You can name flat shapes. Solid shapes are not flat: you can pick them up and turn them.
| Solid | Looks like |
|---|---|
| cube | a block or a die |
| sphere | a ball |
| cylinder | a can |
| cone | an ice cream cone |
Key idea
Flat shapes lie flat, like a drawing. Solid shapes take up space, like a block or a ball.
Why it works
A solid can have flat shapes on it. Each face of a cube is a square, but the whole cube is solid.
Worked example: A soup can
Is a soup can flat or solid? What shape is it?
- You can hold it, so it is solid.
- Its ends are circles and its side is curved.
- It is a cylinder.
Answer: Solid: a cylinder
Common mistake
Calling a cube a square because you see one square face. Can you hold it and turn it? Then it is solid: a cube.
For grown-ups: Find solids in the kitchen: cans, oranges, boxes, cones. Ask your child to sort them into “rolls” and “does not roll.”