Maths vocabulary in French: CERCLE, TRIANGLE, RECTANGLE and TRAPÈZE

Shape names are the rare vocabulary that a child needs in two subjects at once — in the maths lesson and in the language lesson — which is why this sheet is worth more than its six words suggest. The grid hides the French for a circle, a rectangle, an oval, a triangle, a trapezium and a star, each shown as a picture beside the list. The child reads across and down, then rings each word found.

TRIANGLE and RECTANGLE are spelled exactly as in English, which makes them free finds and a good place to begin. TRAPÈZE is the awkward one — a grave accent in the middle, and an ending that does not match the English trapezium at all. ÉTOILE opens with an accented capital that children scanning quickly tend to skip. Read both aloud once and the search settles.

Because the shapes themselves are already familiar, a child can do this one without much support — useful if you want ten quiet minutes. It also pairs neatly with a shape-sorting box or a set of pattern blocks: find CERCLE on the page, then pick the circle out of the box. ÉTOILE is the odd one out, a star rather than a geometric shape, and children almost always notice that for themselves and say so.