3d shapes activities at home

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27 Hands-On 3D Shapes Projects for Kids

August 12, 2023 //  by  Sharayah Lynn Grattan

There are so many shapes in our big world, and as kids get older, it’s important that they can distinguish between 2D and 3D images, as well as identify what each shape is called. Learning about geometric shapes doesn’t make you a square, it makes you a three-dimensional shapes master! From abstract shapes and math skills to memory games and crafts for preschool kids, we have all the fresh shape recognition projects to make your students run in circles with excitement!

1. Build Your Own Shape

This shape craft is printable paper with simple facts about shapes printed on it. This activity is so easy to set up, you can help your kids build their own or work in pairs. Provide scissors and glue and watch them cut and fold their shapes.

Learn More:  Playdough To Plato

2. 3D Bingo!

Here is an educational printable that encourages students to identify and remember the shape name, while matching it with the 3D object printed on their bingo card. So once they know the shape they can spot real items in daily life.

3. The Wheel of Shapes

This interactive resource can be printed out on large paper and you can use a paper clip or pencil as the spinner. Students can spin and see what shape they land on. They will then repeat the name and say whether it is 2D or 3D!

Learn More:  Word Wall

4. DIY 3-D Paper Cone Giraffe

Even though this link explains how to design a giraffe, your kiddos can build any animal they like the most! Have a variety of colored paper and show them how to form a 3D cone for the body and then a 2D circle for the head.

Learn More:  Frugal Momeh

5. STEM Challenge: Triangular Prisms

In this activity for kids, you’ll need play dough and colorful craft sticks. To help students with learning shapes, it helps when they can piece together a model like triangular prisms to get a better understanding of shapes and their parts.

Learn More:  Go Science Girls

6. Cereal Box Houses

Now here is a craft that uses recycled materials and improves kids’ motor skills! Have your kids bring in some empty cereal boxes and let their creativity shine by cutting and gluing 2D and 3D shapes out of pieces of paper to make a colorful neighborhood!

Learn More:  Rainbow Trace

7. 3D Shape Hunt

There are a few printables available you can use in an outdoor shape hunt, but this one is designed for indoors such as at home or in the classroom. Before printing your list of basic shapes for your kids to find, make sure there are items in those shapes around the room, such as marbles, paper rolls, and cubes.

Learn More:  Play Makes Sense

8. 3D Shape Nets Tutorial

Here is a fun and easy-to-follow shape nets video you can watch before teaching your students how to build their own. You can also play this video in class and pause for students to ask questions/ask for help folding and gluing together their basic shapes.

Learn More:  Twinkl – KS2 Lessons and Explainer Videos

9. 3D Shape Rhyme

The world has been blessed with this clever rhyme teaching us about three-dimensional shapes, with useful examples that make recognizing objects fun game kids can commit to memory.

Learn More:  Pinterest

10. Dino Crunch

There are quite a few online resources available for digital shapes games. This one is exciting and interactive with colorful prehistoric characters, sounds, and images to encourage correct choices!

Learn More:  Education

11. Roll or Slide Matching Game

If you want your kids to really grasp 3D shapes and how they function, explore this fun shapes game using a ramp! Now if you don’t have access to a toy ramp then just ask your kids to move the 3D shapes around and see which can roll and which can only slide, and categorize them accordingly.

Learn More:  You Clever Monkey

12. Mystery Bag of Shapes!

Talk about a truly hands-on activity! What a fun and simple idea that will get your kiddos bouncing and waiting for a turn to reach their little hands in the mystery bag and guess which shape they grab.

Learn More:  The Happy Teacher

13. Sorting Foods

Time to think outside the box, and venture into the snack aisle for this learning activity that’s bound to get your students’ mouths watering over 3D shapes. Bring a variety of 3D snacks to class and ask students to sort them according to their shapes.

14. Play Dough Cookie Cutter Shapes

Using a material like play dough is perfect for shape-creating because kids can decide if they want their shapes to be 2D or 3D. They can build on their creations and use their imagination and other supplies if available!

Learn More:  Learning 4 Kids

15. DIY Geoboard

Geoboards are a great motor skills activity that gives students endless opportunities to create and design. For 3-D geometric shape practice, students can use colored rubber or fabric bands to loop around different pegs creating cool diagrams.

Learn More:  Crayon Box Chronicles

16. Shape Sensory Bin

We all have heard of or incorporated sensory bins in our activities for other learning topics, and shapes are no different! You can use 3D shape blocks or foam shapes and fill up your tub with lots of soapy water for learning fun!

Learn More:  Fantastic Fun And Learning

17. DIY Shape Bracelets

If you don’t have buttons lying around you can pick some up at a craft store! Make sure to get some in a variety of shapes and colors to make this bracelet craft a shape recognition and memory exercise worth wearing with pride!

Learn More:  Playground Park Bench

18. Paper Plate and Yarn Crafts

This shapes craft has plenty of room for your kiddos to express their creativity! Make sure you have scissors and cutouts of shapes they can trace onto their plates and cut out. Then wind the yarn in and out of the space the shape makes for a cool hangable craft!

Learn More:  Laughing Kids Learn

19. Paper Tube Family Craft

These paper shapes are not only fun to make, but incorporate cylinder-shape recognition and motor skills by putting together each member of the family. Yarn can be cut and glued for the hair, paint on the clothes, and glue on the googly eyes!

20. 2D and 3D Shape Painting

Now, this craft’s got it all! We are using 3D shape blocks and paint to create 2D shapes on paper. So simple, but so effective for showing kids the difference between 2D and 3D while making colorful art!

21. Shape Monsters!

You don’t need a printable to help your students create their own shape monsters. Just have a few shape templates cut out and ready for your students to trace and cut. Have craft supplies like pipe cleaners, paper slips, and cotton for your kids to decorate their shape monsters with!

22. Pizza Shape Collage

Probably best to do this shapes craft before lunchtime because it will get your kids thinking about food. Show your students an example of pizza you made, and give them paper, scissors, and glue to create their own. You may be surprised to see what they put on their pizza!

23. DIY Polydron Shapes

You can purchase a polydron cube online and find all the various 3D shapes your kids can make with these fun 2D combination squares. A hands-on math activity your kids will be excited to build and get creative with!

Learn More:  O Family Learning Together

24. DIY Paper Rockets

How many shapes does it take to build a rocket? Some are 2D and some are 3D. Can your students tell the difference as they assemble these colorful contraptions?

Learn More:  Messy Little Monster

25. Foldable Alphabet Cubes

This link has step-by-step instructions for how to fold and glue together a 3D cube. From there, you can cut and paste alphabet letters for fun learning games!

Learn More:  First Palette

26. 3D Paper Letters

For kids who like to work with precision, this geometric craft is perfect for their little artistic fingers! Follow the tutorial video and see how to design, cut, and glue together your own 3D letters. Watch further videos to learn how to create more letters and spell out your name!

Learn More:  Arts and crafts

27. Online 3D Shapes Game

A useful resource for at-home or distant learning kids can play on their own to better understand 3D shapes and where they may find them in their daily lives.

