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Common Core MathKindergartenGeometry

K.G.1: Shapes and Positions in the Environment

Also written as K.G.A.1 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1 · Cluster: Identify and describe shapes.

Make a K.G.1 WorksheetAll 22 Kindergarten Math Standards

The Official Wording

Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.

Common Core State Standards, Kindergarten, Geometry · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What K.G.1 Means in Plain English

Kindergartners look around the room and name what they see as shapes: the clock is a circle, the door is a rectangle, the block is a cube. Then they say where things are. The clock is above the whiteboard. The trash can is beside the door.

Position words are the trickier half: behind and in front of depend on where you stand, and beside and next to mean the same thing. Naming shapes in any position deepens in K.G.2, and in 1st grade shapes are defined by their attributes (1.G.1).

K.G.1 I Can Statements

  • I can name the shape of things in my classroom.
  • I can say where something is using above, below or beside.
  • I can tell what is in front of and behind an object.

K.G.1 Worked Example

One corner of a classroom, described shape by shape and position by position, the way a child would give a tour.

Problem

Look at the reading corner. Name the shapes you see and tell where each thing is.

Describing the reading corner
  1. Start with the biggest thing. The rug has four straight sides and four corners.the rug is a rectangle
  2. Look up. The clock has no corners at all, it is round.the clock is a circle, above the bookshelf
  3. Find something next to something else.the beanbag is beside the bookshelf
  4. Now something hidden. Where is the basket of puppets?the basket is behind the beanbag
  5. And something in the way. Where is the stool?the stool is in front of the shelf, below the clock
AnswerRectangle rug, circle clock, and five positions: above, beside, behind, in front of, below.

Check it: Have a partner close their eyes while you describe one object by shape and position only. If they can walk to it, the description worked.

Common Mistakes with K.G.1

Describing the color, not the shape

“The clock is white.” when asked what shape the clock is

Try this: Trace the outline with a finger first, then ask about corners and straight sides. Round with no corners is a circle.

Mixing up above and below

“The rug is above the table.” for a rug on the floor

Try this: Pair each word with a gesture, hand up for above and hand down for below, and say the word with the gesture every time.

Using “there” and pointing

“It is over there.” with a finger instead of a position word

Try this: Play the describing game with eyes closed, so pointing cannot work and a word like behind or beside has to carry the meaning.

Where K.G.1 Fits

Comes BeforeK.MD.1Describe an object by what could be measured on it, like its length, before shape becomes the attribute to name.
AlongsideK.G.2Name a shape whatever its size or the way it is turned.K.G.3Tell flat shapes from solid shapes.
Comes NextK.G.4Compare shapes by their sides and corners.1.G.1Tell the attributes that define a shape, like three sides, from ones that do not, like color.

Practice K.G.1

Math Worksheet GeneratorFree ToolKindergarten shape pages: find and color the circles, squares, triangles and rectangles in a classroom scene, then answer where things are with position words.KindergartenShapesAnswer key
Make a Worksheet
Graph Paper GeneratorFree ToolLarge-square grid paper for a shape map of the classroom: students draw a rectangle for the rug and a circle for the clock, then tell a partner what is above or beside what.Large squaresOne page
Make Graph Paper

Quick Check

  1. What shape is a classroom door?
  2. The clock is above the whiteboard. Where is the whiteboard?
  3. Nina says the ball is behind the shelf. Zane, standing on the other side of the shelf, says it is in front of the shelf. Who is right?

K.G.1: Other Names

K.G.1K.G.A.1CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.