NCERT Revision Notes for Class 2 Maths Chapter 2: Shapes Around Us – Free PDF Download

Chapter 2 of Class 2 Maths, Shapes Around Us, builds on the basic shape recognition from Class 1 and introduces children to both flat (2D) and solid (3D) shapes found in everyday surroundings, along with early ideas about the faces, corners, and edges of solid shapes.

Last Updated: September 23, 2026

Key Concepts

2D (flat) shapes: circle, square, rectangle, and triangle — shapes that can be drawn flat on paper.

3D (solid) shapes: cube, cuboid, cone, cylinder, and sphere — shapes that have length, breadth, and height, and can be held in hand.

Faces, edges, and corners: a face is a flat or curved surface of a solid shape, an edge is where two faces meet, and a corner (vertex) is where edges meet at a point.

Matching shapes to objects: connecting real objects to their closest shape, such as a ball to a sphere, a book to a cuboid, and a dice to a cube.

Rolling and sliding: solid shapes with curved surfaces, like a sphere or cylinder, roll easily, while shapes with flat faces, like a cube, slide instead.

Worked Examples

Example 1

How many faces does a cube have? A cube has 6 flat faces, all of which are squares.

Example 2

Match the object to its shape: a football, a matchbox, an ice cream cone. Football — sphere; matchbox — cuboid; ice cream cone — cone.

Example 3

Which shape rolls easily on the ground: a cylinder or a cube? A cylinder rolls easily because of its curved surface, while a cube slides because of its flat faces.

Quick Recap

• 2D shapes are flat, while 3D shapes are solid and take up space.
• A cube has 6 square faces, 12 edges, and 8 corners.
• Real-life objects can usually be matched to a basic 2D or 3D shape.
• Curved solid shapes roll, while shapes with only flat faces slide instead of rolling.
• Recognising shapes in the environment builds early geometry sense.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Confusing a circle (2D, flat) with a sphere (3D, solid) since both look round.
• Confusing a square (2D) with a cube (3D) since both have similar-looking faces.
• Miscounting the faces, edges, or corners of a solid shape.
• Assuming every round object rolls the same way — a cone rolls in a curved path, not a straight line.
• Matching an object to the wrong shape because of its colour or size rather than its actual form.

Home Practice Tips

• Collect small household objects and sort them into 2D-like (flat, like a coaster) and 3D-like (solid, like a ball) groups.
• Count the faces, edges, and corners of a box or a dice together.
• Go on a shape hunt around the house and name the closest shape for five different objects.
• Roll different solid objects, like a ball and a book, and discuss why some roll and others do not.
• Draw 2D shapes and try to fold paper to make simple 3D shapes like a cube net.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the difference between 2D and 3D shapes?
2D shapes are flat and have only length and breadth, like a square drawn on paper, while 3D shapes are solid and also have height or depth, like a cube.

Q2. How many faces, edges, and corners does a cube have?
A cube has 6 faces, 12 edges, and 8 corners.

Q3. Why do some solid shapes roll while others do not?
Shapes with curved surfaces, like a sphere or cylinder, roll easily, while shapes with only flat faces, like a cube or cuboid, cannot roll and slide instead.

Q4. How can I help my child identify 3D shapes at home?
Point out everyday objects like a ball, a box, a can, or an ice cream cone, and ask the child to name the closest matching solid shape.

Q5. Why is learning about shapes important in Class 2?
Recognising and describing shapes builds the foundation for geometry topics in later classes, including properties of shapes, symmetry, and measurement.

Full walkthrough: Chapter 2 Solutions for step-by-step textbook answers.

Written by Satish

NCERTBooks.org is an independent educational resource run by a small team focused on making official NCERT textbooks easy to find, read, and download for students, parents, and teachers across India. We are not affiliated with NCERT or the Ministry of Education -- we organise publicly available NCERT content by class and subject, verify links against official sources, and build tools (like our in-browser reader) that make studying more convenient. Every guide we publish is written and reviewed by our team based on the actual NCERT curriculum and syllabus.