How To Explain 3 Dimensional Shapes To Your Kids?

The objects in our world come in a variety of forms and sizes. Shapes such as triangles, squares, and circles can be found all around us. Other forms, like the shape of a home, have length, width, and height. As a result, such forms are 3D or 3-dimensional shapes.

The following information will help students in KS1 and KS2 understand what 3D shapes are, how to identify specific 3D shapes, and how to compare and contrast 3D shapes using a list of features.

On this website, we offer thousands of free printable worksheet collections to help you thoroughly prepare for teaching.

What is a 3-dimensional shape (3D shape)?

3D stands for 3-dimensional. Dimensions are often described as measures in a direction. Dimensions include things like length, width, depth, and height.

3-dimensional shapes, often known as 3D shapes, are solid shapes or items that have 3 dimensions, namely length, width, and height, as opposed to 2-dimensional (2D) things, which only have only 2 dimensions.

Faces, edges, and vertices are additional crucial words related to 3D geometric shapes (we will discuss more in the next part). They take up a considerable volume since they are deep. Some 3D objects have 2D shapes at their bases or in their cross sections.

For instance, a cube has square-shaped faces on all of its sides. Let’s now discover more in-depth information about each three-dimensional (3D) shape. There are various different categories for 3D shapes. Some of them have curved surfaces, while others have prism- or pyramid-like shapes.

Examples of 3D shapes

In our daily lives, we are surrounded by numerous 3D forms. From Lego blocks to sunflowers, almost everything we encounter and observe in daily life has a three-dimensional form.

Cubes, cuboid forms, cones, and cylinders are a few examples of 3D shapes.

But in the elementary curriculum, kids just need to be able to name and comprehend the characteristics of the most prevalent 3D forms. In contrast, students must learn about both regular and irregular shapes when it comes to 2D shapes.

2D and 3D Shapes: key differences

The following are the differences between 2D and 3D shapes.

• 2D shapes have two dimensions: length and breadth, but 3D shapes have three dimensions: length, width, and height.
• 2D shapes have an area but no volume, whereas 3D shapes have both a surface area and a volume.
• Triangles, squares, and rectangles are examples of 2D forms, whereas cubes, cuboids, and prisms are examples of 3D shapes.

What are the parts of different 3-dimensional shapes?

Three fundamental properties are shared by all 3-dimensional shapes, notwithstanding their differences. These key 3D shape features include

• Faces: On a 3D shape, a face is a flat or curved surface. For instance, a sphere has only one face, a cylinder has 3, and a cube has 6.
• Edges: Where two faces converge is known as an edge. For instance, a cylinder has two edges, a spherical one has none, and a cube has twelve.
• Vertices: A vertex is a corner where two edges come together. Vertices are used in the plural. As an example, a cube includes 8 vertices, a cone has one, and a sphere has no vertices.

Look at the image below, which depicts these key properties of a 3D shape. Although a cube is used as an example, kids could also apply this knowledge to other 3D shapes.

Another illustration of a net is this. A net depicts how a 3D form might seem if it were disassembled and flattened.

By having kids construct or disassemble cardboard boxes, you can get them to think about the concept of nets. When the box is built, it takes on a 3D shape that resembles a cube or a cuboid. It forms a 2D net, which is similar to an irregular 2D shape when it is flattened.

Children will learn about the various 3D shapes’ features as part of their arithmetic education. They will also study their 2D equivalents. Children can better comprehend the connection between 2D and 3D forms thanks to this.

Different 3D Shapes

There are different 3-dimensional shapes with various bases, volumes, and surface areas. Let’s talk about each one individually.

Sphere

A sphere has a round form. It is a 3D geometric form with equidistant points from its center at every point on its surface. Though it resembles a spherical, our planet Earth is not one. Our planet has a spheroid form. Although a spheroid resembles a sphere, it differs in radius from the center to the surface at different places. The following are some crucial spherical properties.

• It is symmetrical and has a ball-like form.
• It includes a surface area, volume, circumference, diameter, and radius.
• The sphere’s points are all equally spaced from the center.
• It consists of a single face and no edges or vertices.
• Since it lacks flat faces, it is not a polyhedron.

Cube and Cuboid

The cube and cuboid in 3-dimensional shapes both have the same number of faces, vertices, and edges. A cube has 6 square faces, while a cuboid has 6 rectangle faces. This is the main difference between the two shapes. A cuboid and a cube have identical volumes and surfaces. A cuboid has varying lengths, widths, and heights whereas a cube has a constant length, breadth, and height.

Cylinder

A cylinder is a three-dimensional form with 2 circular faces, one at each side, and one curving surface. A cylinder has a radius and a height. A cylinder’s height is the perpendicular distance between its top and bottom sides. The following are some key properties of a cylinder.

• It features a single curved face.
• From the bottom to the top, the form remains constant.
• It is a 3D object with two identical round or oval ends.
• A right cylinder is one that has both of its circular bases on the same line. An oblique cylinder is one in which one base is offset from the other.

Cone

A cone has a pointy apex and a flat base that is round in form. The cone’s top, pointed end is referred to as the “Apex.” A cone’s surface is also curved. Similar to a cylinder, a cone may be divided into two types: an oblique cone and a right circular cone.

• A cone has an apex and a round or oval base (vertex).
• Triangles can be turned into cones.
• A right cone or an oblique cone is created depending on how the apex and base center are oriented.
• Right circular cones are cones with the apex (or pointed tip) perpendicular to the base. An oblique cone is one in which the apex is located somewhere other than the base’s center.
• A cone has a radius and a height. A cone also has a slant height, which is the separation between the apex and any point on the circle of the cone’s round base, in addition to its height.

Torus

A torus is created by rotating a smaller circle with a smaller radius (r) around a larger circle with a greater radius (R) in three dimensions.

• A torus is a ring that is fashioned like a tire or a doughnut.
• It lacks both edges and vertices.

Pyramid

A pyramid is a polyhedron having a flat-faced, straight-edged base and an apex. They can be divided into regular and oblique pyramids depending on how closely their peak aligns with the middle of the base.

• A tetrahedron is a name given to a pyramid having a triangle-shaped base.
• A square pyramid is a pyramid with a quadrilateral foundation.
• Pentagonal pyramids are pyramids having a pentagonal foundation.
• A hexagonal pyramid is one with a base that resembles a standard hexagon.

Prisms

The solids known as prisms have flat parallelogram sides and identical polygon ends. A prism has a number of qualities, including:

• All throughout its length, it shares the same cross-section.
• There are several distinct kinds of prisms, including hexagonal, pentagonal, square, and triangular prisms.
• Regular prisms and oblique prisms are the two primary types of prisms.

Polyhedrons

A polyhedron contains polygonal faces with straight edges and vertices, such as triangles, squares, and hexagons. It is also known as a platonic solid. Five regular polyhedrons exist. A regular polyhedron has the same faces on all sides. Here are some more regular polyhedron examples:

• Four equilateral-triangular faces make up a Tetrahedron.
• Eight equilateral-triangular faces make up an Octahedron.
• There are twelve normal pentagon faces on a Dodecahedron.
• There are twenty equilateral-triangular faces on an Icosahedron.
• A cube is made up of six square faces.

To summarize 8 different 3D shapes, we’ve created the summary table below:

Wrapping Up

Primary school is an important period for children to become acquainted with 3-dimensional shapes. Learning these 3D shapes can assist students not only in recognizing and organizing visual information but will also help them mastering skills in other subjects at school. If you are planning to teach your kids about this essential topic, you can make your own collections of 3-dimensional shape worksheets using our worksheet creator.