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Geometry is one of my favorite subjects to teach young students because there are so many hands-on ways to explore them. Just think… shapes are all around us! This gives us a ton of real-world ways to explore shapes and learn about them. In 1st grade, students are introduced to 2D shapes attributes first as they build up to 3D shapes and understanding equal and unequal parts. In this blog post, I’m sharing 6 easy activities for introducing 2D shapes attributes that follow the guided math format. You’ll find activities for whole group instruction, independent practice, and small groups. Let’s dive in!
2D shapes are flat plane figures that are made up of sides and vertices. Unlike 3D shapes, 2D shapes only have 2 dimensions – length and width. Therefore, they only stay in one plane and do not have depth or thickness. 2D shapes include circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, ovals, rhombuses, pentagons, hexagons, and octagons.
Understanding 2D shapes and their attributes is important for 1st grade students because these skills help students classify objects in the world around them based on their characteristics. It’s also the foundation to other geometry math skills that students will learn down the road, such as 3D shapes and fractions.
When introducing 2D shapes attributes in 1st grade, be sure to use plenty of hands-on activities and real-world examples to help students make those connections. I also love to kick off my geometry unit by incorporating various books for teaching shapes. These are a great way to “hook” students into a lesson or reinforce skills throughout your unit.
When introducing 2D shapes in 1st grade, hands-on activities and visual aids are key to helping students grasp the concept and understand their attributes. By following the guided math framework of teaching, you can incorporate a variety of instructional strategies in your whole group, small group, and independent practice activities. This ensures that all learners are engaging with 2D shapes in a way that fits their learning style and unique learning needs.
If you’ve followed along with my blog for awhile, you know that I love introducing any new skill or concept by using a whole group anchor chart. Creating a 2D shapes anchor chart as a class is a great way to introduce the topic, discuss 2D shape names and their attributes, and introduce mathematical vocabulary words, such as sides, vertices, etc.
This anchor chart will be displayed in the classroom to use as a helpful reference throughout the entire unit. Students will also fill out their own miniature version of the 2D shapes anchor chart to keep in their interactive notebook.
After introducing 2D shapes in a whole group setting using an anchor chart, students will continue the learning by using an interactive notebook activity to further practice identifying 2D shapes attributes. They will read the shape name and look at its visual representation on the top of the flip-flap. Then, they’ll lift the flaps and write the number of sides and vertices each shape has.
Students can work at their own pace as they reinforce their understanding of 2D shapes attributes. Plus, this interactive notebook activity serves as a great tool to look back on throughout the unit.
Small groups are really where the magic happens when introducing new concepts such as 2D shapes. It gives the teacher an opportunity to meet students where they’re at and support them at their level. This 2D shapes sorting activity is a simple and effective way for students to identify similarities and differences between shapes.
Provide students with a set of 2D shape cards (I just use sticky notes to make it easy!). Make a simple anchor chart either on chart paper or the whiteboard where students can sort the shapes by various attributes. This could be the number of sides or vertices the shapes have, whether they have curved or straight lines, etc. This activity encourages critical thinking and reinforces shape classification skills.
Towards the beginning of my 2D shapes unit, I love to give students a hands-on learning opportunity where they can build different shapes while identifying their attributes. Pipe Cleaner Shapes is one of my favorite activities to use for this! Simply give students pipe cleaners and pom pom balls and have them build various shapes using the “Build This Shape” cards. They’ll practice bending and shaping the pipe cleaners into various shapes (hello fine motor skills!). They’ll use the Pipe Cleaner Shapes recording sheet to identify, draw, and characterize each shape by their attributes.
Ya’ll know I’m obsessed with dice and think they’re one of the most versatile math tools out there. Of course they make an appearance in my geometry unit as well when introducing 2D shapes. In this Roll and Color 2D Shapes activity, students will play a roll and color game to reinforce 2D shape recognition with real-world objects. I love that this exposes them to various real-life applications of 2D shapes. It’s fun, engaging, and the perfect independent practice activity.
No 2D shapes unit would be complete without play dough! This is one of my favorite tools for hands-on learning during my geometry unit. Students will draw a “Build The Shape” card and build various 2D shapes with play dough on their work mat. Then, they’ll write the shape name and the number of sides and vertices it has. This tactile activity allows them to explore the properties of shapes in a creative way. For all of your kinesthetic learners out there – this activity is perfect for them!
I hope these 2D shapes activities have you excited and inspired to teach this skill. Remember – you don’t always need complicated activities with tons of prep. The most impactful activities are the ones that get students learning in a hands-on way and connecting the skills to real-life. If you’re looking for ready-to-use activities and complete lesson plans to teach 2D shapes, check out my 1st Grade Geometry Guided Math Unit, which covers 2D shapes, 3D shapes, and beginning fractions skills.
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These activities are designed to make learning shapes fun, effective, and easy on you. Help your students build a strong geometry foundation while making math fun!
Looking for more 2D shapes activities? Check out this blog post!
Math should be fun, not stressful. Ditch the timed math fact tests and replace them with math games that will help your students learn and retain information more effectively.
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