Learn More:  Zapzap Math

15 Fun, Hands-On Activities for Learning About 2D and 3D Shapes

A selection of fun, hands-on math activities for learning about 2D and 3D shapes.

When we think of early mathematical learning, we typically think firstly of numbers. But there is a whole other world of mathematics to enjoy and explore and that is the world of shapes! This post includes fifteen ideas for learning about 2D and 3D shapes (and their properties) in fun and ‘hands on’ ways!

15 Fun, Hands-On Activities for Learning About 2D and 3D shapes

Ideas for Learning About 2-Dimensional Shapes

Between the ages of two and four years, children typically begin to learn the names of simple 2D shapes incidentally; generally learning about circles, squares and triangles to begin with. We see them in picture books, on TV shows and in every day life (does anyone else’s toddler insist on their sandwiches being cut into a certain shape?) In their first years of school children will build on this knowledge, learning about rectangles, ovals, hexagons, pentagons and octagons, just to name a few.

1. Head Off On a Shape Hunt

A great way to kick start learning about shapes (whether it be at school or home) is with a ‘shape hunt’ – exploring and identifying shapes in our environment and everyday life. You can go on a shape hunt around your house, backyard, classroom or neighbourhood. Older children can take a checklist or paper to record their findings on, while younger children will enjoy discussing what you see as you go. Photographing the shapes you find is another great idea, with the photos being perfect for compiling into your very own shape book.

2. Popstick Play

Popsticks and matchsticks are such versatile learning materials. They make a great resource for creating 2D shapes.

3. Self Correcting Popstick Puzzle

Take the above activity one step further and make a self correcting puzzle by using the one colour for each shape, writing the name of the shape on each popstick and including the number of sides/corners. This makes a great busy bag .

4. Pipe Cleaner Creations

Pipe cleaners provide a great workout for finger muscles. They can be bent and twisted to create a variety of 2D shapes. As a variation, make the shapes larger by using one pipe cleaner for each side of the shape.

5. Playdough Fun

Playdough is also a useful tool for exploring shapes. Adding a set of geometric cookie cutters ( like this one ) to playdough play is a super easy way to add shapes to your day.

6. Shape Collages

Kindergarten and school aged children will have lots of fun creating pictures with shapes. I created these two as example,s using a variety of shapes cut from textured papers and buttons.

7. Pretty Pattern Blocks

Pattern blocks are one of my favourite classroom materials. Not only are children learning about 2D shapes when they play with them, but also other mathematical concepts such as symmetry, tessellation, pattern, sorting, counting and so much more. This activity could either be left unstructured for the children to make their own pictures, patterns and shapes, or you can use pattern block activity cards as a guide.

8. Sing About Shapes

Here’s a cute little song to help preschoolers learn 2D shapes. It works best with a group of children, with everyone holding a shape (sing to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It).

If you’re holding a square stand up! If you’re holding a square stand up! If you’re holding a square, if you’re holding a square If you’re holding a square stand up. Repeat with other shapes

Fun Ideas for Learning About 3-Dimensional Shapes

9. Fantastic Feely Bags

When I’m introducing the topic of shapes to my class, I always start with a ‘feely bag’. The idea being that the children feel the shapes in the bag without looking, trying to identify each shape using only their sense of touch. We discuss – How does it feel? Does it have pointy corners? Does it feel round? Once the children are familiar with names of the shapes, it’s fun to guess the shape they’re holding before revealing it!

10. Wonderful Wooden Blocks

Generally speaking in the first year of school you could expect your child to learn the shapes pictured above; rectangular prism, pyramid, cylinder, cone, cube and sphere. 3D wooden blocks are a great resource for talking about the features of 3D shapes (and the 2D shapes they are made up of).

11. Test It: Stack, Roll or Slide?

As children learn 3D shapes, it’s fun to explore how they move and interact with each other. Set up a simple ramp and test each shape to see if it rolls down the hill or slides? Next, test each shape to see if it can be stacked easily on top of another shape. Explore your child’s understanding of why a shape does (or does not) roll, slide or stack.

12. 3D Playdough Shapes

Add matchsticks to playdough and invite children to create 2D and 3D shapes.

13. 3D Shape Models

Moulding 3D Shapes from playdough or kinetic sand is a fun, hands-on challenge.

14. Nifty Nets

School aged children can begin to explore the concept of ‘nets’. A net is a 3D shape flattened out. These plastic polydrons are a fantastic tool to teach this concept. Making your own die cube is a great place to start! (Once again we see 3D shapes in our everyday life). Here’s a link to a free die template printable from Teachers Pay Teachers.

15. 3D Shape Rhyme

Finally here’s a simple 3D shape rhyme to help children connect the name of the shape to real life objects.

3D Shapes are fat not flat A cone is like a party hat A sphere is a bouncy ball A prism is a building tall A cylinder is like a can of pop A cube is like the dice you drop 3D shapes are here and there 3D shapes are everywhere!

What are your favourite activity ideas for learning about 2D and 3D shapes?

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Lauren Hunt is an Early Childhood Teacher who currently works part time teaching children in their first year of school. She is also mum to a two year old daughter. Lauren is passionate about play-based, hands-on learning and is certainly kept busy by her energetic toddler!

Dear Ms. Lauren,

Wonderful activities for the kids to explore with shapes. Good job.

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3D Shape Activities

Learning 3D shapes just got WAY cooler! These engaging, hands-on 3D shape activities teach kids about cones, cubes, cylinders, hemispheres, hexagonal prisms, pyramids, rectangular prisms, spheres and triangular prisms.

They’re great to use as math centers or math lessons in kindergarten, first grade or second grade.

Grab your pack in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers!   For more shapes fun, check out our Pattern Block Mats as well!

Peek Inside 3D Shape Activities

Inside the kid-approved pack, students learn about the parts of 3D shapes with a helpful poster identifying faces, edges and vertices.

Three interactive flap books challenge kids to draw each shape, identify real world objects containing the shape and then put their new knowledge to the test by writing its number of edges, vertices and faces.

They build and read paper models of six shapes: a cone, cube, rectangular prism, cylinder, square pyramid and triangular pyramid.

Kids match real world objects with their corresponding shape on a set of 27 clip cards.

Children spin a paper clip, name the shape it lands on and color it on the graph as they race to see what shape will reach the top first.

And they practice naming and identifying shapes with a fun round of 3D Shape Bingo. (There’s a class set of boards!)

Grab Your Pack

There’s so much fun packed into this set! Snag your copy  in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers!

Then, don’t forget to check out our Pattern Block Mats to practice more shapes!

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This looks amazing, but I can’t purchase as live in the UK?

Hi Christy, Thanks for reaching out. We’re so glad you like it. Due to VAT restrictions, we ask that all customers outside the U.S. make their purchases from our TpT Store . Thanks so much! Warmly, Ashley // Happiness Ambassador

Wonderful ideas thanks for sharing

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3D Shape Building Cards (Free Printable)

Are you searching for a fun, hands-on way to teach geometry? Look no further! We are excited to introduce our Free 3D Shape Building Cards – the perfect resource to engage students in learning the names and features of common 3D shapes through play.

3d Shape Building Activity

Use everyday materials like marshmallows and toothpicks (or playdough and modeling clay) to construct various 3D shapes, enhancing understanding and sparking creativity.

