Naming Flat Shapes: Circle, Triangle, Square, Rectangle, Rhombus, Trapezoid, Hexagon

Here is where this shows up in real life. Windows, signs, tiles, and quilt blocks are all built from these same few shapes repeated. This is worth learning because you cannot describe or build anything until you can name its shapes.

Watch for it today, and when you spot it, tell someone what you noticed and how you knew. Ask yourself where else the same idea might be hiding, then go and look.

Get your eyes and your fingers ready. Flat shapes are shapes you can draw on paper. A circle has no sides and no corners. A triangle has three sides. A square has four equal sides. A rectangle has four sides with opposite sides equal.

A rhombus has four equal sides but leans over. A trapezoid has four sides with just one pair parallel. A hexagon has six sides. Say each name while you trace its outline with your finger.

Watch out for squares and rhombuses. Both have four equal sides, but a square has square corners and a rhombus leans over. Look at the corners, not just the sides, when you are telling those two apart. You will use this idea again and again, so build it strong today.