Work Out the 3D Cube Net

Hey there, shape superstar!

Did you know that a net is a special pattern made up of 2D shapes?

If you fold this pattern where the lines are, it will become a 3D shape.

Take a look at this shape:

What shape is this?

That’s right, it’s a cube!

Can you imagine the net that would fold to make this shape?

Here is one possible net of a cube:

There are also 10 other ways to make a cube.

Here are all the possibilities:

All of these nets are made up of 6 square faces.

Let’s apply this knowledge to a question now...

Look at this cube:

Which of the 4 cube nets below can be folded to make this cube?

a)         b)         c)         d) 

Here is a rule to help us...

If the symbols are opposite each other or have another symbol between them in the net, then they cannot touch each other in the final cube.

In net option a, the smiley face and arrow are two spaces apart which means they won’t touch in the real cube, so we can eliminate this option.

In net option b, there isn’t even a smiley face so this can’t be our mystery net.

In net option d, the sun and arrow are opposite each other which means this can be ruled out too.

So this means that the correct answer is c!

In this activity, you will need to be a shape superstar and match the 3D cubes to their nets.

Pssst!!             Top Tip: Remember that if the faces are opposite each other, then they won’t be able to touch in the real cube.

Let’s get started!