LightMySky

Drawing 2-D shapes and making 3-D shapes

Draw 2-D shapes and make 3-D shapes using modelling materials; recognise 3-D shapes in different orientations and describe them

No account needed. Progress saves in this browser.

What a learner can do afterwards

  • Draw a triangle, rectangle, pentagon, or hexagon accurately
  • Construct a cube or cuboid from modelling materials (e.g. straws and connectors)
  • Recognise a 3-D shape (e.g. a pyramid) when it is rotated or seen from a different angle

1 · Read

You already know shapes like squares, circles, and triangles. Now it's time to draw trickier ones, like pentagons and hexagons, and build real 3-D shapes with your own hands.

A hexagon has 6 straight sides and 6 corners. Count them as you draw.
Try it together

Leo wants to build a cube. He cuts twelve straws the same length for the edges, then pushes small balls of clay onto the ends to join them at each corner. When he is done, he has a real 3-D cube he can hold and turn.

Good to know

A 3-D shape stays the same shape no matter which way you turn it. If a pyramid is standing up or lying on its side, it is still a pyramid. Look at its faces and corners, not just which way it is facing.

Draw shapes by counting their straight sides and corners, and build 3-D shapes by joining straight edges at each corner. Turning a shape never changes what it is.

2 · Watch

Take it off screen

Print a worksheetA4 with an answer key page for grown-ups. No screen, no internet.

Where it sits

Where this leads

Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.

Then practise

8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.

Spotted a problem on this page? Tell us
Drawing 2-D shapes and making 3-D shapes · Mathematics, ages 7 to 8 · LightMySky