Know what’s missing from your life? A printable octagon shape … correction, a free printable octagon shape! 😉 No, really; an octagon printable can be used in a wide variety of educational activities for kids of all ages.
Whether you’re full-blown homeschooling your kids, trying to help them with their homework, or just teach them on a budget, an octagon printable can come in handy. Yes, seriously. A picture of octagon can be used for everything from math lessons to art projects.
And as mentioned above, a picture of octagon can be useful for kids of all ages. For example, for young children it could be a:
- Simple coloring sheet to help refine motor coordination. (Psst! If you’re looking for coloring pages specifically, I’ve got you covered. Get free printable coloring pages here.)
- Piece in a matching game to help develop focus and memory.
- Flashcard to help demonstrate various shapes.
Bonus: To make educating and entertaining as easy as possible, I’ve put together a shapes bundle that’ll rock your world! (Something you probably never thought you’d hear in conjunction with shapes, am I right?)
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!
For older kids this printable can be used in math and geometry lessons, like to help them learn how to find the area of an octagon or octagon angles. It could also be used in more artistic pursuits such as to help them learn how to draw an octagon.
So, let’s get started!
Wait, What Is An Octagon?
Okay, if you’re not even 100% sure what an octagon even is, no worries. I’m going to start at the beginning. If it starts to feel a little like your high school geometry class, don’t panic! We’ll take it slow. 🙂
So, what is an octagon? Let’s break it down. “Octa” means eight and “gon” means sides. So if you were also wondering “how many sides does an octagon have,” hopefully that clears things up!
Putting it all together….
What is an octagon?
An octagon is a shape that is made up of eight straight sides and eight angles. (Think of a stop sign!) It has no curves and is a closed shape (no openings). If you still can’t quite picture what does an octagon look like, just scroll down a little bit and check out the printable!
How many sides does an octagon have?
To be an octagon the shape must have eight sides! However, that does not mean that all of the octagon sides are equal in length. That brings us to regular octagons vs. irregular octagons!
What is a regular octagon?
Okay, regardless of whether an octagon is regular or irregular the answer to “how many sides does an octagon have is the same: eight. However, in a “regular” octagon, sides are all the same length and the octagon has the same angle measures.
A little confused? If you’re wondering what does an octagon look like when it comes to regular vs. irregular, just picture a stop sign (or scroll down and check out the printable octagon shape below)—that’s a regular octagon!
Download the Printable Octagon Shape
Still with me? I’m going to give you a sec to snag this printable octagon shape before we dive deeper and get into some math.
Okay, if you were just wondering what does an octagon look like or are planning to use this as a coloring sheet or a piece in a game, you’re free to go now. For the rest of us, it’s time to dust off those geometry skills. Don’t worry, I’m right here with you!
Bonus: Want a pre-colored octagon shape to add a little color to your flashcards or matching game? No problem! Get a free printable octagon shape with color here.
Have a younger kid? These printable octagon tracing worksheets will be more their speed.
Find the Perimeter of Octagons
Let’s start with some easy math! Figuring out how to find the area of an octagon can be a little challenging, but the perimeter of octagons, if you’re dealing with a regular octagon, is no biggie. (That’s a relief, right?) 🙂
Here’s the formula to find the perimeter of octagons for regular octagons: Perimeter = 8L
In that formula, “L” stands for the length of one octagon side. All you have to do is take the length of one side and multiply it by eight! For an irregular octagon, you would add up the length of all of the sides.
Find the Area of Octagons
As mentioned above, figuring out the area of octagons is a little harder, but it is by no means impossible! Just take your time and look for practice problems online to get more comfortable with the area of octagon formula I’m about to share with you. Note, this area of octagon formula is for a regular octagon!
To find the area of octagons (regular) use: Area = 2L²(1+√2)
In that area of octagon formula, “L” stands for the length of one of the octagon sides. The √ symbol stands for square root. To learn more about square roots and order of operations, go through the square shape refresher here!
But how do you find the area of an octagon that is not regular? That’s a little trickier and would depend on how the octagon is shaped. You may be able to essentially split it into two separate shapes (such as a triangle and some kind of four-sided polygon like a square shape or trapezoid shape) and find the area of those shapes.
A Closer Look at Octagon Angles
Now that you’ve figured out the perimeter and area of octagons, let’s take a closer look at octagon angles, including octagon interior angles and how many degrees in an octagon.
How many degrees in an octagon?
The sum of an octagon’s interior angles is 1080°. The sum of an octagon’s exterior angles is 360°. This is the same whether it’s a regular or an irregular octagon.
That means in a regular octagon, where all of the angles are equal, the octagon interior angles are 135° each and the exterior angles are 45° each.
More Printable Octagon Shape FAQ
Want to go a little deeper into octagons and math? Okay, this is the advanced stuff!
How many lines of symmetry does an octagon have?
Before we get to how many lines of symmetry does an octagon have, let’s just briefly review what a “line of symmetry is.” I know you know; this is for everyone else! 😉
A line of symmetry is a line that cuts a shape perfectly in half, meaning that if you were to fold the shape along that line both halves would match exactly.
So think about what does an octagon look like and see if you can figure out how many lines of symmetry does an octagon have. *Cue the Jeopardy music!* The answer is eight!
How many diagonals does an octagon have?
Again, before we answer how many diagonals does an octagon have, let’s define diagonals. Now this one probably is exactly what you think it is!
A diagonal is a line that connects two vertices of a polygon; however, those vertices cannot be on the same side or edge. In other words, a diagonal is a sloping line! 🙂
So how many diagonals does an octagon have? Well you can either quickly learn how to draw an octagon (more on that in a sec) or I can just tell you. … The answer is 20.
Free Printable 2D Shapes
Octagons aren’t the only shapes your kid, big or small, will encounter in life. If you want to get them familiar with even more shapes, check out these printable 2D shapes!
See something you like? Go here to get free printable 2D shapes chart in black and white or here for free printable 2D shapes chart in color. Or if a specific shape caught your eye you can download it here:
- Hexagon Shape
- Square Shape
- Circle Shape
- Rectangle Shape
- Trapezoid Shape
- Pentagon Shape
- Oval Shape
- Diamond Shape
- Triangle Shape
Coloring Pages Beyond the Printable Octagon Shape
This picture of octagon is great, but it probably isn’t the most inspiring coloring sheet you’ve ever seen. If you want to take full advantage of the cognitive and mental benefits of coloring, get those crayons ready and download:
And remember, coloring is not just for kids! 🙂
More Educational and Entertaining Templates and Printables
Need a break from shapes? I mean, sure, octagons and other polygons are thrilling, but there’s a lot more to learn and explore, right? Here are some more free printable templates that are calling your name.
And when you’re ready to get into those ABCs and 123s…
- Free Printable Calligraphy Alphabet Letters or if it’s more your style a modern calligraphy alphabet.
- Printable number templates including bubble numbers from 0 to 100 and a free printable number stencils set.
How to Draw An Octagon
Wondering how to draw an octagon? Like a really good one? Two options:
- Break out your ruler and carefully draw a regular octagon by measuring out eight sides.
- Snag the printable octagon 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 an octagon.)
