NCERT Solutions for Class 2 Mathematics Joyful-Mathematics (English) Chapter 2
NCERT solutions for Class 2 Maths Chapter 2 Shapes Around Us – complete answers & explanations
Class 2 Maths Chapter 2 Shapes Around Us is one of the most engaging chapters in the NCERT Joyful Mathematics textbook. It introduces young learners to the world of solid shapes by connecting everyday objects — from musical instruments to classroom items — with mathematical concepts like faces, edges, and corners. Understanding shapes at this stage builds a strong foundation for all geometry learning in later classes. This chapter uses picture-based observations, matching activities, hands-on touching tasks, and fun group games to make learning meaningful and enjoyable. Whether your child is preparing for a class test or simply trying to understand the chapter better, having clear and reliable NCERT solutions makes a real difference. Download the worksheet and practice alongside solutions for better clarity. Parents and teachers will find this blog especially helpful for guided revision and answer checking. Book a free trial now to get expert guidance from experienced teachers who make maths simple and fun for every Class 2 student.
What this NCERT chapter covers?
1. Identifying solid shapes: Students learn to recognise and name solid shapes including cube, cuboid, cone, cylinder, and sphere by observing real-life objects around them.
2. Observing musical instruments: The chapter uses a colourful Garba festival picture to help students observe instruments like tabla, dholak, harmonium, shehnai, and drum and connect them to their solid shapes.
3. Matching objects to shapes: Students match instruments and everyday objects such as a matka, bell, chalk, and carrot to the correct solid shape — cylinder, cuboid, cone, cube, or sphere.
4. Understanding faces, edges, and corners: Through the story of Heena and Atif decorating a gift box, students learn what faces, edges, and corners of a solid shape mean and how to count them accurately.
5. Filling tables with shape properties: Students look at objects like a dice, chalk, ball, and ice cream cone and record the number of faces, edges, and corners for each in a table.
6. Grouping objects by number of corners: Students sort everyday objects into groups based on whether they have no corners, one corner, three corners, or four corners.
7. Activity-based and oral learning: The chapter includes an oral sharing task where students discuss musical instruments they have seen or played, building communication and observation skills alongside maths.
8. Touch and Tell game: Students play a blindfold game where one child identifies an object by touch based on clues about faces, edges, or corners — making learning interactive and kinaesthetic.
9. Project work: Students use cardboard and clay or dough to make objects with different numbers of faces and corners, encouraging creativity and deeper understanding of solid shapes.
10. Connecting maths to everyday life: Throughout the chapter, students are encouraged to look at objects around them — at home, school, and in nature — and identify the solid shapes they resemble, making maths relevant and practical.
How to use these NCERT solutions?
1. Attempt first, then check: Students should always try to answer each question on their own before referring to the solutions. This builds thinking skills and helps them understand where they went wrong.
2. Follow the worksheet order: The solutions in this blog follow the exact same order as the NCERT Joyful Mathematics worksheet — section by section, question by question — so it is easy to match and verify answers.
3. Use the tables carefully: For questions involving tables such as faces, edges, and corners, students should fill in their own answers first and then compare them row by row with the answer key provided here.
4. For activity-based questions: Some questions in this chapter involve oral sharing, touch-and-tell games, or project work. Students should participate in these activities fully as they are designed to build understanding through experience, not just written answers.
5. Parents can use this for revision: Parents can read out the questions to their child and ask them to answer aloud. Then they can check the responses against the solutions here to identify gaps in understanding.
6. Teachers can use it for class reference: Teachers will find this a quick and reliable reference to cross-check student responses and guide corrections in class.
7. Use it alongside the NCERT book: Keep the Joyful Mathematics textbook open alongside these solutions so students can see the questions in context and understand the visual matching and picture-based exercises better.
Important tips & tricks for students
1. Learn the properties by heart: Memorise the number of faces, edges, and corners for each shape. Cube and cuboid both have 6 faces, 12 edges, and 8 corners. Cone has 2 faces, 1 edge, and 1 corner. Cylinder has 3 faces, 2 edges, and 0 corners. Sphere has 1 face, 0 edges, and 0 corners.
2. Do not confuse cube and cuboid: Both have the same number of faces, edges, and corners — but a cube has all equal sides while a cuboid can have sides of different lengths. Look at the shape carefully before naming it.
3. Use real objects to practise: Pick up objects at home like a box, a ball, a tin can, or an ice cream cone and count their faces, edges, and corners. This makes it much easier to remember than just reading from a book.
4. For the odd one out activity: First identify what solid shape each object belongs to, then look for the one that does not match the group. The odd one out will belong to a completely different shape family.
5. For the matching activity: Look carefully at the shape of each object before drawing the line. Instruments like tabla and drum are cylinders. Harmonium is a cuboid. Matka is a sphere. Shehnai is a cylinder.
6. For the corners table: Remember that a sphere has no corners or edges — it is completely round. Do not leave this row blank or write 0 corners out of guessing; it is the correct answer.
