Shape Match: 3D to 2D Shapes Worksheet

How to use this worksheet

Look at the 3D shapes on the left side of the page together, naming each one and talking about its solid, three-dimensional form. Ask your child to think about what flat shape would appear if you traced one face of that 3D shape, like tracing the flat side of a cube. Have your child draw a line connecting each 3D shape to its matching 2D shape on the right side of the page. Continue through each pair, checking together that the connected shapes truly match, for example a cube connecting to a square, not a circle.

Materials needed

• Pencil
• Eraser

Extension activities

• 1Go on a shape hunt around the house, finding 3D objects and identifying the 2D shapes visible on their flat surfaces.
• 2Use playdough to create 3D shapes, then press one face flat onto paper to reveal the matching 2D shape imprint.
• 3Trace the face of a real 3D object, like a box or a can, onto paper to see the resulting 2D shape.
• 4Sort a mixed pile of 3D toys and 2D paper shapes into matching pairs.
• 5Build a tower using different 3D shapes and discuss which 2D shapes make up each level.