Shape Positions

Kindergarten · geometry · 60 practice problems · read aloud

🔊 Listen to this explanation

Shape Positions: Where Is It?

🎯 What is a Shape Position?

It's all about describing where a shape is. Is the circle above the square? Is the star next to the triangle? Learning this helps us give and follow directions, and describe the world around us!

👣 How to Find a Shape's Position

  1. Look at the shapes. What are their names?
  2. Pick one shape to be your "home base."
  3. Look at the other shape. Is it above, below, beside, or next to your home base shape?
  4. Say the position! For example: "The circle is above the square."

🔍 Let's Look at Some Examples

Example 1:

Look at a circle and a square. The circle is at the top. The square is at the bottom.

Question: Where is the circle?

Answer: The circle is above the square.

Example 2:

Look at a triangle and a heart. The triangle is on the left. The heart is on the right.

Question: Where is the heart?

Answer: The heart is next to the triangle.

⚠️ Watch Out for This!

Common Mistake: Mixing up above and below.

How to Avoid It: Pretend the shape is the sun! Above is up in the sky. Below is down on the ground.

💡 Super Smart Tips

  • Use your hand! Point up for above and down for below.
  • Remember that beside and next to mean the same thing.
  • Play "I Spy" with shapes! Say "I spy a star below the moon."

🎮 How to Practice

You can practice shape positions anywhere!

  • Look at toys on your floor. Where is your teddy bear compared to your toy car?
  • Ask a grown-up to place two different objects on a table and tell them their positions.
  • Draw two shapes on a piece of paper and tell a friend where they are.

Practice problems

6 of the 60, worked through step by step — try them before opening the answer.

1 Liam puts his toy car below the red block. Where is the toy car?

Hint: Think about where something is when it is under something else. If a book is under a table, we say it is below the table.

Show the answer

Answer: below the red block

Position words tell us where something is. 'Below' means something is under or lower than something else. When Liam puts his toy car below the red block, the car is under the block.

2 Hana has 15 toy stars. Matiu has 8 toy stars. Who has more stars?

Hint: Think about which number is bigger. If you count to 15 and count to 8, which one comes later in the counting order?

Show the answer

Answer: Hana

  1. Hana has 15 stars. Matiu has 8 stars.
  2. Compare the numbers 15 and 8.
  3. 15 is greater than 8 because when counting, 15 comes after 8.
  4. So Hana has more stars.

The answer is Hana.

3 Mason puts his toy car beside the blue square. Where is the toy car?

Hint: Think about where you would place a toy if you put it next to a shape. Imagine putting your favorite toy right next to a block on the floor.

Show the answer

Answer: beside the blue square

  1. Read the sentence carefully. Mason puts his toy car beside the blue square.
  2. The word 'beside' tells us the position of the toy car.
  3. So, the toy car is beside the blue square.

The answer is 'beside the blue square'.

4 Hana puts a red circle above a blue square. Where is the red circle?

Hint: Think about where something is when it is up high compared to something else. If a bird is flying over a tree, we say the bird is ___ the tree.

Show the answer

Answer: above the blue square

  1. Read the sentence: 'Hana puts a red circle above a blue square.'
  2. The word 'above' tells us the position of the red circle.
  3. The red circle is placed higher than the blue square.
  4. So the red circle is above the blue square.

The answer is: above the blue square.

5 Emma puts the blue circle above the red square. Where is the red square?

Hint: Think about the words 'above' and 'below'. If one shape is above, the other shape is in the opposite place. For example, if a bird is above a tree, then the tree is below the bird.

Show the answer

Answer: below the blue circle

  1. Read the sentence: 'Emma puts the blue circle above the red square.' This means the blue circle is placed higher than the red square.
  2. If the blue circle is above, then the red square must be in the opposite position.
  3. The opposite of above is below. So the red square is below the blue circle.

The answer is: below the blue circle.

6 Sophia puts a green triangle above a red square. Where is the red square?

Hint: Think about which shape is on top and which shape is on the bottom. If one shape is above, the other shape must be on the opposite side.

Show the answer

Answer: below the green triangle

  1. The problem says Sophia puts the green triangle above the red square.
  2. If the triangle is above, then the square is on the opposite side.
  3. The opposite of above is below.
  4. So, the red square is below the green triangle.

The answer is: below the green triangle.

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