Help your students build shape recognition and vocabulary with our fun and interactive 2D Roll-a-Shape Activity! This low-prep game is perfect for reinforcing the names and properties of common two-dimensional shapes through playful, hands-on learning.

There are two different game boards included, allowing you to easily differentiate or repeat the activity with new shapes. To play, students roll the dice, identify the corresponding shape on their board, and trace it. They continue rolling and tracing until all shapes are complete—building shape fluency and fine motor skills along the way.

2D Roll-a-Shape Activity is ideal for maths rotations, small group work, or early finisher tubs. It’s also a fantastic way to encourage students to verbalise what they know about each shape: “You rolled a triangle—three sides and three corners!”

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Identify and name common 2D shapes
• ✅ Recognise shape properties such as sides and corners
• ✅ Strengthen shape vocabulary through verbal prompts
• ✅ Develop fine motor control through tracing
• ✅ Engage in independent or partner-based shape play

What’s Included:

• 2 game board versions with different shape sets:
  • circle, square, rectangle, triangle, oval, rhombus/diamond
  • triangle, square, circle, pentagon, hexagon, rectangle
• Print-friendly black and white design

Materials Needed:

• Printed game boards
• Dice
• Pencils, crayons, or markers for tracing
• Optional: shape posters or anchor charts for support

How to Use:

• • Give each student or pair a game board and a die
• • Students take turns rolling the die and finding the matching shape on their board
• • Once found, they trace the shape and describe its features aloud (e.g. “three sides and three corners”)
• • Continue rolling and tracing until all shapes are completed
• • Repeat the game with the second board for extra practise

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use during your 2D shape unit as a hands-on rotation task
• 💡 Add to your early finisher or maths games collection
• 💡 Pair with shape posters to reinforce properties during play
• 💡 Encourage students to play in pairs and quiz each other on shape features
• 💡 Laminate boards for reuse with whiteboard markers

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Use large foam dice for extra engagement and easy classroom management
• 💛 Model verbal shape descriptions before beginning the game
• 💛 Extend learning by asking students to draw or find real-life examples of each shape
• 💛 Use different coloured pencils to visually track each roll

2D Roll-a-Shape Activity is a playful and effective way to build shape recognition, vocabulary, and reasoning—making your maths lessons both purposeful and fun!