What’s Inside?

Our building cards pack includes:

• 3D Shape Building Cards: Step-by-step guides to construct common 3D shapes such as cubes, pyramids, prisms, and more.
• Materials Suggestions: Instructions on how to use marshmallows and toothpicks (or substitute your own materials)

Why Use 3D Shape Building Cards?

How to use our building cards.

• Print and Prepare: Download the pack and print the building cards. Gather your materials: marshmallows and toothpicks or playdough and modeling clay.
• Build: Follow the instructions on each card to construct the 3D shapes. Use marshmallows or playdough for vertices and toothpicks or modeling clay for edges.
• Draw : Add a creative element by learning how to draw 3D shapes.
• Explore: Once the shapes are built, explore their properties. Count the vertices, edges, and faces, and compare the different shapes.

Where Can You Use Them?

• In The Classroom: Integrate them into your geometry lessons or use them in math centers.
• Home Schooling: Perfect for hands-on learning at home, making geometry fun and interactive.
• STEM Challenges: Create engaging STEM activities by challenging students to build the tallest or most complex structures.

Free Printable 3D Shape Building Cards

Ready to bring geometry to life? Grab our Free 3D Shape Building Cards and get started today!

What are 3D Shapes?

3D shapes are solid objects with three dimensions: length, width, and height. Unlike 2D shapes, which are flat and have only length and width, 3D shapes have depth and can be physically held or imagined in space. Examples include cubes, spheres, pyramids, and cylinders.

These shapes are defined by their faces (flat surfaces), edges (line segments where faces meet), and vertices (points where edges meet). Understanding 3D shapes is essential in STEM fields like geometry, architecture, and engineering. They are perfect for exploring STEM !

More Printable 3D Shape Activities

• Real Life 3D Shape Cards
• 3D Shape Nets
• 3D Shapes Directed Drawing

Subscribe to receive a free 5-Day STEM Challenge Guide

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25 Creative Activities and Ideas For Learning Shapes

Triangles, circles, and squares… oh, my!

Learning shapes is one of the earliest concepts we teach kids. This readies them for geometry in the years ahead, but it’s also an important skill for learning how to write and draw. We’ve rounded up our favorite activities for learning shapes, both 2-D and 3-D. They all work well in the classroom or at home.

1. Start with an anchor chart

Colorful anchor charts like these are terrific reference tools for kids learning shapes. Have kids help you come up with examples for each one.

Learn more: A Spoonful of Learning / Kindergarten Kindergarten

2. Sort items by shape

Collect items from around the classroom or house, then sort them by their shapes. This is a fun way for kids to realize that the world around them is full of circles, squares, triangles, and more.

Learn more: Busy Toddler/Shape-Sorting

3. Snack on some shapes

Everyone loves a learning activity you can eat! Some food items are already the perfect shape; for others, you’ll have to get a little creative.

Learn more: Chieu Anh Urban

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4. Print with shape blocks

Grab your shape blocks and some washable paint, then stamp shapes to form a design or picture.

Learn more: Pocket of Preschool

5. Go on a shape hunt

These “magnifying glasses” make an adventure of learning shapes! Tip: Laminate them for long-term use.

Learn more: Nurture Store UK

6. Hop along a shape maze

Use sidewalk chalk to lay out a shape maze on the playground or driveway. Choose a shape and hop from one to the next, or call out a different shape for every jump!

Learn more: Creative Family Fun

7. Assemble a truck from shapes

Cut out a variety of shapes (excellent scissors skills practice!), then assemble a series of trucks and other vehicles.

Learn more: Little Family Fun

8. Stretch out shapes on geoboards

Teachers and kids love geoboards , and they’re a great tool for learning shapes. Give students example cards to follow, or ask them to figure out the method on their own.

Learn more: Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station

9. Drive on shaped roads

Use these free printable road mats to work on shapes. Bonus: Make your own road shapes from sentence strips!

Learn more: PK Preschool Mom

10. Find shapes in nature

Take your shape hunt outside and look for circles, rectangles, and more in nature. For another fun activity, gather items and use them to make shapes too.

11. Put together craft stick shapes

Add Velcro dots to the ends of wood craft sticks for quick and easy math toys. Write the names of each shape on the sticks for a self-correcting center activity.

Learn more: Surviving a Teacher’s Salary

12. Blow 3-D shape bubbles

This is a STEM activity that’s sure to fascinate everyone. Make 3-D shapes from straws and pipe cleaners, then dip them in a bubble solution to create tensile bubbles. So cool!

Learn more: Babble Dabble Do

13. Prep a shape pizza

Cover a paper plate “pizza” with lots of shape toppings, then count the number of each. Simple, but lots of fun and very effective.

Learn more: Mrs. Thompson’s Treasures

14. Construct shapes from toothpicks and Play-Doh

This is an excellent STEM challenge: how many shapes can you make using toothpicks and Play-Doh? Marshmallows work well for this activity too.

Learn more: Childhood 101

15. Outline shapes with stickers

Kids adore stickers, so they’ll enjoy filling in the outlines of the shapes they’re learning. They won’t realize it, but this gives them fine motor skills practice too!

Learn more: Busy Toddler/Sticker Shapes

16. Lace shapes

Lacing cards have long been a classic, but we really like this version that uses drinking straws. Just cut them into pieces and glue them along the edges of the cards.

Learn more: Planning Playtime

17. Make shapes with LEGO bricks

LEGO math is always a winner! This activity also makes a good STEM challenge. Can your students figure out how to make a circle from straight-sided blocks?

18. Categorize shapes by their attributes

Work on geometry terms like “sides” and “vertices” when you sort shapes using these attributes. Start by placing shapes into paper bags and asking students questions like, “The shape in this bag has 4 sides. What could it be?”

Learn more: Susan Jones Teaching

19. Count and graph shapes

These free printable worksheets challenge kids to identify shapes, then count and graph them. Lots of math skills, all in one!

Learn more: Playdough to Plato

20. Create a shape monster

Add arms, legs, and faces to create cheery (or scary) shape monsters! These make for a fun classroom display.

Learn more: Fantastic Fun and Learning

21. Sift through rice for shapes

Sure, kids can identify their shapes by sight, but what about by touch? Bury blocks in a bowl of rice or sand, then have kids dig them out and guess the shape without seeing them first.

Learn more: Fun With Mama

22. Craft an ice cream cone

Ice cream cones are made up of several shapes. Encourage kids to see how many different ways they can make a sphere of “ice cream.”

Learn more: Extremely Good Parenting

23. Ask “What does the shape say?”

If you don’t mind the risk of getting that song stuck in your kids’ heads, this is such a neat way to combine writing and math.

Learn more: Around the Kampfire

24. Piece together shape puzzles

Use wood craft sticks to make simple puzzles for kids who are learning their shapes. These are inexpensive enough that you can make full sets for each of your students.

Learn more: Toddler at Play

25. Feed a shape monster

Turn paper bags into shape-eating monsters, then let kids fill their hungry bellies!

Learn more: Teach Pre-K

From teaching shapes to long division and everything in between, these are the 25 Must-Have Elementary Classroom Math Supplies You Can Count On .

