Look around, and you will find yourself surrounded by shapes. From simple structures like a rectangular book, a triangular pizza slice, or a round ball to more complex formations, like a hexagonal honeycomb or tear-drop light bulbs, everything present on this planet has a shape. Hence, teaching shapes to children isn’t just essential to hone their mathematical and geometrical skills but also for their everyday lives. With this post we will explore shape name with picture to help students learn about shapes in an interesting way.

Whether you are a teacher or a student trying to understand the anatomy of complex structures through simple shapes or a parent trying to introduce your kid to the interesting world of shapes, this guide will help you in your endeavor.

Why should you teach shapes to kids? 

Simply put, shapes are everywhere, and so understanding them is essential. The basic idea of shapes helps kids recognize things surrounding them and register this visual information. Moreover, it helps them acquire essential skills to observe, recognize, and solve problems. 

Shapes form the building blocks of geometry. A basic understanding of shapes helps students in mathematics and geometry. 

Shapes name with pictures 

We have curated a list of 40+ shapes name with picture that range from 2D geometric shapes to complex 3D geometric shapes and irregular shapes. You could be learning a few of them for the first time while teaching them to your children!

2D geometric shapes

These are the basic 2D shapes name with pictures for class 1 and beyond:

Circle

A circle is a round, two-dimensional shape with no edges or corners. Its periphery is equidistant from the center.

A circle is a round shape with no edges or corners. It is the same in all directions. The sun, clock, ball, etc. are circles.

Square

A square is a polygon with four equal sides, four sharp corners, and four right angles. It is a type of perfectly symmetrical rectangle. 

A square is in the form of a box with equal sides and corners. Windows, tables, computer screens, and a bread loaf are often square shapes.

Triangle 

A triangle is a three-sided polygon. It has three corners and three angles which can be divided into different forms.

A triangle has three sides and three corners. It has different sizes and can be cut into different forms. Mountains and pizza slices are perfect examples of a triangular shape.

Rectangle 

A rectangle is a four-sided polygon without equal sides. In this shape, the lengths of opposite sides are equivalent to each other. It has four right angles. 

A rectangle is a longer version of the square in which two sides are long and two are short. Books, doors, windows, TV screens, dining tables, etc. are often rectangular in shape.

Advanced geometric shapes 

These shapes are more complex than basic 2D shapes, like squares, triangles, and rectangles. They form a part of the curriculum of higher classes:

Oval 

An oval shape can be described as an elongated or flattened circle. With two focal points, the oval shape does not have edges or corners.

Rhombus 

A rhombus is a polygon with four sides of the same length. It has parallel opposite sides and equal opposite angles.

Parallelogram 

Parallelogram is a four-sided polygon. The opposite sides are equal in length and parallel. The opposite angles are also equal.

Trapezoid 

Also called as trapezium, a trapezoid has one pair of parallel sides. The parallel sides are called bases and the non-parallel sides are called the lateral sides. The distance between the parallel sides is called the altitude.

Isosceles Trapezoid 

It is a four-sided polygon with one pair of parallel sides. The non-parallel sides of an isosceles trapezoid are equal in length.

Pentagon 

A pentagon is a polygon with five sides, five corners, and five angles. It can be divided into different forms according to the angle and length of the sides.

Hexagon

A hexagon has six sides and six corners. It can be divided into different forms according to the angle and length of the sides.

Heptagon 

A heptagon is a polygon with seven sides, seven corners, and seven angles. It can be divided into different forms according to the angle and length of the sides.

Octagon

An octagon is a polygon with eight sides, eight corners, and eight angles. It can be divided into different forms according to the angle and length of the sides.

Nonagon

A nonagon has nine sides, nine corners, and nine angles. It can be divided into different forms according to the angle and length of the sides.

Decagon

A decagon has ten sides, ten corners, and ten angles. It can be divided into different forms according to the angle and length of the sides.

