Net of a Cube Worksheet (Free KS2 Maths Printable)

What is the net of a cube?

A net is the flat, unfolded version of a 3D shape. If you carefully cut along some of the edges of a cardboard box and open it out flat, the shape you are left with is its net. The net of a cube is made of six identical squares, because a cube has six faces and every face is the same size. When the net is folded along its edges, those six squares come together to form the closed solid we call a cube. The cross or 'plus' arrangement shown on this worksheet is the most familiar net, but it is not the only one — there are eleven different nets that all fold into a cube, which makes this a rich topic for discussion.

How this worksheet supports Year 6 maths

In Year 6, children are expected to recognise, describe and build simple 3D shapes, including making nets. This printable focuses on the cube as a starting point because its faces are all congruent squares, which makes the relationship between the flat net and the finished solid easy to see. Colouring each face encourages children to notice that all six squares are equal, while the short questions prompt them to articulate why a cube has six faces and how the net folds together. For a deeper challenge, children can be invited to predict which squares will end up opposite one another once the net is folded.

Turning the worksheet into a fold-it-yourself model

This sheet becomes far more powerful when it is used practically. After colouring, your child can cut around the outside edge of the net, fold along each line between the squares, and tape the edges to build a real cube. This bridges the gap between a 2D drawing and a 3D object, and it gives immediate feedback: if the net is correct, it will close neatly with no overlaps or gaps. You might also ask your child to colour opposite faces in matching colours and then check, once folded, that those faces really do sit opposite each other — a simple way to develop spatial reasoning.

Extending the learning at home or in class

Once your child is confident with this cross net, encourage them to investigate the other arrangements of six squares that also fold into a cube. Squared paper is ideal for this: ask them to draw a net, predict whether it will work, then cut and fold to test it. It is just as useful to discover nets that fail — some arrangements of six squares overlap or leave a face missing — because explaining why a net does not work shows genuine understanding. From here, children can move on to the nets of other shapes such as cuboids, square-based pyramids and triangular prisms.

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