3D Shapes Worksheet

The 3D Shapes Worksheet asks first graders to do two different jobs with the same six solid figures: decide which ones can roll, and then name the solid that a real object looks like. Sorting by a defining attribute is the heart of the first grade geometry standard, and rolling is the attribute a six year old can actually test in their hands. A cube has flat faces everywhere it touches the floor, so it stays put; a sphere, a cylinder and a cone each carry a curved surface, so each one moves.

Part A prints a cube, a sphere, a cylinder, a pyramid, a rectangular prism and a cone, each drawn as a real solid with its hidden edges dashed, and asks the child to circle every shape that can roll. Part B shows a toy drum, an orange and a party hat, with a word box of four names above them. One of those names is a distractor that fits none of the pictures, so the last answer cannot be found by crossing the others off. The answer key on the second page circles the three rolling solids and prints all three names.

What’s Included

• Six solid figures drawn to scale with dashed hidden edges: cube, sphere, cylinder, pyramid, rectangular prism and cone
• An attribute sort: circle every solid that can roll
• Three real objects to name, each with a full writing line
• A word box of four shape names, one of them a distractor
• A complete answer key on the final page
• A print-ready PDF sized for standard letter paper

Three Reasons This Helps Kids

• Sorting by whether a shape rolls gives a child a physical test for a curved surface, which is far more memorable than being told which solids are round.
• Naming the solid a drum or an orange looks like carries geometry out of the worksheet and into the room the child is sitting in.
• The word box supplies the spelling, so a first grader who knows the shape is never stopped by the letters.

Ideas for Teachers and Parents

Before the page comes out, gather a ball, a can and a block and let children roll each one across a table, then sort them into a rolls pile and a stays put pile. Do Part A next and ask children to point to the curved part of each shape they circled. For Part B, have them find one more object in the room for each of the three names. This 1st grade geometry worksheet works well as a math center, a small group warm up, or a quick check before a unit test.

Related Resources

• 3D Shapes Matching Worksheet
• Drawing 3D Shapes Worksheet
• Flat and Solid Shapes Worksheet
• Shapes Song