Think outside and inside the box with this printable square shape. In this post you’ll learn how to convert acres to square feet, how to find the area of square, and much (much) more. So, don’t be a square (haha, get it?)—keep reading!
Today I’m talking about all things square—from the free handy-dandy square template printable in this post to how to figure out square root. You can use the information in this post to help your kids with their homework or to impress your friends. (Okay, probably mainly the first one.)
Tip: In addition to demonstrating math concepts, the printable square shape can be used for arts and crafts projects or even games. For example, for young children, the square template printable could be used as a:
- Coloring sheet. Coloring can help improve motor coordination and promote relaxation. (Psst! If you want actual coloring pages, download free printable coloring pages here.)
- Piece in a matching game. Design your own matching games using shapes, letters, numbers, etc. to help your child get familiar with different concepts and to develop focus, visual memory, and attention to detail! (Psst! Shapes aren’t the only thing you can use in your homemade matching game; also consider using numbers and letters, such as matching upper and lowercase letters. Download free printable bubble letters and bubble numbers here.)
- Template to help them learn how to draw a square.
Bonus: Like freebies and chocolate, you can never have enough printable shapes. (That’s a thing, right?) If you agree, head on over to the Freebie Finding Mom shop to snag 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!
Ready to dive into the wonderful world of squares? 😉
Square Definition
Before we can get to the really fun stuff like how to calculate square feet or how many square feet in an acre, it’s important to first go over a square definition. In other words, what makes a shape a square?
A square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has:
- Four equal sides.
- Four equal angles (each of which is 90 degrees).
- A sum of all interior angles equal to 360 degrees.
- Opposite sides that are parallel.
Wait, is a square a rectangle?
To answer the question “is a square a rectangle,” compare the square definition (above) to the definition of what a rectangle is. A rectangle is a quadrilateral in which all four of the internal angles are 90 degrees.
That means that the answer to “is a square a rectangle” is technically, yes. Squares are quadrilaterals that have internal angles of 90 degrees.
Download the Printable Square Shape
Before we move into those long-awaited mathematical formulas, take a minute to snag this square template printable. It may come in handy as you work through or attempt to demonstrate math concepts, such as how to find the area of a square.
Bonus: Want a pre-colored square shape to (hopefully) make that math lesson a little brighter? Get a free printable square shape with color here.
Have a preschooler or kindergartener? These printable square tracing worksheets will come in handy.
How to Find the Perimeter of Squares
Feeling a little nervous about math? Having flashbacks of your high school geometry class? Don’t panic! I’m going to start with something super simple to boost your math confidence: How to find the perimeter of squares.
All you have to do to find the perimeter of squares is add up the length of all four sides. So it would look like this:
Side 1 + Side 2 + Side 3 + Side 4 = Perimeter
However, it’s actually even easier than that! Remember that a square shape has 4 equal sides, so all you have to do is take the length of one side and multiply it by four, like this:
S * 4 = Perimeter
That’s it! You now know how to find the perimeter of squares!
How to Find the Area of Squares
Finding the area of squares is not nearly as tricky as some other shapes (like octagon shapes, for example). So this is a great place to start if you’re just now building those geometry skills or if you’re dusting them off after a long hiatus.
To get started with how to find the area of a square, all you need to know is the length of one side of the square. (Remember, all four sides of a square are equal, so if you know the length of one side you know the length of all sides! 🙂 ) Now take that length and square it.
In math, to “square” something means to multiply it by itself. So let’s say the length of one side of your square is 5 feet. To “square” that you would calculate 5 * 5. That means the area of your square is 25 feet².
Yep, it’s as simple as that! You now know how to find the area of a square.
Wait, is this how to calculate square feet?
Yes (well, basically)! In addition to finding the area of squares you now basically know how to calculate square feet. Although, to be clear, “square feet” doesn’t necessarily mean a square shape. Square footage is just the measurement of an area, frequently a room or overall house size.
If you want to learn how to measure square feet, all you have to do is:
- Find the length of the space.
- Find the width of the space.
- Multiply them together.
If you’re learning how to measure square feet in a space that actually is a square, then it would be exactly the same as finding the area of a square!
However, as mentioned above, typically, measuring square feet applies to real estate (such as the size of your master bedroom). Generally, rooms are not perfectly square or even exact numbers. For example, the room might be 11.5 feet by 13 feet. That can make learning how to measure square feet a smidge trickier, but I know you can do it! 🙂
Free Printable 2D Shapes
Guess what? You now know the basics of squares! You know what a square is, how to find the perimeter of squares, and how to find the area of squares. You even know how to measure square feet. And speaking of square feet, I’m getting ready to walk you through how to convert square feet into some other common measurements, but first, I’d like to share some additional 2D shapes with you.
Just like the printable square shape, these other printable shapes can come in handy for math lessons, craft projects, and art activities, so be sure to download these free printable 2D shapes chart in black and white or printable 2D shapes chart in color before moving on!
Or if you have your eye on a specific shape, you can download it here:
- Octagon Shape
- Hexagon Shape
- Circle Shape
- Rectangle Shape
- Trapezoid Shape
- Pentagon Shape
- Oval Shape
- Diamond Shape
- Triangle Shape
Converting Square Feet to Square Meters and More
Previously, in the section on finding the area of squares, we talked about how to calculate square feet. Quick refresher, all you do is multiply the length of an area by the width of an area. However, what if you need to convert square feet to square yards, meters or acres? I’m so glad you asked…. 🙂
How do you convert acres to square feet and vice versa?
