 3 corners.
  3. Turning a shape does not change its name, so the yield sign is a triangle.

Example

Is a soup can a circle or a cylinder?

  1. A circle is flat, like a drawing. A soup can is solid: you can pick it up.
  2. A solid shape with a flat circle at each end and a curved side is a cylinder.
  3. The soup can is a cylinder. Its top, traced on paper, makes a circle.

Where children usually get stuck

  • Your child says a long, thin triangle is not a triangle, or calls it a stick.

    The triangle in most picture books has equal sides and a flat bottom. Your child compares new shapes with that one picture instead of counting sides.

    What helps. Make triangles on the table with three straws or pencils: tall ones, flat ones and lopsided ones. Count the sides of each one together.

  • Your child calls a ball a circle and a block a square.

    Children usually learn the names of flat shapes first and use them for anything round or boxy. The names for solid shapes come later.

    What helps. Trace the bottom of a can on paper. The drawing is a circle, and the can in your hand is a cylinder. Do the same with a block: the drawing is a square, and the block is a cube.

  • Your child names shape cut-outs at school but says a door or a coin is "not a shape".

    Shapes in class are often cut-outs about the size of a hand. Very big or very small things do not look like the shapes from school.

    What helps. Go on a shape hunt around the house: a door, a coin, a window and a cracker. Name each shape, and point out that the door and a playing card are both rectangles.

Try four practice questions

Real kindergarten questions from our question bank, easiest first. Answer them right here, check each one, and see a worked solution for any question.

  1. 1Warm-up
    Drag each solid shape into the bin with its name.
    Drag each item into the group where it belongs, or tap the item, then tap the group.
    Cone
    Drag or tap items here
    Cube
    Drag or tap items here

    Keyboard instructions: focus an item and press Enter or Space to pick it up. Move focus to a bin or the bank and press Enter or Space to drop it. Press Escape to cancel.

    Show the answer and how to solve it

    The blue cube goes in the Cube bin. The red cone goes in the Cone bin.

    1. 1Look at each shape in the bank. Tell what kind of solid each one is.
    2. 2A cube has flat square sides and looks like a box. A cone has a flat circle on the bottom and a point on top.
    3. 3Put each shape in the bin with its name. The blue shape with flat square sides is a cube, so it goes in the Cube bin. The red shape with a point on top is a cone, so it goes in the Cone bin.

    Common mistake. A common mistake is putting a cone in the wrong bin because it looks different from a cube. Remember: a cube has flat square sides like a box, and a cone has a point on top.

    The idea underneath. Solid shapes keep their names no matter what size or color they are.

  2. 2On level
    Look at the shape below.
    What is the name of this shape?
    A
    rectangle
    B
    triangle
    C
    square
    D
    circle
    Show the answer and how to solve it

    The name of this shape is square. A square is a flat shape with 4 equal straight sides.

    1. 1Look at the shape and count its straight sides.
    2. 2Count around the shape: 1, 2, 3, 4. The shape has 4 straight sides, and all 4 sides are the same length.
    3. 3A flat shape with 4 equal straight sides is called a square.

    Common mistake. A common mistake is to pick rectangle instead of square. Both have 4 straight sides, but a square has all 4 sides the same length, while a rectangle can have longer and shorter sides. Checking whether all sides match helps you tell them apart.

    The idea underneath. Counting the straight sides of a flat shape helps you tell which shape it is. A square always has exactly 4 equal straight sides.

  3. 3On level
    Which one is a square?
    A
    B
    C
    D
    Show the answer and how to solve it

    The square is the teal shape with 4 sides that are all the same length.

    1. 1A square is a flat shape with 4 straight sides. All 4 sides are the same length.
    2. 2Look at each shape. Count the sides. Then check: are all the sides the same length?
    3. 3The teal shape has 4 straight sides, and all 4 sides are the same length. That is a square.

    Common mistake. A common mistake is picking the rectangle. Both squares and rectangles have 4 sides and 4 corners, but a square's 4 sides are all the same length, while a rectangle has 2 longer sides and 2 shorter sides.

    The idea underneath. A square is special because all 4 of its sides are the same length. Other shapes with 4 sides (like rectangles) can look similar, but only a square has 4 equal sides.

  4. 4Stretch
    Look at the shape below. What is the name of this shape?
    A
    square
    B
    circle
    C
    hexagon
    D
    rectangle
    Show the answer and how to solve it

    The answer is square. A square has 4 sides that are all the same length — no matter which way it is turned.

    1. 1Look at the shape. Count its sides.
    2. 2The shape has 4 straight sides and 4 corners. All 4 sides are the same length — even though the shape is sitting on its corner.
    3. 3A flat shape with 4 straight sides that are all the same length is a square.

    Common mistake. A common mistake is thinking the shape is no longer a square when it is turned. The name of a flat shape stays the same when the shape is turned.

    The idea underneath. A flat shape's name stays the same when the shape is turned. To name a shape, look at the number of sides and corners and compare side lengths — not how the shape is sitting.