7. For oral and sharing activities: There is no single right answer for these. Speak clearly, use the names of instruments you have actually seen or heard, and describe their shapes confidently.
8. For project work: When making objects with clay or cardboard, count the faces and corners of your model before finishing. This helps you check if your model is correct.
NCERT solutions – complete answer key
Let us Do
A. Look at the picture and observe different musical instruments.
i. Circle the musical instruments that are similar in shape to a drum.
Tabla, Dholak
ii. Tick the musical instruments that are similar in shape to a matka.
Matka, Mridang
iii. Tick the shape similar to the shape of a shehnai.
Shehnai – Cylinder
iv. How is the shape of harmonium different from the shape of a drum?
Harmonium – Cuboid; Drum – Cylinder
B. Have you seen or played any of the musical instruments? Share your experiences with your classmates.
Oral activity – Students share experiences.
(This is a student-generated oral activity. Answers may vary.)
C. Cross the odd one out.
(This is a picture-based activity. Students observe each row of objects and cross out the one that does not belong to the same shape group as the others.)
Answers may vary.
Activity
Students can observe that many musical instruments look similar because they are made to produce sound in similar ways. By noticing whether an instrument is beaten, plucked, or blown, students can understand how different instruments create music and learn to group them based on how they are played.
Match the musical instruments and objects with their solid shapes.
(Matching activity based on the picture in the worksheet. Students draw lines connecting each instrument or object on the left and right to the correct solid shape shown in the centre — cylinder, cuboid, cone, cube, or sphere.)
Answers may vary.
Heena and Atif
Ask students to touch and feel objects like a chalk box, duster, and chalk to notice their surfaces, edges, and corners. This helps them understand the shapes of solid objects and learn how different objects can feel smooth, flat, or have pointed corners.
(This is a student-generated hands-on activity.)
Let us Do
If you also have to decorate the following shapes in the same way with stars, ribbon stripes and pompom balls, how many of these items will you need?
Object 1 (Cuboid box):
Number of stars for the faces – 6
Number of ribbon stripes for the edges/sides – 12
Number of pompom balls for the corners – 8
Object 2 (Cone):
Number of stars for the faces – 2
Number of ribbon stripes for the edges/sides – 1
Number of pompom balls for the corners – 1
Object 3 (Cuboid trunk/box):
Number of stars for the faces – 6
Number of ribbon stripes for the edges/sides – 12
Number of pompom balls for the corners – 8
Let us Think
Look at the objects and fill the table.
1. Object: Dice – I look like a: Cube – Faces: 6 – Edges: 12 – Corners: 8
2. Object: Cracker/soap – I look like a: Cuboid – Faces: 6 – Edges: 12 – Corners: 8
3. Object: Carrot – I look like a: Cone – Faces: 2 – Edges: 1 – Corners: 1
4. Object: Chalk – I look like a: Cylinder – Faces: 3 – Edges: 2 – Corners: 0
5. Object: Ball – I look like a: Sphere – Faces: 1 – Edges: 0 – Corners: 0
6. Object: Crayons box – I look like a: Cuboid – Faces: 6 – Edges: 12 – Corners: 8
7. Object: Ice cream cone – I look like a: Cone – Faces: 2 – Edges: 1 – Corners: 1
8. Object: Bottle – I look like a: Cylinder – Faces: 3 – Edges: 2 – Corners: 0
Let us Play – Touch and Tell. Who am I?
Collect different objects with variation in faces, corners and edges. Blindfold the child and ask them to pick an object as per the details given by other children. For example, a child may be asked to take out an object with one corner. Similarly, continue with other objects.
(This is a student-generated group activity. Answers may vary.)
Let us Do
Name the objects which have —
No Corners:
A. Ball
B. Cylinder
C. Marble
One Corner:
A. Ice cream cone
B. Party hat
C. Funnel
Three Corners:
A. Triangle tile
B. Pizza slice
C. Triangular ruler
Four Corners:
A. Book
B. Chalk box
C. Window
Project Work
Take a cardboard sheet and try to make an object with four faces.
Now, try to make an object with one face.
(Student-generated activity.)
Explanation:
- Make a cardboard object with four faces (e.g., tetrahedron).
- Make an object with one face (e.g., sphere).
- Use clay/dough to model objects with one, two, three, or no corners.
Activity
Encourage students to observe everyday objects and identify how many corners they have. By making similar objects with clay or dough, they can better understand shapes and learn how corners and edges form different solid objects.
(This is a student-generated hands-on activity. Answers may vary.)
Why NCERT solutions help students?
Having access to clear, NCERT-aligned solutions for Class 2 Maths Chapter 2 Shapes Around Us gives students the confidence to approach every question correctly. When children understand exactly what a face, edge, or corner is — and can count them accurately for each solid shape — they are fully prepared for class tests and assessments. These solutions help students verify their own answers, correct mistakes early, and develop a genuine understanding of the chapter rather than just memorising. For parents, having a reliable answer key means they can support their child's learning at home without any confusion. Strong early maths skills, built on the right foundations, make every future concept easier to grasp.
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