Reception Maths: Shapes all around us
Part of the Reception Maths shapes and position chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Shapes all around us
Lily goes for a walk. She sees a ball in the park, a sign with four sides and a cone of ice cream on a cone.
Look around you. Shapes are everywhere. A window is often a rectangle. A football is a sphere. A dice is a cube. Shapes help us find our way and build things.
Key ideas
- Shapes are all around us.
- A window is often a rectangle.
- A ball is a sphere, and a dice is a cube.
Key words. A rectangle is a shape with its own name.
Method. Look at the shape. Think about its sides and corners, or whether it is round.
- Look at the shape. Notice whether it is round or has straight sides.A window has four sides, two long and two short.
- Find its name. Each shape has its own name.The name is rectangle.
- Write the answer. rectangle
Check. Point to the rectangle in the picture and say its name. ✓
Watch out. Round means no straight sides. Straight sides and corners mean a shape with a name like square.
Key words. A sphere is a shape with its own name.
Method. Look at the shape. Think about its sides and corners, or whether it is round.
- Look at the shape. Notice whether it is round or has straight sides.A ball is round all over.
- Find its name. Each shape has its own name.The name is sphere.
- Write the answer. sphere
Check. Point to the sphere in the picture and say its name. ✓
Watch out. Round means no straight sides. Straight sides and corners mean a shape with a name like square.
Key words. A cube is a shape with its own name.
Method. Look at the shape. Think about its sides and corners, or whether it is round.
- Look at the shape. Notice whether it is round or has straight sides.A dice has six square faces.
- Find its name. Each shape has its own name.The name is cube.
- Write the answer. cube
Check. Point to the cube in the picture and say its name. ✓
Watch out. Round means no straight sides. Straight sides and corners mean a shape with a name like square.
Watch out
Watch out: a tin is a cylinder, not a circle. A circle is flat, but a cylinder is solid.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Go on a shape walk around the house or the park. Ask: “What shape is that? Is it flat or solid?” Say the shape names together.
Exercise 7D Shapes around us
Non-calculatorKey words. A sphere is a shape with its own name.
Method. Look at the shape. Think about its sides and corners, or whether it is round.
- Look at the shape. Notice whether it is round or has straight sides.A ball is round all over.
- Find its name. Each shape has its own name.The name is sphere.
- Write the answer. sphere
Check. Point to the sphere in the picture and say its name. ✓
Watch out. Round means no straight sides. Straight sides and corners mean a shape with a name like square.
Key words. A cylinder is a shape with its own name.
Method. Look at the shape. Think about its sides and corners, or whether it is round.
- Look at the shape. Notice whether it is round or has straight sides.A tin is round with two round ends.
- Find its name. Each shape has its own name.The name is cylinder.
- Write the answer. cylinder
Check. Point to the cylinder in the picture and say its name. ✓
Watch out. Round means no straight sides. Straight sides and corners mean a shape with a name like square.
Key words. A cuboid is a shape with its own name.
Method. Look at the shape. Think about its sides and corners, or whether it is round.
- Look at the shape. Notice whether it is round or has straight sides.A cereal box is a box shape with long and short sides.
- Find its name. Each shape has its own name.The name is cuboid.
- Write the answer. cuboid
Check. Point to the cuboid in the picture and say its name. ✓
Watch out. Round means no straight sides. Straight sides and corners mean a shape with a name like square.
Key words. A cone is a shape with its own name.
Method. Look at the shape. Think about its sides and corners, or whether it is round.
- Look at the shape. Notice whether it is round or has straight sides.A party hat has a point and a round bottom.
- Find its name. Each shape has its own name.The name is cone.
- Write the answer. cone
Check. Point to the cone in the picture and say its name. ✓
Watch out. Round means no straight sides. Straight sides and corners mean a shape with a name like square.
Key words. A cube is a shape with its own name.
Method. Look at the shape. Think about its sides and corners, or whether it is round.
- Look at the shape. Notice whether it is round or has straight sides.A dice has six square faces.
- Find its name. Each shape has its own name.The name is cube.
- Write the answer. cube
Check. Point to the cube in the picture and say its name. ✓
Watch out. Round means no straight sides. Straight sides and corners mean a shape with a name like square.
Key words. A rectangle is a shape with its own name.
Method. Look at the shape. Think about its sides and corners, or whether it is round.
- Look at the shape. Notice whether it is round or has straight sides.A window has four sides, two long and two short.
- Find its name. Each shape has its own name.The name is rectangle.
- Write the answer. rectangle
Check. Point to the rectangle in the picture and say its name. ✓
Watch out. Round means no straight sides. Straight sides and corners mean a shape with a name like square.
Key words. A triangle is a shape with its own name.
Method. Look at the shape. Think about its sides and corners, or whether it is round.
- Look at the shape. Notice whether it is round or has straight sides.A slice of pizza has three straight sides.
- Find its name. Each shape has its own name.The name is triangle.
- Write the answer. triangle
Check. Point to the triangle in the picture and say its name. ✓
Watch out. Round means no straight sides. Straight sides and corners mean a shape with a name like square.
Method. A shape that rolls is round all over.
- Think about the cube. A cube has flat faces, so it does not roll well.flat faces
- Think about the sphere. A sphere is round, so it rolls.rolls
- Write the answer. sphere
Check. A ball rolls down a slope. ✓
Watch out. Round shapes roll.
Method. A shape that stacks has flat faces.
- Think about stacking. Shapes with flat faces sit on top of each other.flat faces
- Look at the choices. A cube has flat faces. A sphere does not.cube
- Write the answer. cube
Check. A stack of dice stays up. ✓
Watch out. A ball does not stack well.
Method. Look around the room and choose one shape.
- Look around. Find something with a clear shape.a window
- Name the shape. A window is a rectangle.rectangle
- Write the answer. Accept any answer with a shape name and a reason, such as a window is a rectangle.
Check. Say the shape name and why it fits. ✓
Watch out. Describe the shape with a reason.
Method. Compare a tin with a circle.
- Look at the tin. It is solid and can be picked up.solid
- Look at a circle. A circle is flat.flat
- Write the answer. Accept any answer: a tin is solid, with two round ends and straight sides, but a circle is flat.
Check. A tin is a cylinder, not a circle. ✓
Watch out. Circles are flat. Cylinders are solid.