Loading please wait

The smart way to improve grades

Comprehensive & curriculum aligned

Try an activity or get started for free

Recognise Different 3D Shapes

In this worksheet, students will look to identify the 3D shapes of cubes, cuboids, spheres, pyramids, cylinders and cones.

'Recognise Different 3D Shapes' worksheet

Key stage:  KS 1

Year:  Year 1 Maths worksheets

Curriculum topic:   Geometry: Properties of Shapes

Curriculum subtopic:   Recognise 2D and 3D Shapes

Difficulty level:  

Worksheet Overview

This activity is about 3D shapes.  

We need to learn their names and spellings. Here, we will look at how to work out which shape is which. 

 

We will be identifying a variety of 3D shapes: sphere, pyramid, cube, cuboid, cylinder, and cone. 

 

Here, we have a sphere.

 

 sphere 

 

We can recognise a sphere because it is a 3D circle. 

 

A sphere has just one face, it has no vertices and no edges! 

Let's have a look at what this means. 

 

A face is each flat part. The sphere just has one face covering the whole shape.

The edges are the parts where the faces join together - if there is only one face then there are no edges as there is nothing to join together! 

Vertices are corners - there are no corners on a sphere. 

 

Here, we have a pyramid. 

 

 pyramid   

 

We can recognise a pyramid because it is a 3D triangle. 

This has 5 faces, 5 vertices (corners), and 8 edges. 

The faces are triangle-shaped and this shape has a square at the bottom of the shape. 

This type of pyramid is called a square-based pyramid. 

 

 labelled pyramid 

 

This is the most common pyramid, but sometimes a triangular-based one exists.

This shape is the same but it has a triangle at the bottom of the shape. 

 

Here, we have a cube.

 

 cube 

 

We can recognise a cube because it is a 3D square. 

A cube has 6 faces, 12 edges, and 8 vertices. 

Let's have a look at what this means again. 

A face is each flat part. A cube only has square faces. 

The edges are the parts where the faces join together. 

Vertices are corners. 

 

 labelled cube 

 

Here, we have a cuboid.

 

 cuboid  

 

We can recognise a cuboid because it is a 3D rectangle. 

A cuboid also has 6 faces, 12 edges, and 8 vertices. 

 

The difference between a cuboid and a cube is that the cuboid is a mixture of rectangular-shaped faces and square faces, whereas a cube has all six faces that are squares. 

 

 labelled cuboid 

 

A cuboid could also have all rectangular faces like this:

 

 cuboid 

 

Here, we have a cylinder.

 

 cylinder 

 

We can recognise a cylinder because it has 3 faces, 2 edges, and 0 vertices. 

A cylinder has two circle faces and one big face wrapped around the middle. 

 

Finally, we have a cone. 

 

 cone 

 

We can recognise a cone as it looks like an ice cream cone!

A cone has 2 faces, 1 edge, and 1 vertex (corner). 

 

Shall we have a go at some questions now?

 

thumbs up

What is EdPlace?

We're your National Curriculum aligned online education content provider helping each child succeed in English, maths and science from year 1 to GCSE. With an EdPlace account you’ll be able to track and measure progress, helping each child achieve their best. We build confidence and attainment by personalising each child’s learning at a level that suits them.

Get started
laptop

Try an activity or get started for free

  • National Tutoring Awards 2023 Shortlisted / Parents
    National Tutoring Awards 2023 Shortlisted
  • Private-Tutoring-WINNER-EducationInvestor-Awards / Parents
    Winner - Private Tutoring
  • Bett Awards Finalist / Parents
    Finalist
  • Winner - Best for Home Learning / Parents
    Winner - Best for Home Learning / Parents