Come full circle with this free printable circle shape. Okay, I’m not entirely sure what that means, but I really wanted to open this post with an awesome circle pun, so there you go. Anyway … while my pun may be lacking, this printable circle template is awesome for demonstrating math concepts like how to find the area of a circle and how to find the circumference of a circle.
Trying to help your kid with math homework but struggling to remember your geometry lessons? I can’t believe you haven’t stayed up-to-date on the formulas for area, circumference, and perimeter! Just kidding. Luckily, this printable circle shape, as well as the all-things-circle refresher I’m about to give you, can help!
Psst! A lot of what I’m about to share with you is geared toward slightly older children, not your preschooler. However, if you do have a little one at home, you could use this printable circle shape as:
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- Part of an arts or crafts project; for example to teach your child how to draw a circle.
- A simple coloring sheet. Coloring can help improve motor coordination and promote relaxation. (Psst! If you want more involved and exciting coloring pages, download free printable coloring pages here.)
- A piece in a matching game. Design your own matching games using shapes, letters, numbers, etc. to help your child develop focus and visual memory skills! (Psst! Download free printable bubble letters and bubble numbers here.)
Bonus: Are you looking to get in shape? Or should I say get shapes? Head to the Freebie Finding Mom shop to get my 132-page shapes bundle now!
In this 132-page printable shapes worksheets bundle in the Freebie Finding Mom shop you’ll get printable shape tracing worksheets, matching shapes worksheets, shapes coloring pages, counting shapes worksheets, shape pattern worksheets, printable shapes, 2D shapes charts, and shapes flashcards. If you need preschool shapes worksheets or shapes worksheets for kindergarten, you’ll find that and more here! Snag this incredible shapes bundle now!
So now that you’re super excited to get your hands on this printable circle template, let’s get to it, shall we?
First, A Circle Definition
Before we can get into how do you find the area of a circle or how to find the diameter of a circle, let’s start with the very basics—a circle definition. Of course you know what a circle is, but it’s one of those concepts that’s difficult to put into concise, easy to understand terms, right?
Here’s what I’ve come up with for a circle definition: A closed, curved shaped figure that has no corners or edges. It is a set of points that are a fixed distance from a fixed point (the center).
What are concentric circles?
Concentric circles are circles within circles. More specifically, in geometry, two or more objects are said to be concentric when they share the same center. To envision a concentric circle, think about a target that you would throw a dart at or shoot an arrow at. The bulls-eye is a circle within a circle, right?
What is a semi-circle?
In geometry, a semi-circle is half of a circle that measures 180° and has only one line of symmetry. Yep, a semi-circle is just half of a circle.
Download the Printable Circle Shape
And that’s the basics of circle shapes! Now, before we dive into the actual math portion of this post, like how to find the radius of a circle or the circle formula for finding perimeter, take a second to snag this printable circle template.
Bonus: Think a colored version of the circle shape will make your math lesson a bright spot in the day? (Haha, get it?) If so, download a pre-colored free printable circle shape here.
How to Find the Radius of a Circle
Okay, before we get into the how, let’s talk about the what. Specifically, what is the radius of a circle? The radius of a circle is just a line segment that extends from the center point of the circle to the outer edge. The radius is always half the width of the circle.
Now that you know what is the radius of a circle let’s move on to how to find the radius of a circle. This will depend on what you know about the circle. In other words, no one is going to give you a completely blank circle and ask you “what is the radius of a circle?”
If you know what is the circumference of a circle, you can find the radius with this formula:
Radius = Circumference / (2 * π)
Tip: For π (which symbolizes pie), use the value 3.14.
If you can use the area of circle formula (more on that later) to find the area, you can then find the radius with this formula:
Radius = √(Area / π)
Tip: The √ symbol means “square root.” You can read more about how to find square root here.
If you know the diameter of the circle, you can use that information to find the radius with this formula:
Radius = Diameter / 2
Have a preschooler or kindergartener? These printable circle tracing worksheets will come in handy.