Plus, 22 Active Math Games and Activities For Kids Who Love to Move .

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Keeping it Cool at School

A blog filled with ideas for making teaching and learning fun for students in kindergarten and 1st grade

3D Shapes Activities for Kindergarten

3D shapes can be a difficult concept for young students to grasp. Let’s make teaching 3D shapes fun by incorporating hands-on, interactive projects into your math lessons. These five 3D shapes activities for kindergarten have proven to be class favorites year after year. Students will love showing off their knowledge of three-dimensional attributes while having a blast learning.

1. Play Dough 3D Shapes

We all know how much kids love playing with play dough and clay, and let’s be honest, so do we. This is a great way to introduce students to the concept that 3D shapes can be held and have length, width and depth. Grab your favorite clay or play dough and have students mold cubes, cones, spheres, pyramids, and more!

2. 3D Shapes Museum

Have students bring in examples of 3D shapes they find at home. Students can display their objects on their desks for the other students to observe. The class can go on a walking tour to check out the 3D shapes their friends brought in to showcase. After everyone has a chance to observe the shapes around the room, the class can sort them. They can sort by type or by similar attributes.

3. Snacking on 3D Shapes

Another memorable way to help students identify 3D shapes is by having them snack on cubes, cones, spheres, rectangular prisms and, cylinders. There are so many different foods that come in these shapes. Create a collection of yummy snack foods and have students sort them, name them and then eat them!

3D Shapes Snacks

• Cones – candy kisses, Bugles, waffle cones
• Spheres – cereal, candy, cheese balls, blueberries
• Cubes – cheese cubes, caramels
• Cylinders – marshmallows, cheese sticks, Combos
• Rectangular Prisms – wafer cookies, Kit Kats

4. Create 3D Shapes with Attributes

Manipulatives are a important tool to help in their understanding of 3D shapes. That’s why this activity helps make the concept concrete. Students use 3D shape nets to create multiple shapes with their attributes listed on the sides.

There are also options for students to create real life examples of each of the shapes. Students love the challenge of creating these 3D shapes as well as being able to keep their fun creations. Once students create all of the shapes, you can create a mobile of all of their creations. This looks amazing displayed around the classroom.

Grab these fun, editable 3d shape nets here: https://bit.ly/2Nad9ZT

5. Building 3D Shapes with Play Dough and Toothpicks

This activity is sure to challenge and engage your students. Give each of your students a copy of this free 3D shapes building activity book, a stack of toothpicks and a container of play dough.

Your students will love exploring and creating cubes, rectangular prisms, triangular prisms, square pyramids and triangular pyramids. After creating their 3D shapes, students will then write down the amount of faces, vertices and edges they see on each shape.

Grab this free resource below!

Have a Blast With These 3D Shapes Activities

With these 5 fun ways to teach 3D shapes, you and your students are sure to have an amazing time during math. Hands-on 3D shapes activities for kindergarten make learning memorable and engaging for everyone.

Lindsay Keegan

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hi there, i have tried to get your building 3d shapes book and it hasnt shown up in my in box yet. just wondering if i could please get a copy of it.

Hi Kristen, I can definitely help with that, sorry for the delayed response. Please email me at [email protected] and I can get that over to you. Chat with you soon. Thanks so much! Truly, Lindsay Keegan Keeping It Cool At School

My pleasure, enjoy 🙂

Good morning,

Yesterday I completed the form to receive the FREE Building 3D Shapes Book. I have not received it yet. I have checked my spam/junk folders. I even tried with a second email address and still haven’t recieved the booklet. Are you still offering this booklet?

Hi Lorie, I’m so sorry the email isn’t coming through for you. Please email me at [email protected] and I can get that over to you. Chat with you soon. Thanks so much! Truly, Lindsay Keegan Keeping It Cool At School

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Learning Shapes at Home with Hands-On Activities

March 16, 2020 by Rachel Cooper

Last Updated on December 9, 2021 by Sheryl Cooper

 Inside: Learning shapes at home is super easy with these fun hands-on activities for toddlers and preschoolers! Free printables included.

Shape recognition is one of the earliest focuses from parents, alongside colors .

It can be daunting to know where to start.

As always, incorporating learning concepts into the child’s play is the most natural way to allow for progress.

This compilation of shape activities focuses on using simple materials that you can easily set up within your own home.

Note: This is part of a series of At-Home activities for parents and caregivers. Make sure to also see our other posts in this At-Home series:

• 55+ Fine Motor Activities for Home
• 25+ Color Activities and Printables for Home
• 20+ Easy Toddler Activities for Home
• 20+ Alphabet Activities for Home

Stamp Squares : Use your children’s square blocks with paint for a simple art activity.

Circle Painting : Use paper tubes to stamp paint onto circle-shaped paper.

Shape Hunt : Cut shapes out of felt and hide them, like we did with our circle hunt activity.

Shape Sorting Sticky Wall – Adhere contact paper onto your wall with the outlines of shapes  to sort foam shapes onto. (Modern Preschool)

Simple Shape Puzzles – Draw shapes onto multiple popsicle sticks to create simple shape puzzles. (Toddler At Play)

Square Painting with Cubes – Use unifix cubes or any other plastic cube toys that you have at home to dip into paint and stamp squares. (No Time For Flash Cards)

Tape Outlines – Stick tape outlines of shapes onto your carpet for kids to trace over with their small toys. (Learning 4 Kids)

Shape Slime – Add small foam shape pieces to slime for a fun sensory learning experience. (Pocket of Preschool)

Sticker Tracing – Draw outlines of shapes onto paper to trace by placing stickers over the outline. (Busy Toddler)

Paper Roll Stampers – Form paper rolls into various shapes to use as stampers with paint. (Chalk Academy)

Driveway Shape Large Motor – Use chalk to draw different shapes on your driveway and call out different shapes for your children to jump to. (Creative Family Fun)

Do-a-dot Shapes – Kids will stamp along the lines of these shape printables. (3 Dinosaurs)

Shapes Book – Help your child assemble a shape book for them to see examples of each shape. (Pastels and Macarons)

Playdough Mats – Laminate these free mats to mold over with playdough. (Free Homeschool Deals)

More activities for at home:

Grab your printable list:

Fine motor stamping sheets for use with dot markers, such as Do-A-Dot.

10 different shapes: square, circle, triangle, rectangle, oval, diamond, hexagon, octagon, star, heart. Each shape includes the name below for tracing.

Includes two difficulty versions for modifications. Also includes a Spanish & English version of both, for 4 files total.

• Shape Dot Stamping: Simple (English)
• Shape Dot Stamping: Simple (Spanish)
• Shape Dot Stamping: Extra Dots (English)
• Shape Dot Stamping: Extra Dots (Spanish)

4 files, 40 pages total

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• 3D Shapes , All Blog Posts , Shapes

Engaging 3D Shape Activities for Kindergarten

After learning about basic two-dimensional shapes , it can be tricky for young learners to think about three-dimensional shapes!  It often takes multiple exposures to 3D shapes for students to master the names and attributes. These fun 3D shape activities for kindergarten are perfect for adding some variety to your math practice.  You can use these activities to keep your students engaged in learning about 3D shapes!

