1st grade sides & vertices worksheets

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Sides and vertices worksheets for first grade show one shape at a time (triangle, square, rectangle, or hexagon) with a single question, how many sides or how many vertices, and a writing line for the count.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 1.G.A.1.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of problems you'll get

Count the straight sides and vertices of each shape.

  1. How many corners does a triangle have?

    Answer: Three corners.

Most problems on this sheet sit beside a picture, model or diagram, so this is the worked example the sheet itself prints. The answer key on page two prints the answer under every problem.

Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.

What's on a 1st grade sheet

The sample sheet above has 9 problems. Its answers run from 0 to 6.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key after the problems.

How to teach this

Teach the pencil-dot trick right away: mark one corner, count around, stop at the dot. Once your child has counted sides and vertices on a few shapes, ask what they notice: the two numbers always match on these closed shapes, and discovering that pattern beats being told it. Say "vertices" out loud often so the word stops sounding strange.

Watch for: Kids count a corner twice when they trace around without marking a start. Put a dot on the first corner and stop when you come back to it. Kids mix up sides and vertices. Sides are the straight edges, vertices are the corners where two edges meet, and closed shapes have the same number of each.

Common questions about 1st grade sides & vertices

What's a vertex, in plain words?
A corner, the point where two sides meet. Vertices is just the plural. The sheets use the math word so it's familiar before the shapes get more complicated.
Why do sides and vertices always come out equal?
On a closed shape, every side ends at a corner and every corner starts a new side, so the counts match. A triangle has three of each; a hexagon has six of each.

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Aligned to Common Core 1.G.A.1. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.

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