Kite 

A kite is a polygon with four sides where the adjacent sides are equal in length. It also has one pair of equal opposite angles. The shapes name with picture below reflects how kites are designed based on its geometric appearance.

Equilateral Triangle 

This is a triangle in which all sides are equal. A triangle is made up of 180 degrees and each angle in an equilateral triangle is of 60 degrees.

Isosceles Triangle

It is a triangle in which two sides are equal. The shapes name with picture below reflects how the diagonal line is larger than the other two and increases the height of the triangle.

Scalene Triangle 

It is a triangle in which no sides are equal.

Acute Triangle 

It is a triangle in which all angles are less than 90 degrees.

Right Triangle 

It is a triangle with one 90-degree angle.

Obtuse Triangle 

It is a triangle with one angle of more than 90 degrees.

3D geometric shapes 

These shapes have three dimensions, length, breadth, and height. They are not flat and have volume and depth:

Sphere 

A sphere is a perfectly round, smooth, and symmetrical three-dimensional shape with no corners or edges. The best example of this shape is the Earth.

Cylinder

A cylinder has two circular ends connected with a long, curved body. The circles are of the same size. Paper towel rolls and soda cans are cylindrical in shape.

Cube 

A cube is a 3D shape comprising six identical squares. It has eight corners and twelve edges.

Cuboid 

A cuboid is a three-dimensional shape comprising six rectangular faces. It has eight corners and twelve edges.

Cone 

A cone is a three-dimensional shape with a circular base. Its curved surface converges to a single point, which is called the apex. A party hat is conical in shape and so is an ice-cream cone.

Pyramid

A pyramid is a three-dimensional shape with a polygonal base. The triangular faces of the pyramid meet at a single point called the vertex.

Square Pyramid

A square pyramid has a square base and four triangular faces. The faces converge at the vertex.

Hexagonal Pyramid

This pyramid has a hexagonal base with six isosceles triangular faces converging at the vertex.

Prism 

A prism is a three-dimensional shape made with polygon faces that are parallel and rectangular lateral faces.

Triangular Prism 

A triangular prism comprises two equilateral triangular faces that are parallel joined by three rectangular lateral faces.

Pentagonal Prism 

A pentagonal prism comprises two pentagonal faces joined by six rectangular faces.

Dodecahedron

It is a complex three-dimensional face comprising 12 pentagonal faces, 30 edges, and 20 corners. The shape name with picture below gives us an idea on how it looks, but it sure does bring complex math for higher classes!

Icosahedron

It is a complex three-dimensional shape comprising 20 equilateral triangle faces, 30 edges, and 12 corners.

Tetrahedron 

It is a complex three-dimensional shape comprising 4 triangular faces, six edges, and four corners.

Octahedron 

It is a complex three-dimensional shape comprising eight equilateral triangles, 12 edges, and six corners.

Rhombicuboctahedron

Also called sacred geometry or Inca stone, a rhombicuboctahedron is an extremely complex three-dimensional shape. It consists of 26 faces, including eight triangles and 18 squares, 24 corners, and 48 edges.

Irregular geometric shapes 

These shapes do not have regular or symmetrical forms:

Heart 

A symbolic representation of love, a heart shape forms when two curved halves converge at a point. Make sure you tell you child that our real heart does not look anything close to this!

Crescent 

A Crescent is a curved shape with a round side and another side converging to a point.

Semicircle

A semicircle is a two-dimensional shape that we get when we divide a circle into two equal halves.

Star 

A star is an irregular shape connecting several polygons to create a symmetrical pattern.

Arrow 

Often used to indicate directions, this shape is a straight line with an arrowhead at one end.

The bottom line 

The list of shapes with name picture are essential for growing kids to help them familiarize with objects. Knowledge of basic shapes at an early age lays a solid foundation for complex mathematical and geometrical curricula.

Help you child draw these patterns to assist them in memorizing what each of this shapes looks like. This way they will familiarize with the names and the patterns quickly.