Four Sides, Many Shapes: Quadrilaterals

About This Resource

A free Grade 3 math worksheet on quadrilaterals: shapes with four straight sides and four corners, the properties of squares, rectangles, rhombuses and trapezoids (trapeziums), why every square is also a rectangle and a rhombus, sorting shapes, solving shape riddles and finding the perimeter of quadrilaterals in centimeters. Includes a timed lesson plan, a six-activity worksheet, an editable Word version and answer key.

Overview

Students learn that a quadrilateral is any closed shape with four straight sides, and that some quadrilaterals have special names because of their sides and angles. They compare squares, rectangles, rhombuses and trapezoids (called trapeziums in British English), look for equal sides, right angles and parallel sides, and discover that one shape can belong to more than one group: a square is a special rectangle and a special rhombus. They sort shapes, match each shape to its properties, solve riddles and calculate perimeters by adding the lengths of the four sides.

Resource Details

Subject: Math
Topic: Quadrilaterals
Category: Shapes & Geometry
File Type: PDF
File Size: 263.8 KB
Published: 08 Nov 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 3 (ages 8–9) 45 minutes Geometry classifying shapes reasoning measurement perimeter

Student Task

Draw a square, a triangle and a kite shape. Ask: "Which shapes have four sides? What else is the same or different?"
Teach the special quadrilaterals and their properties, then do activities 1 and 2 together.
Students complete activities 3 to 6. Answers are in the answer key.

Classroom Use

Geoboard shapes: students make a square, a rectangle, a rhombus and a trapezoid with rubber bands and compare them.
Right-angle checker: students fold a paper corner to make a right-angle tester and check the corners of classroom objects.
Shape hunt: groups find quadrilaterals around the classroom and name the most specific type for each one.

Differentiation

Support: give a property chart with pictures and a right-angle tester, and focus on squares and rectangles. Challenge: draw a quadrilateral with exactly one right angle, or explain why a rhombus with a right angle must be a square.

Answer Key & Assessment

Activities 1 to 5 check naming shapes, their properties and perimeter (answer key included). Activity 6 checks explaining a shape's properties in words.

Learning Objectives

Identify quadrilaterals as closed shapes with four straight sides.
Describe squares, rectangles, rhombuses and trapezoids by their sides and angles.
Find the perimeter of a quadrilateral by adding its four sides.

Teacher Tips

Students often say a square is not a rectangle. Ask them to check the rule for a rectangle (four right angles, opposite sides equal) on a square: it passes every test, so a square is a special rectangle.

What's Included

7-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
Key vocabulary list (6 words with meanings and examples)
Student worksheet (6 activities)
Editable Word version of the worksheet
Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)