Learning Worksheets Shapes Circle
Free printable PDF · ages 3–6
Circle Shape Worksheet
A circle is perfectly round, with no corners and no straight sides. It is usually the first shape children learn to name, and one of the first they can draw. This worksheet has a big circle to trace, dots to join, space to draw and a shape hunt.
What’s on the circle worksheet
A big circle and its name to trace, a row of circles, dots to join, a space to draw and a mix of 15 shapes where your child finds and colours every circle.
What makes a circle a circle?
Every point on the edge of a circle is the same distance from the middle. That is why a circle rolls smoothly and looks the same whichever way you turn it. Children do not need the definition yet; “round all the way, no corners” is plenty.
Circle shapes in real life
- A clock face on the wall
- The top of a jar lid or a bottle cap
- A plate or the bottom of a mug
- Wheels on a bike, car or toy train
- Coins, buttons and the full moon
How to draw a circle
Start at the top and go round in one smooth movement, like the hands of a clock going backwards, until you meet the start dot again. Big arm circles in the air first help children feel the movement before they try it on paper.
Activity: Lid printing
Collect jar lids, cups and bottle tops of different sizes. Dip the rims in paint or press them on a stamp pad and print circles all over a big sheet of paper. Talk about big, medium and small circles as you go.
Circle or not?
Circles and ovals are often confused. A circle is equally wide and tall; an oval is stretched. Put a coin next to an egg and ask your child which one could roll in a straight line.
More shapes to try
square · triangle · rectangle · or the whole shapes collection.
Circle questions
At what age can children draw a circle?
Most children can copy a circle by about age 3. Do not worry if it is wobbly or does not close; tracing big circles is exactly the practice that helps.
Is a ball a circle?
A ball is a sphere, the 3D version of a circle. If you trace around a ball’s middle or look at its shadow, you see a circle.
More answers in the shapes FAQ.
More Free Shape Worksheets
Also try: colour worksheets · number charts · tracing worksheets