3D Shape Activities for Kindergarten

3d shape posters.

As students learn about each individual 3D shape, you can have the information displayed on colorful 3D shape posters! Students will learn about the corners (or vertices) and faces of each shape, along with the name of the 3D shape. You can keep these posters on display throughout your 3D shapes unit so students can reference them like an anchor chart.

3D Shape Hunt

After learning about an individual 3D shape, they can complete a fun shape hunt!  Students will be given a worksheet that has the name of one 3D shape, along with several different pictures of real-life items.  Some of these items will be the correct shape and others will not.  Students will examine the pictures and color the ones that are the correct shape. 

Sorting 3D Shapes

One way to help students understand each 3D shape is for them to explore non-examples of the shape. You can start with a pocket chart sorting activity that can be completed as a class, during small group instruction, or even explored with partners or independently during math centers.  Students will take turns choosing a card and will decide whether or not the shape on the card is the focus 3D shape.

After sorting 3D shapes on a pocket chart, students can then turn their attention to sorting 3D shapes on a written activity.  Students will color, cut, and paste a variety of shapes into the correct column.  This is a great way for students to practice recognizing individual 3D shapes!

All About 3D Shapes

Another fun way for students to apply their knowledge of a 3D shape is to complete a worksheet that summarizes the shape name and attributes.  Students can practice tracing and writing the shape name, then draw a picture that shows a real-life object of that same shape.  They can also complete a sentence frame to describe their object.  Finally, your class can write how many faces and vertices are on the shape.  This is a great activity to help reinforce shape names and attributes.

3D Shape Hat

A great way to get students talking about 3D shapes is to have them wear a shape hat.  Without fail, when a kindergarten student walks the halls or heads to the bus wearing a 3D shape hat, someone will ask them what’s on their head. Your student will be able to practice math vocabulary as they explain everything on the fun hat they created! 

Each hat comes with a set of objects with examples and non-examples of the 3D shape.  Students will determine which picture represents the 3D shape and glue those pictures on the band of the hat. There is also space for the student to write how many faces and vertices the shape has. Plus, students can also trace the 3D shape and shape name on the band of the hat.

3D Shape Flip Book

After your class has had plenty of time to learn individual 3D shape names and attributes, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge together to complete fun activities!  The first is a 3D shape flip book.  After coloring all of the 3D shapes, students will paste the real-world example of each 3D shape under the flap.  There will also be room to write the number of faces and vertices under each flap.  

Real World 3D Shapes

Your students will love to complete their own mini readers about real-world 3D shapes!  On each page, students will glue the correct picture of the 3D shape at the top of the page, then draw a real-world object that matches the shape.  There is also a sentence frame for students to complete a sentence about each real-world 3D shape!

3D Shapes Reader

Another fun printable book that students can complete is this 3D shapes reader.  Each page has a line where students can write the name of the pictured shape.  Students can also write the number of vertices and faces on each page.  The students in your class will be so excited to take this reader home to share with their families!

Fishing for 3D Shapes

A fun activity that helps students review everything they’ve learned about 3D shapes is this fishing game! Simply put paper clips on a set of 3D shape picture cards.  After using a magnetic clip to “fish” for a card, students will add the picture to the correct column based on its shape. As they place the card in the correct column, they can practice saying the shape name.  This is a great way to help students remember that important math vocabulary!

Printable 3D Shape Activities for Kindergarten

All of the activities pictured above can be found in my set of printable 3D shape activities for kindergarten .  These hands-on activities will encourage your young learners to learn 3D shape names and attributes for cube, cone, cylinder, and sphere.  After completing these activities, your students will be able to recognize and identify the 3D shapes all around them!  These activities include options for both “vertices” or “corners” depending on the vocabulary you use in your curriculum.

If you’d like to take a closer look at everything included in this resource, you can find it in the A Spoonful of Learning shop or on TPT .

Save These Kindergarten 3D Shape Activities

I hope that these activities will be a helpful addition to your 3D shape lesson plans!  Be sure to save this post if you’d like to come back to it later.  Just add the pin below to your favorite teaching board on Pinterest.  That way, you’ll be able to quickly find these 3D shape activities whenever you need them!

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Gift of Curiosity

Sparking children's creativity and learning

Playful ways to learn about 3-D shapes

Kindergarten , 1st Grade , 2nd Grade , 3rd Grade

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My kids have been familiar with 2-dimensional shapes for quite a while, but we really haven’t spent much time learning about 3-dimensional shapes. On a recent morning, I decided to change that. 🙂 But I wanted to come up with activities to teach 3-D shapes in fun and playful ways. Fortunately, there were some great ideas in our Spielgaben curriculum materials that we used to get started. And once we started playing with 3-D shapes, it seemed that I just kept coming up with more and more new activities!

But do you want to know the best part about our experience playing with 3-D shapes? My kids and I had a total BLAST while learning and playing together!

Note: For more ideas and free printables to help kids learn shapes, see my  teaching shapes to kids  page. 

One of the ideas in our Spielgaben materials suggested using 3-D shapes to make patterns. I started by doing a 3-period lesson with my kids to familiarize them with each of these three shapes. Then I skewered a pattern that included a cylinder, cube, and two spheres onto the wooden sticks in our Spielgaben set.

( Note: from a Montessori perspective, I should have practiced isolation of quality by using only one color when making my pattern. In this way, the only change from one object to the next would have been the shape of the object. In the image below, you will see that both the shape and the colors changed from object to object, which is not ideal. )

After my kids had copied my pattern a few times, I changed up the activity to keep it interesting for them. (This next idea also came from our Spielgaben curriculum materials.) We decided to make “kebabs,” but instead of putting food on our stakes, we decided to put 3-D shapes instead. We all had fun selecting our shapes to put on our kebabs. The kids were giggling as they decided what kind of food each shape represented.

I then set up two of the red balls from our Spielgaben set as a “campfire.” We took turns roasting our kebabs over the fire and then eating them. Yum!

After this, I came up with an idea to help my kids focus on the qualities of each shape, with a focus on whether the shape had flat or curved sides. I invited my kids to poke some tall sticks into the hole in each shape in order to get the sticks to stand up.

I then encouraged my kids to try blowing the sticks over. They discovered that it was much easier to blow over the stick stuck in the sphere than the sticks stuck in the cylinder or cube. This discovery lead to a brief discussion about the type of sides on each of the shapes.

After blowing the shapes over, I realized that we could make our own bowling pins using sticks stuck into the spheres! So we set up a game of 10-pin on the carpet.

I invited my kids to “bowl” by pushing a sphere with a stick into the pins. Boy did my kids have a blast with this!

Once we were done bowling, I set up a course for them.

I gave my kids three different shapes – a cube, a cylinder, and a sphere – and invited them to push the shape through the course to the finish line. My goal here was for my kids to compare – through play – how a cube, cylinder, and sphere roll.

Not surprisingly, my kids discovered that it was easier to roll a sphere through the course than any of the other shapes.

Inspired by the little mini course I had set up, QBoy decided to make a much bigger race track for all three of us to play on.

