Which shapes are included?

Circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, rhombus, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, star and heart, depending on the activity.

What does sides and corners practice?

Children count the straight sides and the corners of each shape and write them in the boxes, which shows them that a shape is named by its sides, not its size.

How does colour by shape work?

A key at the top gives each of four shapes a colour. Children colour every shape on the page to match, which is a fun way to practise telling them apart.

Why is there a green dot on the traced shapes?

It shows where to start tracing, so children go round each shape in one smooth line.

Shape Worksheets: Trace, Name, Count Sides and Colour 2D Shapes

Shapes in many sizes and directions

Children often think a triangle has to point up. The shapes here are drawn in different sizes, and colour by shape scatters them so children name each one by its sides and corners.

Three activities

Tracing and naming suits preschool and New Entrants. Sides and corners suits Year 1. Colour by shape works for any age as a quiet, satisfying activity.

In the New Zealand Curriculum

First 6 monthsNaming circles, squares, rectangles and triangles and sorting them by one feature, with words such as side, corner, straight and curved.
Year 1Naming and sorting 2D and 3D shapes.
Year 2Sorting shapes by their edges, corners (vertices) and faces.
Year 3Regular shapes with up to 10 sides, and spotting right angles.

Tracing and naming suits the first six months, and sides and corners matches Year 2, where the word vertices joins corners. The hexagon, octagon and pentagon fit the Year 3 work on shapes with more sides.

This maker covers 2D shapes only. The 3D shapes of Year 1, such as cubes, cylinders and spheres, are best met with real objects from around the classroom.

Summarised in our own words from the New Zealand Curriculum: Mathematics and Statistics, Years 0–8 (in effect from 2025), and the Ministry of Education’s year-by-year guide for parents and whānau.