2D shape pictures

Get your kids being creative making pictures from 2D shapes. Display their art on the wall, or fridge, or use it to make inexpensive personalized cards or bookmarks.

What you need:

• 2D shapes to draw round;

Go on a shape hunt around your house or garden. Find 2D shaped objects to draw around, e.g. a circle shaped lid or a square shaped table mat.

Or Click on the resources page. Print off the 2D shape template and cut out the shapes.

(Top tip: Printing the 2D shape template off onto card will make the shapes more durable.)

• Recycled wrapping paper, construction paper or bits of fabric (for cutting shapes out of)
• Colouring pens and pencils, crayons or other colouring media
• Paper to stick shape pictures on
• Pencil
• Scissors
• A glue stick or white craft glue (Top tip: White craft glue dries clear)

What to do:

1. Choose a shape, then choose a piece of paper or fabric.
2. Place the shape on top of the paper/fabric and draw around it with a pencil.
3. Cut the shape out.

(Top tip: You can use shapes that have already been cut out for you.)

4. Repeat steps 1, 2 and 3 until you have all the shapes that you want to make your picture with.
5. Make your picture by arranging your shapes on a piece of paper and sticking them down with glue.
6. Be creative and have fun. Try using colouring pens, crayons or pencils to add more detail to your picture.
7. Display your picture or make it into a card for someone.

Or

1. Choose a shape. Place it on top of a piece of paper and draw around it.
2. Choose another shape. Place it in another space on the same piece of paper and draw around it.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you have drawn around all the shapes you need to make your picture with.
4. Be creative and have fun. Try colouring in the shapes, or drawing patterns on them, to add more detail to your picture.
5. Display your picture or make it into a card for someone.

Be a math detective

Think about 2D shapes and find out more about them. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Can you name the 2D shapes that you used to make your picture with?

• How many circles, squares, triangles etc. did you use?

• Can you describe the properties of the shapes you used? e.g. A triangle has 3 sides and 3 corners.

• Go on a shape hunt. Can you find any other 2D shapes around your house/garden? Look for objects that are triangles, circles, squares, rectangles, quadrilaterals, trapeziums, rhombuses, parallelograms, kites, hexagons, heptagons and octagons etc.

• Why is a rectangle is different from a hexagon? Why is a hexagon different from an octagon?

• Investigate how many equilateral triangles you need to use to make a hexagon, or how many triangles to make a rhombus etc.

Activity develops:

• Fine motor skills and hand eye coordination
• Language skills, including mathematical vocabulary related to shape
• Understanding and knowledge about 2D shape (geometry)
• Creativity