I didn’t get a lot of pictures, since I was too busy playing, but I did capture this one of XGirl trying to roll an ovoid (in the form of a plastic Easter egg) around the course.

All three of us had so. much. fun. playing with 3-D shapes on this day. I surprised even myself with how many different activities to teach 3-D shapes we ended up enjoying together. Even though my kids didn’t realize it, as they played they were learning the properties of these 3-D shapes, which means that my goal for the morning was accomplished.

Happy kids, happy mama.

More resources for learning shapes

More shapes posts from Gift of Curiosity:

• 20 ideas for teaching shapes
• 15 books about shapes
• Magic disappearing shapes
• Trace the shapes art and fine motor activity
• How many ways to make a shape?
• Sand shapes
• 3D shapes graphing game

For more ideas and free printables to help kids learn shapes, see my  Teaching Shapes to Kids  page and my Learning Shapes Pinterest Board . 

You May Also Enjoy These Posts

Reader interactions.

July 7, 2014 at 11:44 am

This looks like so much fun! I’m featuring you on this week’s Hearts for Home post.

July 11, 2014 at 4:47 pm

Looks like a lot of fun!! Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!

Fun teaching resources & tips to help you teach math with confidence

3D Shapes Teaching Resources!

If you have upper elementary or middle school students, you will want to check out some of these 3D shapes resources !

There’s a lot to learn when it comes to 3D shapes, so hopefully this list of lessons, activities and games will get you started!

And math is always more fun when you take it outside, so why not let your kids build 3D shapes out of sticks  as seen at Creative Star Learning! This could also be a good engineering challenge if you leave the specifics up to them (what materials to use, how to get them to stand up and hold together, etc.)!

This 3D shape printable pack includes printable shape cards as well as their nets for a variety of games. These can be used with young kids to learn the shapes and make patterns, or to help older ones recognize the shapes’ nets!

If you need some extra practice recognizing shapes, and understanding all the vocabulary, check out these FREE practice worksheets ! Lots of practice with shape vocabulary and their nets.

Once kids learn about the shapes, understand all the vocabulary and recognize their nets, they will start learning and calculating the surface area and volume of those shapes. I have two FREE lessons for exploring surface area in a fun, hands-on way. Click here for the lesson on prisms and cylinders , and click here for the lesson on pyramids and cones .

I also have a free lesson for exploring the volume of 3D shapes ! This visual, hands-on lesson makes understanding volume so much easier than memorizing a formula!

There are lots of ways to make math hands-on and fun, and I hope this gave you a great list of ideas for exploring 3D shapes ! What are some of your favorite games or activities? Anything you would add to the list?

~Math Geek Mama

* Please Note : Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and help support the work of this site. Thanks for understanding! Feel free to read our full disclosure policy here .*

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3D Shapes Games for Kids

Explore the world of three-dimensional shapes with our curriculum-aligned online 3D shapes games! These games are ideal for both home and school use and make learning about solid shapes super-fun. From identifying 3D shapes such as cubes, cones, spheres, and cylinders to understanding their attributes like ... Read more faces and vertices, our games cover it all. Parents and teachers appreciate this collection as it helps kids learn about 3D shapes using everyday objects. Start now for free!

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• Match Objects with Shapes Game

Enter the madness of math-multiverse by exploring how to match objects with shapes.

• Shapes All Around Us Game

Take a look at the shapes all around us with this fun game.

Compare Flats and Solids Game

Begin the exciting journey of becoming a math wizard by learning how to compare flats and solids.

• Count the Faces Game

Have your own math-themed party by learning to count the faces.

Identify Curved Surface Game

Use your geometry skills to identify curved surfaces.

Identify Cones and Cubes Game

Dive deep into the world of geometry by identifying cones and cubes.

Identify Shapes on the basis of Surfaces Game

Practice the superpower of geometry by learning to identify shapes on the basis of surfaces.

• Count the Vertices Game

Enjoy the marvel of mathematics by exploring how to count vertices.

Identify Shapes on the basis of Vertices Game

Treat yourself to an immersive learning experience by identifying shapes on the basis of vertices.

Identify Shapes on the basis of Faces Game

Unearth the wisdom of mathematics by learning how to identify shapes on the basis of faces.

• Identify Cylinders and Spheres Game

Have your own math-themed party by learning how to identify cylinders and spheres.

What Are Three-Dimensional Shapes (3D Shapes)?

Three-dimensional shapes, also known as 3D shapes, are geometric figures that exist in three-dimensional space. 3D shapes possess three physical dimensions: length, width, and height. 

Three-dimensional shapes are also referred to as ‘geometric solids’ or simply ‘solids.’ These shapes are not flat like 2D shapes. They have depth (thickness) and volume. In simple words, 3D shapes occupy space. It is measured in terms of volume.

• Common examples of 3D shapes: Cubes, spheres, cones, cylinders, and pyramids. 
• Real-world examples of 3D shapes: Basketball, soccer ball, Rubik’s cube, storage boxes, etc.

What Are Faces, Edges, and Vertices of Three-Dimensional Shapes?

Faces, edges, and vertices are important characteristics of 3D shapes.

• Faces : Each individual flat surface of a 3D shape is called its face. For example, a cube has 6 congruent flat faces, each face being a square; a sphere has no face, only a single curved surface.
• Edges: Edges are the straight line segments where two faces of a 3D shape meet. They form the boundaries of a shape. For instance, a cube has 12 edges.
• Vertices (Singular - Vertex): Vertices are corner points where three edges or faces meet. For example, a cube has 8 vertices.

Examples of Some Common 3D Shapes

Let’s get to know about some common 3D shapes and their attributes.  

Cube	Rubik’s cube	6	0	12	7
Cuboid (Rectangular Prism)	Brick	6	0	12	7
Sphere	Soccer ball	0	1	0	0
Cone	Icecream cone	1	1	1	1
Cylinder	Tuna can	2	1	2	0
Triangular Prism	Toblerone chocolate box	5 (2 triangles, 3 rectangles)	0	9	6

Progression of 3D Shapes Concepts with Grades

Let’s take an overview of different geometric concepts associated with 3D shapes.  

Pre-K	• Use 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes to create pictures, designs, or structures. • Find shapes in the environment and describe them in their own words.
	• Identify squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres as two-dimensional or three-dimensional. • Identify, analyze, sort, describe, and compare shapes that are two-dimensional and three-dimensional.  • Sort, compare, and analyze two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes to note similarities and differences using informal language. • Describe location and position of two- and three dimensional representations on paper.  • Analyze, compare, create, and compose shapes. (Building cubes, cones, spheres, and cylinders.)
	• Create composite shapes by making a three-dimensional composite shape using cubes, rectangular prisms, cones, and cylinders, naming the components of the new shape. • Identify shapes within an existing shape.
Grade 2	• Identify two-dimensional shapes used to construct rectangular prisms and cubes. • Identify and describe attributes of rectangular prisms and cubes.

How Can Children Use the Concepts of 3D Shapes in Real Life?

