Maths Library

Naming 3D Shapes: Year 3 maths

This topic covers naming common three-dimensional solid shapes and recognising their properties. The worksheet practises identifying cubes, spheres, cylinders, cones, and prisms, as well as counting faces, edges, and vertices.

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What this covers

Naming 3D Shapes is taught in Year 3 (age 7 to 8, KS2) as a main teaching focus. It sits in the Geometry strand.

Worked example

How many flat faces does a triangular prism have

  1. Identify the 2 triangular bases at either end
  2. Identify the 3 rectangular faces joining them
  3. Add together: 2 + 3 = 5

Answer: 5

Difficulty scale

The sheet generator offers five difficulty settings for this topic.

  1. Identifying familiar solids: cube, sphere, cylinder, cone
  2. Identifying square-based pyramids and triangular prisms
  3. Counting faces and vertices on simple prisms and pyramids
  4. Counting edges and identifying curved versus flat surfaces
  5. Differentiating complex prisms and matching solids to nets

Common mistakes

  • Confusing 2D shape names with 3D solid names (e.g. calling a sphere a circle)
  • Confusing edges with vertices

Curriculum links

Indicative matches to National Curriculum for England. Check wording and codes against the official document.

  • Draw 2D shapes and make 3D shapes using modelling materials, recognising shapes in different orientations.

Sample sheet and answers

Six questions at the level's usual difficulty. Open the editor to change, add or regenerate any of them.

Naming 3D Shapes

Year 3 maths

Qs
6
Marks
18
NameDateScore / 18
1.
How many edges does a cuboid have?
[3]
2.
How many vertices does a tetrahedron have?
[3]
3.
How many edges does a square-based pyramid have?
[3]
4.
How many faces does a cuboid have?
[3]
5.
How many edges does a cuboid have?
[3]
6.
How many vertices does a triangular prism have?
[3]

Answer key

  1. 12A cuboid has 6 faces, 12 edges and 8 vertices
  2. 4A tetrahedron has 4 faces, 6 edges and 4 vertices
  3. 8A square-based pyramid has 5 faces, 8 edges and 5 vertices
  4. 6A cuboid has 6 faces, 12 edges and 8 vertices
  5. 12A cuboid has 6 faces, 12 edges and 8 vertices
  6. 6A triangular prism has 5 faces, 9 edges and 6 vertices