Today is rung 1 of 2 on this topic
Flat shapes and solid shapes
Can do: Names circle, square, triangle, rectangle, hexagon, and knows a cube and a sphere are the solid versions.
Why it matters
The flat-versus-solid distinction is the first properly abstract idea in geometry, and it's what makes surface area make sense years later.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Calls a cube a square and a can a circle — flat names used for solid things.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Hold up a ball and a drawn circle. "What's the difference? What's each one called?"
Solid looks like: Sphere versus circle, or at least "that one's fat and this one's flat" with the right names attached.
The full activity for this topic · 10 minutes
Flat or Fat?
- 1Gather five solid objects from the kitchen and sort them: box-shaped, ball-shaped, tin-shaped.
- 2Name them: cube, sphere, cylinder. Big words are fun at five.
- 3Trace round each one on paper. "What flat shape did the fat shape leave?"
- 4Count faces on a box by touching each one and saying the number.
- 5Build a tower and talk about why the sphere is a terrible building block.
If it's too hard
Match objects to a drawn shape rather than naming from memory.
If it's too easy
Count faces, edges and corners on a cube. It's a genuine puzzle for a five-year-old.
Say this
"Is that one flat or fat? A flat one is a circle. A fat one is a sphere."