• Identifying shapes of everyday objects: Using the knowledge of 3D shapes, kids can learn to identify the shapes of different objects around them such as toys, utensils, etc. For instance, a ball has a spherical shape; a birthday hat has a conical shape; soda cans are cylindrical in shape.
• Understanding the Geometry in Nature: 3D shapes help kids understand the geometry in nature. For example, Egyptian pyramids, cylindrical tree trunks, spherical shaped fruits like oranges, kaleidoscopes in the shape of a triangular prism, etc.
• Understanding flat and solid geometry: By learning about 3D shapes, kids can easily differentiate between 2D and 3D shapes. 
• Mastering measurement concepts: The conceptual understanding of 3D shapes helps kids easily understand various measurement concepts such as volume, surface area, etc.

Importance of Introducing 3D Shapes to Kids through Games

• Intuitive understanding through Visuals : Three dimensional shapes require intuitive understanding. Drawing 2D shapes and explaining their attributes is pretty simple, but that’s not the case with 3D shapes. Understanding 3D shapes through powerful and vibrant visuals to teach distinct characteristics of solids.
• Visualizing attributes of 3D shapes: Through online 3D shapes games, it is possible to show each individual attribute of 3D shapes such as faces, vertices, edges, etc, for better comprehension.
• Hands-on Learning : Interactive 3D shapes games allow kids to manipulate 3D shapes, enhancing their understanding through visuals.
• Engaging Learning: Online 3D shapes games use colorful themes and attractive characters to keep kids engaged. This makes the subject more interesting.
• Visual understanding the nets of solids: Nets of solids are 2D shapes that can be manipulated (folded) to make a 3D shape. Math games can help kids visualize the nets of 3D shapes in a step-by-step manner.

Learning about 3D Shapes: Math Games vs. Traditional Methods

• Engagement : 3D shapes online games are interactive and enjoyable. Games capture children's attention and maintain their interest. Traditional methods can be monotonous and often lack the same level of engagement.
• Hands-on Learning : 3D shapes games online allow kids to explore different 3D shapes and their properties, helping children grasp concepts through direct experience. Traditional methods often rely on abstract explanations and 2D illustrations.
• Visual Understanding : Games promote visual-spatial thinking, essential for comprehending 3D shapes. Traditional methods may not emphasize these skills as effectively.
• Practical Learning : Math games often involve puzzles and challenges that require children to apply their knowledge of 3D shapes in real-life scenarios. Traditional methods often focus more on memorization.

These points demonstrate that math games offer a more engaging, interactive, and effective approach to learning 3D shapes compared to traditional instructional methods.

What Are the 5 Best Fun Games and Activities for Kids on 3D Shapes?

Here are 5 fun online 3D shapes games for kids offered by SplashLearn:

Your one stop solution for all grade learning needs.

30 Fun Shape Activities For Kids to Learn Shapes

We compiled this list of engaging shape activities for kids to save you time and make learning shapes fun! From low-prep printables to play-based learning, you will find a variety of shape activities that will excite kids in preschool and kindergarten.

30 Fun Shape Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten

Learning shapes is an important math skill in preschool and kindergarten . Students will learn to name shapes, identify shapes as 2D and 3D, model shapes in the world, compose shapes and more. This list of shape activities is full of fun, engaging ways to teach these skills.

From shape hunts to art projects to puzzles, crafts, nature explorations and more, these activities are sure to add lots of fun and learning to your plans.

Find activities and ideas that will make learning shapes a fun, hands-on experience for the kids!

30 Fun Ideas for Teaching Shapes

1. This free  2D Shapes Clip Cards activity helps kids practice shape identification and builds  fine motor skills .

2. With this Magazine Shape Hunt kids will learn shapes while also practicing cutting, gluing and sorting.

3. Learning Shapes with Rainbow Walks – Make these shape rocks and add them to play for a fun, engaging way to explore shapes.

4. 2D Shapes Activity Digital Activity – This is a fun, interactive google slides / seesaw activity for learning shapes!

5. Trace the Shapes Art Project – Combine art with fine motor skills as your kids learn shapes!

6. Giant Shape Sorter – Your kids will have a blast learning shapes with this giant cardboard shape sorter.

7. Shape Bingo – Kids love Bingo! They’ll learn shapes while having a blast.

8. Roll a Shape Game – This is a quick and fun printable game that will help your kids learn to identify shapes!

9. Shape Books for Kids – Looking for some fantastic books about shapes for your kids? Here are 25 great books!

10. Transportation Shape Playdough Mats – If your students or kids love vehicles and play dough this will be a fun way for them to learn shapes!

Shape Games and Shape Printables

11. Chalk Shapes Jumping Game – Your kids will love this fun way to learn shapes while playing outside. Draw some chalk shapes and get ready for gross motor fun!

12. Shape Play Dough Mats – Combine math and sensory fun by adding these shape play dough mats to your centers.

13. Fruit Themed 2D Shape Matching Game – This fruit themed shape matching game is a great way to practice recognizing and naming shapes.

14. Simple Shape Sorting Activity – Grab some tape and create this fun and simple shape activity that the kids are going to love!

15. Shape Art Activity – Explore shapes while creating a cool piece of process art at the same time.

16. 2D Shape Puzzles – Add these shape puzzles to your math centers for a hands-on way to practice matching shapes.

17. Shape Monsters Collage Art – Create shape monsters with fun collage materials to help kids learn shapes!

18. Amazing Square Bubbles – These square bubbles are so cool. Invite the kids to build cool 3-dimensional bubble wands with this STEM project.

19. Block Painting – Spark creativity and explore shapes with this unique process art shape activity.

20. Shape Match Sensory Bin – Hide shapes in a shredded paper sensory bin and invite the kids to find and match shapes.

21. Math Game: Geometric Shapes – This hands-on shape game is a great spatial awareness activity.

22. Feed the Hungry Shape Monsters – This simple and fun game helps kids practice recognizing and sorting 2D shapes.

Fun Ideas for Learning Shapes

23. 2D Shape Puzzles – Kids will practice building and sorting shapes when they use these cool shape puzzles.

24. Paper Plate Shapes – Grab some paper plates and yarn so your kids can create this neat shape craft!

25. Shape Puzzles Freebie – Go on a fun shape hunt to find each match needed to complete the puzzle.

26. Shape Scavenger Hunt – Kids love scavenger hunts! Add this fun shape hunt to your plans for lots of fun and learning.

27. Nature Shapes Outdoor Activities – Explore nature while learning about shapes.

28. Farm Theme Shape Activities – These farm theme shape building mats are going to add lots of engaging shape exploration to your plans.

29. Sponge Stamped Triangle Collage – Create art and explore triangles with this fun process art shape activity.

30. Sticky Shape Bugs Activity – Making shape bugs on a sticky scene is a great way to develop fine motor skills while learning about shapes.

I hope this saves you lots of time planning fun, hands-on shape activities for the kids! With these engaging ideas, they will be learning shapes in no time.

IDEAS FOR TEACHING 3D SHAPES IN KINDERGARTEN

HANDS-ON IDEAS FOR TEACHING 3D OBJECTS

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3D Shape Hands-on Activities

Open Studio – Shape & Form

This Month's Project:

Shapes and form in artwork will take centerstage in this month's Open Studio! We will explore our companion exhibitions Counterpoint and Off Kilter, On Point to discover how different abstract artists use shape and form differently in their work! Afterwards, you'll tap into your creativity and create your own abstract art piece in the MOA Studio.

