Year 1 · Mathematics · Space
Shapes around us
Naming and describing circles, triangles, squares and rectangles, and spotting these shapes in the home and outside.
Awaiting educator review. This material was drafted by our content team with AI assistance and is waiting for review by a qualified educator. Please check it suits your child before using it. Created 10 October 2026.
These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to New Zealand year levels by age (NZ Year 1 is the first year of school). They are not yet mapped to The New Zealand Curriculum, so check them against your own learning programme.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Name circles, triangles, squares and rectangles.
- Describe shapes by talking about sides and corners.
- Find familiar shapes in everyday objects.
Success looks like
- I can name a circle, triangle, square and rectangle.
- I can count the sides and corners of a shape.
- I can find shapes around my home.
The big idea
Young children recognise shapes by how they look long before they can explain them. This lesson helps them start using words such as sides and corners to describe what makes each shape special.
Begin with a circle. Trace around a plate with your finger. Ask, 'Are there any corners? Any straight sides?' A circle is round all the way around.
Next make a triangle from three pieces of spaghetti or three pop sticks. Count the sides together, then count the corners. A triangle always has 3 of each, even if it is tall and thin or turned upside down.
Use four pop sticks of the same length to make a square. All four sides match. Then use two long and two short pieces to make a rectangle. Point out that both have 4 sides and 4 corners, but a rectangle is longer one way.
Go on a shape hunt. A book cover is a rectangle, a clock face is often a circle, a slice of toast cut corner to corner makes two triangles, and a window pane may be a square.
- Circle: no sides, no corners.
- Triangle: 3 sides, 3 corners.
- Square and rectangle: 4 sides, 4 corners.
Worked examples
Describing a triangle
Make a shape with three pop sticks. What shape is it and how do you know?
- Lay the sticks so each end touches another stick.
- Count the sides by touching each stick: 1, 2, 3.
- Count the corners where sticks meet: 1, 2, 3.
- A shape with 3 sides and 3 corners is a triangle.
Answer: It is a triangle because it has 3 sides and 3 corners.
Square or rectangle?
A coaster has 4 sides that are all the same length. A cereal box front has 2 long sides and 2 short sides. Which is which?
- Both shapes have 4 sides and 4 corners.
- The coaster's sides all match, so it is a square.
- The cereal box has two long and two short sides, so it is a rectangle.
Answer: The coaster is a square and the cereal box front is a rectangle.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
Which shape has 3 sides?
triangle — A triangle has 3 sides and 3 corners.
How many corners does a square have?
4 — A square has 4 sides and 4 corners.
Which shape is round and has no corners?
circle — A circle is round all the way around, so it has no corners.
The front of a door is usually shaped like a …
rectangle — Most doors have 4 sides with two long sides and two shorter sides, so they are rectangles.
How many sides does a triangle have?
3 — 'Tri' means three. A triangle has 3 sides.
Which of these things is shaped like a circle?
a dinner plate — A dinner plate is round. A book cover is a rectangle, and toast cut corner to corner makes triangles.
I have 4 sides that are all the same length and 4 corners. What shape am I?
square — A shape with 4 equal sides and 4 square corners is a square.
I have 4 sides. Two sides are long and two sides are short. What shape am I?
rectangle — A rectangle has 4 sides, with two long sides and two short sides.
Watch out for
- Thinking a triangle is only a triangle when it sits flat on its base. Turn triangles around and stretch them to show they are still triangles.
- Calling any round-ish shape a circle, such as an oval. Compare a plate with an egg to notice the difference.
- Believing squares and rectangles have nothing in common. Point out that both have 4 sides and 4 square corners; a square is a special rectangle with all sides equal.
Tips for parents
- Use the real names of shapes from the start rather than 'roof shape' or 'box shape'.
- Ask 'How do you know?' so your child explains using sides and corners.
- Trace shapes in sand, flour on a tray or with a wet finger on a path.
Go further
- Make shape pictures — a house from a square and a triangle, a car from rectangles and circles.
- Play the 'feely bag' game: put a cut-out shape in a bag and ask your child to name it by touch only.
- Take photos of shapes found on a walk around the neighbourhood and sort them into groups.