Circles and other shapes

What is a shape?

Do you know what a circle looks like? Can you name some other shapes too?

A two dimensional (2D) shape is made of lines.

Sometimes the lines are curved and sometimes the lines are straight. The lines join up to make a shape like these.

Some shapes are made from only curved sides. Like these:

Look at the pictures below.

Can you find some shapes with curved sides in these pictures?

Look around the room you are in. Can you find more shapes with curved edges?

All the shapes below have a curved side, but only one of them is a circle.

Which shape is a circle? How do you know it's a circle?

Here are some more shapes. Can you spot the circles?

The shapes can be sorted into groups.

Click through the slideshow to see some different ways these shapes can be sorted.

Image caption,
Here are some shapes. Click the arrow to see ways to sort them.
Image caption,
Here the shapes are sorted into small shapes and big shapes. Click next to see another way to sort them.
Image caption,
Here the shapes are sorted by straight or curved sides. Click next to see another way to sort them.
Image caption,
Here the shapes are sorted by types of shape. Click next to see another way to sort them.
Image caption,
Here the shapes are sorted by colour: yellow and not yellow.

Find ten items and sort them into groups based on their shape.