Explore the Properties of 3D Shapes

Once your students can successfully recognise and name the most common 3D shapes, it’s time to move on to teaching them the properties (features) of these geometric figures.

3D shapes such as prisms and pyramids have similar properties. These include:

• Faces – flat surfaces
• Edges – the lines formed by two meeting faces
• Vertices – the points where two or more edges meet

The number of faces, edges and vertices of a 3D shape will vary.

Which 3D Shapes Are Included?

This set of five posters includes the following 3D shapes.

Pyramid

A pyramid has a flat base and three or more triangular faces on the sides. The sides meet at a point at the top. 

Cone

A cone has one circular base. It has one curved surface that comes to a point at the top. This is called an apex.

Cylinder

A cylinder has two circular flat surfaces at each end. These are connected by one curved, rectangle-shaped surface. 

Cube

A cube has six faces. Each face is a square. All of the faces on a cube are exactly the same as each other.

Sphere

A sphere is a perfectly round 3D shape. It has one curved surface. 

Multiple Applications for These 3D Shape Posters

These versatile posters can be used in various ways to enhance your students’ learning of 3D shapes and their properties. Here are some suggestions.

1. Print the posters on tabloid paper and display them in your classroom as a reminder of the names and properties of these common 3D shapes.
2. As you teach your students about each 3D shape, provide students with a smaller version of the posters to paste into their workbooks.
3. Add this poster to a classroom display about 3D shapes. Encourage students to add images of real-world examples of each shape to the display. 

Download Your Chosen File Format

Use the dropdown menu next to the Download button to select between the editable Google Slides or the easy-print PDF version of this resource.

This resource was created by Kaylyn Chupp, a teacher in Florida and a Teach Starter collaborator.

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