Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Angle Explorers: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 3
- ForYear 3
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Angle Explorers is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 3 (ages 7 to 8), in Key Stage 2. Children fill the gaps in sentences about right angles and turns. It needs only a pencil and a piece of paper, and it is two A4 pages. Page 1 is for the child. Page 2 gives the grown up notes, help and a stretch idea.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, a growing library of free printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children fill the gaps in sentences about right angles and turns. They choose the right maths words and write them on the lines provided. The sheet asks them to think about angles as turns as well as corners. Work through it together the first time, talk about each choice, then let your child try more on their own.
Make and use an angle tester
Fold the tester
Fold a sheet of paper in half. Fold it in half again, so the folded edge lines up with itself. The corner where the folds meet is a right angle. This is your tester.
Test a corner
Slide the folded corner into the corner of a book. If both edges of the tester sit snugly along the book, the book corner is a right angle.
Look for gaps
If the tester fits inside the corner with a gap, the angle is bigger than a right angle. If the tester sticks out past the edge, the angle is smaller.
Try a turn on paper
Lay a pencil along one edge of the tester, with its end in the folded corner. Turn the pencil around that end until it lies along the other edge. The pencil has made a turn of one right angle.
Why learn about right angles?
Angles are everywhere once children start to look. Corners of books, windows, tables and paper all show them. At first an angle can seem like a shape idea. In Year 3, children also meet it as a turn. A turn describes how far something rotates, such as a door swinging or a hand moving round a clock.
The right angle is the first angle children use as a measuring tool. Before they use degrees, they compare other angles with it. They ask whether an angle is bigger than, smaller than or the same as a right angle. Folding paper to make a tester gives them something they can hold and check for themselves.
Angle facts for explorers
- The corner of a sheet of A4 paper is a right angle.
- A square has four corners that are all the same size.
- A rectangle has four right angles, even when it is long and thin.
- An angle tells you how far something has turned, not how long its sides are.
- You can make your own right angle tester by folding paper.
Skills and curriculum link
- Right angles
- Turns
- Maths vocabulary
- Comparing angles
- Reasoning and explaining
Ideas to help you talk about angles
- Look at cornersMany everyday objects have square corners, such as books, cards and tables. Ask your child to find corners that look different and say how they differ.
- Think of a turnAn angle can be a corner, but it can also be a turn. Ask your child to show you a turn with their arm or a toy.
- Size, not lengthAn angle does not get bigger when its sides are drawn longer. Draw one corner with short sides and the same corner with long sides, then test both.
- Use the testerThe folded paper tester does the measuring. Let your child decide if a corner is bigger, smaller or the same, then check it together.
Key words
- AngleThe amount of turn between two lines that meet at a point.
- Right angleThe square corner you see in a book or a sheet of paper.
- TurnA movement round a point, such as spinning on the spot.
- CornerThe place where two edges meet.
- ClockwiseA turn in the same direction as the hands of a clock.
- AnticlockwiseA turn in the opposite direction to the hands of a clock.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for the child. Keep page 2 for the grown up.
- Fold a piece of paper twice to make a right angle. Use it to test corners around the house.
- Work through the activity together the first time. Talk about each choice.
- Check against the notes on page 2.
- Come back to it another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Use your arm to show the corner of a book turning. Start small, then turn further, then all the way round. Ask your child to copy you and say what they notice. Handle a few corners with the paper tester before the sheet.
To stretch confident children
Ask your child to hunt for things at home and sort them into three groups: bigger than a right angle, smaller than a right angle, or equal to a right angle. Check each one with the paper tester and explain why.
Make it a game
Clear a safe space and stand facing the door. A helper calls out a number of right angles. Turn that far, stopping to check. Then swap places. Say how many right angles you turned through each time.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child thinks a corner with longer sides is a bigger angle.
Try thisDraw two corners with different side lengths. Test both with the paper tester. Show that the gap between the sides is what matters.
Watch forA child puts the wrong part of the tester into the corner, so the test does not work.
Try thisShow them how the folded corner of the tester goes into the corner being checked. Say that the two edges must sit along the two sides.
Watch forA child counts the starting position as a turn.
Try thisMark the starting position first, for example by facing the door. Then count only each new turn made from there.
Talk about it
- Where can you see a right angle in this room?
- How do you know a corner is a right angle?
- What is the difference between an angle as a corner and an angle as a turn?
- How could you check a corner without a paper tester?
- Can you find something with a corner that is bigger than a right angle?
- What happens if you turn the other way? Does it change the size of the turn?
Take it off the page
Corner hunt
Walk around the house with a paper tester. Check corners on books, boxes, cards and furniture. Draw the ones you find and mark each as bigger, smaller or equal to a right angle.
Paper folding
Fold a sheet of paper in different ways. Make a right angle by folding twice. Fold again and see what other angles you can make. Test each one with your tester.
Turn directions
Take turns giving each other directions. Use words like forward, turn right by one right angle, and turn left by one right angle. Walk the path and see where you end up.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first go and let them lead. Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty. Fold the paper tester together and test a few corners around the house before they write anything.
Teachers
Use it as a starter or plenary on angles, or as an early finisher task. Pupils fold a tester and use it during the activity. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Pair this sheet with a walk around your home or garden hunting for right angles. Let your child choose what to test. Repeat the sheet a few weeks later to check what has stuck.
Where this fits in maths
Before this, children in Year 2 describe movement, including turns, using words such as clockwise and anticlockwise. They meet quarter, half and three quarter turns as ways to describe direction and movement.
After this, children compare angles with a right angle, learn that angles are a property of shape, and meet lines that are parallel or perpendicular. In Year 4 they name angles that are smaller or bigger than a right angle. In Year 5 they measure angles in degrees with a protractor.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Angle Explorers for?
It is written for Year 3 (ages 7 to 8), in Key Stage 2. It also works for children who are a little younger or older and want practice with right angles and turns.
- What will children practise?
They practise right angles, turns and maths vocabulary. The sheet supports the Year 3 National Curriculum strand on angles, where children link right angles to turns and compare angles with a right angle.
- How do I use it?
Print both pages. Give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Fold a piece of paper twice to make a right angle and use it to test corners around the house. Work through the first go together.
- What if it feels too hard?
Show the book corner turn with your arm. Turn a little, then further, then all the way round. Let your child copy you. Try a few corners with the paper tester before going back to the sheet.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or revision.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It is a screen free printable that needs only paper and a pencil, so it works well for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays.
- How long should I spend on it?
Short bursts of ten to fifteen minutes work better than long sessions. You can do the sheet in one go or split it over two sittings. Come back to it another day to build confidence.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.