The first step in any conversion is to know the ratio. In other words, how many square feet are in an acre? The answer is 43,560.
Tip: You can easily get this information from Google. Just go to the search engine and type in “how many square feet are in an acre.”
Now, to convert acres to square feet, just multiply the number of acres by 43,560, (Again, that’s the number of square feet in each acre.) For example, if you wanted to know the number of square feet in 2 acres you would multiply 43,560 by 2, which is 87,120 square feet.
What if you want to go the other way? In other words, what if you want to figure out square foot to acre? That’s no problem at all! To figure out square foot to acre, simply take the number of square feet and divide by 43,560. So if you had 130,680 square feet and you wanted to convert that to acres it would be 130,680 / 43,560, which equals 3 acres!
How do you convert square feet to square meters?
Okay, again, the first step is to know your ratio. How many square feet are in a square meter? The answer is 10.764.
So, to convert square feet to square meters you would divide the number of square feet by 10.764. For example, 53.82 square feet to square meters is 53.82 / 10.764 = 5 square meters.
To go the other direction and convert square meters to square feet, simply multiply the number of square meters by 10.764.
How do you convert square feet to square yards?
This one will be the easiest yet because there’s no decimal and the ratio is pretty small! So, what is your ratio? How many square feet to square yards? The answer is 9 square feet equals 1 square yard.
So to convert square feet to square yards you would divide the number of feet by 9. To convert square yards to square feet you would multiply the number of yards by 9. See, pretty simple, right?
Perfect Squares and How to Find Square Root
Alright, last math concept of the day, I swear! Let’s talk about perfect squares and square root, neither of which have anything to do with the printable square shape from earlier, by the way. 🙂
What is a perfect square?
A perfect square is a number that is produced by multiplying two equal integers together. For example, 4 is a perfect square because it can be produced by multiplying 2 * 2 (two equal integers). Other examples of perfect squares are:
- 1 = (1 * 1)
- 9 = (3 * 3)
- 16 = (4 * 4)
- 25 = (5 * 5)
What is finding square root?
Finding the square root is finding what two equal integers would produce that number when multiplied together. For example, if you’re asked to find the square root of 16, what two equal integers, when multiplied together, produce 16? The answer is 4. So the square root of 16 is 4.
The square root symbol looks like this √. So for example, if you were being asked to find the square root of 9 it would be written with the square root symbol like this √9.
When you’re dealing with perfect squares, especially smaller perfect squares, finding the square root is pretty simple. For example, what is the square root of 9? It’s 3 because 3 * 3 equals 9!
However, unfortunately, we don’t always get to deal with small square roots or the square roots of perfect squares. When that happens, how you express your answer will depend on your teacher. Some classes may allow you to use prime factorization (if applicable) or even a calculator. Other classes may allow you to estimate. For a detailed breakdown of different ways to calculate square root by hand, read this article.
In the meantime, here are some practice square root problems. You can get the answers here.
- What is the square root of 1? (√1)
- What is the square root of 4? (√4)
- What is the square root of 169? (√169)
- What is the square root of 20? (√20)
- What is the square root of 64? (√64)
- What is the square root of 100? (√100)
- What is the square root of 225? (√225)
- What is the square root of 25? (√25)
- What is the square root of 36? (√36)
- What is the square root of 50? (√50)
Coloring Pages Beyond the Printable Square Shape
Looking for a more imaginative and fun coloring sheet than this square template printable? Look no further!
Even More Templates
And if you’re looking for more arts and crafts oriented templates you can’t go wrong with:
Letter and Number Printables
Want to create fun yet educational matching games for your kids? Consider these letter and number printables:
- 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.
Square Root Problem Answers
- What is the square root of 1? (√1)
- Answer: 1 because 1 * 1 = 1
- What is the square root of 4? (√4)
- Answer: 2 because 2 * 2 = 4
- What is the square root of 169? (√169)
- Answer: 13 because 13 * 13 = 169
- What is the square root of 20? (√20)
- 20 is not a perfect square, so this is a problem where your answer may depend on the class you’re in. One answer would be 2√5 because 4 * 5 = 20 and 4 is a perfect square (of 2), so you find the square root of 4 and then are left with the √5.
- What is the square root of 64? (√64)
- Answer: 8 because 8 * 8 = 64
- What is the square root of 100? (√100)
- Answer: 10 because 10 * 10 = 100
- What is the square root of 225? (√225)
- Answer: 15 because 15 * 15 = 225
- What is the square root of 25? (√25)
- Answer: 5 because 5 * 5 = 25
- What is the square root of 36? (√36)
- Answer: 6 because 6 * 6 = 36
- What is the square root of 50? (√50)
- 50 is not a perfect square, so this is a problem where your answer may depend on the class you’re in. One answer would be 5√2 because 25 *2 = 50 and 25 is a perfect square (of 5), so you find the square root of 25 and then are left with the √2.
How to Draw A Square
Wondering how to draw a square? Two simple options:
- Break out your ruler and carefully draw a square by measuring out your lines to ensure they’re equal.
- Snag the printable square 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 square.)
