3rd Grade Open and Closed Shapes Worksheet: 8 Shapes to Check

A closed shape has a line that ends where it started, with no gap at all. This 3rd grade open and closed shapes worksheet gives your child eight flat shapes to sort, labelled a to h. They include a circle, a triangle, a long rectangle, a trapezoid and a kite. Two of them have a gap somewhere, so your child has to look closely at every corner. Under each drawing, there are two small boxes, one for Open and one for Closed, and your child then ticks the right box, which US classes often call checking. The page sits on light grid paper with clear coloured lines. Page two is the answer key, and it shows a red check on each right answer.

Eight answers to check

The answers are closed for a, open for b, closed for c, closed for d and closed for e. Then f is open, while g and h are both closed. All eight checks in the key are right, so your child can safely mark the page alone and then fix any slip.

The page uses the word "Tick," which is the British word, and US classes usually say "check." The order of the two boxes also changes from item to item, so "a." is sometimes Open and sometimes Closed. Tell your child to read the word, not the letter, before they mark a box.

At the table: test open and closed shapes with a finger

Ask your child to put a finger on the line and trace the whole shape without lifting it. If the finger gets back to where it started, the shape is closed; however, if it falls off an end of the line, the shape is open.

In addition, you can tell a little story. Imagine a sheep inside each shape: can it walk out? If it can escape through a gap, the shape is open. This picture helps with items b and f, where the gap is easy to miss.

After the page: open or closed at home

First, take a piece of string and lay it on the table in different ways. Sometimes tie the ends together, and sometimes leave a gap. Each time, your child says open or closed and explains why. Then swap roles, so your child makes a shape and you guess. Because the string can move, your child sees that only the gap matters, not the size or the colour.