Find the Polygons Shapes Worksheet

A polygon is a closed shape with straight sides that never cross, and learning to spot one is the first real step into classifying figures. The Find the Polygons Shapes Worksheet gives third graders a clear, hands-on way to practice that skill by testing every figure against the definition instead of guessing from memory. Students look at six numbered figures, decide whether each one is closed, check that its sides are straight, and make sure no two sides pass through each other before they circle an answer. Along the way they meet the non-examples that make the rule stick: an oval with curved sides, an open figure that never closes, and a crossed figure whose sides run through one another.

This printable 3rd grade geometry worksheet then moves from recognizing to naming. After circling the polygons in Part A, students return to three of the numbered figures, count the sides, and write the matching name from the word box. A fourth name sits in that box as a distractor, so children have to count carefully instead of matching by sight. Part C closes with a short writing task about a kite, asking students to give two reasons the kite is a polygon. Use it as morning work, as an independent geometry center, or as a quick check after a shapes lesson.

What’s Included

• 1 print-ready PDF worksheet
• Answer key
• 6 circle-the-polygon figures, 3 count-and-name rows with a word bank, and 1 short written-response question

Three things make the Find the Polygons Shapes Worksheet worth a place in your geometry unit. First, it teaches the definition rather than a picture list, so students can classify a figure they have never seen before. Second, the non-examples do real work: the oval, the open figure, and the crossed figure each break exactly one part of the rule, which helps children say out loud what a polygon actually needs. Third, the writing task at the end asks students to explain their reasoning in words, which is exactly the kind of short constructed response state assessments ask for.

Keep the practice going away from the page. Hand out craft sticks and yarn and ask children to build a polygon, then break the rule on purpose by leaving a gap or crossing two sticks. Go on a polygon hunt around the classroom or the neighborhood, because window panes, road signs, tile floors, and kites are everywhere once children start looking. Sort a stack of cut-out figures into a polygon pile and a not-a-polygon pile, and have partners defend one sorting decision each. Geoboards and rubber bands work well too, since a stretched band is always straight and a finished shape is always closed.

Related Resources

• Polygons Worksheet
• Polygons Attributes Worksheet
• Where Can I See Other Polygons? Reading Comprehension Worksheet
• Polygon Song (Have Fun Teaching, YouTube)