How to Find the Diameter of a Circle
But first, what is the diameter of a circle? The diameter is a line segment that is made up of two radii; a diameter runs the length of the circle, running through the center point and then touching two points on the outer edge of the circle. To make it super simple, a diameter is a straight line that runs through the center of the circle all the way to the edges of the circle.
If you know the radius of the circle (see the previous section), how to find the diameter of a circle is so easy. Ready for it?
Diameter = Radius * 2
Yep, you just double the radius. And if you don’t know the radius, revisit the previous section for formulas on finding it!
How to Find the Circumference of a Circle
And you know where we’re starting, right? Yep, with what is the circumference of a circle! Guess what, the circumference is the same thing as the perimeter of a circle.
The circumference (or perimeter) of circles is just the total length of a shape’s outline. When you’re dealing with a straight sided shape, like a square, this measurement is referred to as “perimeter.” In a rounded shape, like a circle, the correct terminology is circumference.
Now that we know what is the circumference of a circle, let’s talk about the circumference of a circle formula. Here’s the circle formula for circumference:
Circumference = 2 * π * Radius
So to use the circumference of a circle formula, you would multiply 3.14 (the value of pie) by 2, which produces 6.28. You would then multiply 6.28 by the value of the circle’s radius.
What if you don’t know the radius? Well, do you know the diameter or the area? If so, refer back to the section on how to find the radius of a circle because you can use either of those pieces of information to calculate the radius, and once you have that you can deploy the circumference of circle formula!
You now know how to find the circumference of a circle! And remember, if someone asks you to find the perimeter of the circle, what they’re actually asking for is the circumference.
How to Find the Area of a Circle
Ready to take this whole math thing up a notch? Don’t worry, it isn’t a very big notch. 🙂 The area of circle formula is a lot easier to work through than the formula for some other shapes, I promise!
The formula you will use to answer the question how do you find the area of a circle is:
Area = π * radius²
Tip: When working through the area of circle formula (above), don’t forget your order of operations! When solving math problems you want to do things in this order:
- Parentheses
- Exponents
- Multiplication or Division
- Addition or Subtraction
That means before you can multiply the radius by 3.14 (π), you must first square the value of the radius (because that’s an exponent). So if your radius is 3 you’d calculate 3 * 3, come up with 9, and then multiply 9 by π (3.14) in order to find the area.
And, again, if you aren’t given the radius for the area of a circle formula, you can refer to that section of this post for the various ways you can calculate the radius of a circle. That’s all you need for how to find the area of a circle!
How to Find the Volume of a Circle
Technically, the answer to how to find the volume of a circle is that you can’t. Let me explain; circles are two dimensional figures and the concept of volume only applies to three dimensional objects. In other words, a circle cannot have a volume. However, while you can’t find the volume of a circle, you can find the volume of a sphere.
To find the volume of a sphere you will need this formula:
Volume = (4/3) * π * radius³
Tip: Again, don’t forget that order of operations! 🙂
Free Printable 2D Shapes
Whew! I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve been running in circles for ages! (Haha, get it?) Let’s break this cycle and check out some other shapes. Here are more printable 2D shapes you can download right now!
Download this free printable 2D shapes chart in black and white or this free printable 2D shapes chart in color.
Or if a specific shape caught your eye you can download it here:
- Octagon Shape
- Square Shape
- Hexagon Shape
- Rectangle Shape
- Trapezoid Shape
- Pentagon Shape
- Oval Shape
- Diamond Shape
- Triangle Shape
Coloring Pages Beyond the Printable Circle Shape
This circle is free, versatile, and overall, a great addition to your growing hoard totally in control collection of printables. But I’ll admit, it isn’t the most imaginative coloring sheet out there. So, if you’re looking to spark creativity, download:
Even More Templates
Stay crafty and creative with even more free printable templates!
Letter and Number Printables
Use these letter and number printables to make your homemade matching game better than any store-bought option! 😉
- Free printable alphabet calligraphy letters or if it’s more your style a modern calligraphy alphabet.
How to Draw A Circle
Wondering how to draw a circle? Like a really perfect circle? No problem! Snag the printable circle shape from this post and trace it! (Check out the video in this post for an example; while the video focuses on how to draw bubble letters, the concept is the same for how to draw a circle.)
