Learning Map
MathematicsGeometryusually ages 4–6

3-D shapes

Recognise and name common 3-D shapes (cubes, cuboids, pyramids, spheres, cylinders, cones)

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

🖨 Print this page to keep the checklist — it prints beautifully.

Try this together

Can your child name common 3-D shapes they find around them — like a tin of beans (cylinder), a ball (sphere), or a dice (cube)?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on
Nothing on the map comes before this — it’s a starting point.
3-D shapesthis skill · ages 4–6
Unlocks
3-D shapes (age 5+)ages 5–6Analysing 3-D shapes requires recognising and naming them
Flat vs Solid Shapesages 5–6Distinguishing 2-D from 3-D requires knowing what 3-D shapes are
2-D faces on 3-D shapesages 6–7Must recognise 3-D shapes to examine their surfaces
Building with 3-D Shapesages 6–7Need to recognise 3-D shapes before composing them
Edges, vertices, and facesages 6–7Describing 3-D properties (edges, vertices, faces) requires knowing the shapes first
Pyramids and the Great Sphinxages 5–7Recognising pyramids as a named 3D geometric shape makes study of the Great Pyramid's physical structure more concrete

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Candidate matches to official curriculum codes — machine-suggested, unreviewed (v0.1).

Show candidate curriculum codes · 3 ACARA · 2 NSW · 3 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9MFSP01medium confidenceFoundation · Space

sort, name and create familiar shapes; recognise and describe familiar shapes within objects in the environment, giving reasons

AC9M2SP01medium confidenceYear 2 · Space

recognise, compare and classify shapes, referencing the number of sides and using spatial terms such as “opposite”, “parallel”, “curved” and “straight”

AC9M1SP01medium confidenceYear 1 · Space

make, compare and classify familiar shapes; recognise familiar shapes and objects in the environment, identifying the similarities and differences between them

NSW syllabus codes & stages only

MA1-3DS-01high confidenceMathematics K-10 · Stage 1
MA1-2DS-01medium confidenceMathematics K-10 · Stage 1

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2M2SP01high confidenceMathematics · Level 2 · Space strand
VC2MFSP01medium confidenceMathematics · Foundation · Space strand
VC2M1SP01medium confidenceMathematics · Level 1 · Space strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

2-D shapesages 4–6 Positional Languageages 4–6 3-D shapes (age 5+)ages 5–6 Building & Drawing Shapesages 5–6

All Geometry skills →