Shapes and lines — introduction for first-graders

Shapes and lines — introduction for first-graders

Shapes and lines

Welcome to geometry! That is a big word for something simple — looking at the shapes of things around us. A wheel is round. A book is a rectangle. A roof is often a triangle. Geometry is like a name game for shapes.

Plane shapes

Plane shapes are flat — they live on a piece of paper. There are four most-friendly ones to start with:

  • Circle — round, no corners.
  • Square — four equal sides, four corners.
  • Triangle — three sides, three corners.
  • Rectangle — four sides, four corners, two long and two short.
The four basic plane shapes

Lines and curves

Apart from shapes, you will see lines too.

  • A straight line is exactly that — straight, like a ruler.
  • A curve bends — like a smile or the edge of a circle.

Shapes are everywhere

Look around the room. The window is probably a rectangle. The clock might be a circle. The slice of pizza is a triangle. Once you start noticing shapes, you can't unsee them.

What you will learn here

When you are ready, try Name the shape or hunt for shapes in Find the shape in the picture.