About Open Studio:

Each month in this free-choice, self-guided art-making experience for all ages, you’ll be inspired by different artworks on display, then create your own artistic responses in the MOA studio! Join us any time between 11 AM & 1 PM to participate. All are welcome, and registration is not required.

We typically hold new Open Studio activities on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, so drop by every month for a new activity featuring different artworks and materials!

Try past Open Studio projects at home!

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Bella Hadid Wears the Naked Dress to End All Naked Dresses

Anthony Vaccarello finally figured out how to reproduce his collection of ultra-sheer pantyhose dresses. Bella Hadid hit Cannes in look seven from the Saint Laurent fall 2024 show: a halter dress featuring 10 denier hosiery cups, a knotted pantyhose bodice, and a below-the-knee skirt with a control top hemline.

Hadid, styled by Molly Dickson, leaned into the Old Hollywood glamour that has become synonymous with the Cannes Film Festival, adding a pair of mahogany peep-toe ankle strap heels and an enormous pair of drop earrings from Chopard.

This look fits into Hadid’s latest sartorial M.O. of sheer earthy tones that can only be described as “sexy nymph.” While promoting her fragrance, Orebella, in New York, the model wore a diaphanous nude Dior slip dress by John Galliano, as well as a cream-colored Rokh dress with a lace bodice. And yesterday in Cannes, she further explored brown tones in a simple tank dress . But this look—with only some extremely well-placed seams preserving her modesty—is by far her boldest to date.

When asked about how he would manufacture these ephemeral pieces from the collection, Vaccarello told Vogue, “Don’t even ask me about production—I can’t tell you.” This being the first instance the delicate outfits have been spotted on the red carpet speaks to Hadid’s risk-taking style. Even if she is the only person who ever wears one of these sheer Saint Laurent looks out in the world (let’s see if she can make it to the end of the night without any snags) the fact that Vaccarello was readily willing to make one for her speaks to Hadid’s immense power in the fashion industry.

And if this is Hadid’s wardrobe for her first official day of events in Cannes? We can only imagine what’s to come.

More Great Fashion Stories from Vogue

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Meghan Markle’s New Look Is Taking Shape for Spring

Angelina Jolie Will Wear This Pair of Shoes Anywhere—Even a Shopping Run

Katie Holmes’s Baggy Slip Dress Is a Lazy Girl’s Shortcut to Cool

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Houthi rebels say they've fired a new 'homemade hypersonic missile,' posting footage of its launch at a civilian ship

• Houthi rebels say they've fired a locally made hypersonic missile as they target ships in the Red Sea.
• Dubbed the "Hatem-2," the Houthis said the missile is a solid-fuel warhead fired at a Liberian-flagged ship.
• The Houthis aren't known to have advanced arms manufacturing, and the missile resembles Iranian designs.

Yemen's Houthi rebel group said on Wednesday that it targeted a Liberian-flagged ship in the Arabian Sea with a "homemade hypersonic missile," saying it unveiled the weapon for the first time.

"It is a homemade hypersonic missile that possesses advanced technology, is accurate in hitting, and reaches long ranges," wrote Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sare'e in a post on X.

Sare'e said the missile was launched at the MSC Sarah V, a Greek-managed civilian vessel that he alleged was linked to Israel. He did not say if the ship was hit.

Tracking data shows that the vessel was bound for Abu Dhabi and entered the Persian Gulf on Wednesday evening, indicating that it is still functional.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, run by the British Royal Navy, reported that a ship was attacked on Monday but that its crew is safe after an explosion near its hull. A map showing the attack's location indicates it is one of the longest-range assaults launched by the Houthis so far.

Markus Schiller, director of ST Analytics, a Munich-based consulting firm that researches missiles and space technology, told Business Insider that the missile was likely designed in Iran.

"Definitely something from the Iranian Fattah family of missiles, which date back to the 1990s and were continuously advanced since then," Schiller said. Tehran has recently touted the latest versions of its Fattah missiles as hypersonic.

Houthis posted footage of the missile

Houthi-linked channels posted footage of the purported launch, calling the missile the "Hatem-2" or "Hadim-2."

The video's text claims it is a solid-fuel missile with an intelligent control system and that multiple generations of the missile exist with various effective ranges.

تفاصيل صاروخ باليستي فرط صوتي من نوع (حاطم2) - الذي يكشف عنه للمرة الأولى ومشاهد إطلاقه على سفينة (MSC SARAH V) الإسرائيلية في البحر العربي pic.twitter.com/PP6Mzun19K — الإعلام الحربي اليمني (@MMY1444) June 26, 2024

Business Insider could not immediately verify the authenticity of the footage. In some of the clips, parts of the frame are blurred.

Sare'e said in a statement that the missile was developed by the Yemeni Military Industrialization Corporation.

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The Houthis are not known to have the capability to manufacture advanced arms, bringing into question whether the "Hatem-2" was truly "homemade."

However, the group has been found to repeatedly be receiving weapons from Iran, a contravention of a United Nations arms embargo .

Indeed, the missile shown in the Houthis' Wednesday video appears to resemble the Fattah-1, which Tehran says can travel at an effective speed of up to Mach 13, or 13 times the speed of sound.

Is the 'Hatem-2' really a homemade hypersonic missile?

Missiles that travel at Mach 5 or faster are generally considered hypersonic, and their speeds can make it difficult for defense systems to intercept. The term is sometimes used loosely to describe hypersonic glide vehicles and cruise missiles — warheads that can maneuver unpredictably in the sky at hypersonic speeds — that are at the forefront of military development for major powers like the US and China.

Given the footage published by the Houthis, it is unlikely that the "Hatem-2" possesses that kind of advanced capability.

"Hypersonic in this case is clearly a buzzword, trying to create hype," said Schiller.

The newly announced munition is likely similar to the Fattah anti-ship missiles already fired by the Houthis several times, Schiller said.

"From what I know, Western-based anti-missile systems did quite well against those," he added.

The announcement by the Houthis comes just weeks after it said it launched another advanced missile, dubbed the "Palestine," on June 8. Like with the "Hatem-2," this missile was claimed by the rebels to be locally made but also resembled Iranian warhead designs.

These launches happened about three months after the Houthis were reported in March by Russian state media to have a hypersonic missile that could reach speeds of up to Mach 8.

The rebel group has been attacking dozens of ships, primarily in the Red Sea, which it says is a response to Israel's recent bombardment and occupation of Gaza. The Houthis claim to be attacking ships linked to Israel, but it is often unclear how the targeted vessels might be related to Tel Aviv.

Naval assets stationed in the region by the US and its allies have so far taken down almost all missiles and drones fired out of Yemen.

Notably, Yemen's latest launch occurred as the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group left the region on Saturday after defending the area for about eight months. It is due to be replaced by the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group.

With the Roosevelt strike group — the third group since October 2023 to be stationed in the Middle East — departing South Korea on Wednesday, the Red Sea region has been without a US aircraft carrier for at least several days.

Watch: How the Iranian-backed Houthi militia compares to the US-led task force in the Red Sea

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