What is a Regular Polygon? - Lesson for Kids

Instructor: Francine White

Francine has taught elementary school and is currently an elementary Math specialist. She has two Master's degrees: Curriculum and Instruction in Math K-14 and Educational Leadership

What is a regular polygon? If you do not know, you have come to the right place! In this lesson, you will learn how to spot a regular polygon in a lineup!

What is a Polygon?

Before we talk about regular polygons, we need to talk about polygons! So what is a polygon? A polygon is a closed, flat figure, without any curves, and at least 3 sides and angles. Wow! That definition is a long. So let's break the definition into three pieces.

A Polygon is Flat and Closed

In the world of math, instead of saying that polygons are flat and closed, we can say that polygons are planes. I am not talking about airplanes! So what is a plane figure? A plane figure is also called a 2-D or two-dimensional figure that is closed. So, what does it mean for a shape to be closed? Well, when a figure is closed, there are no holes or gaps. So look at the picture. Each shape is a plane figure. Why is that? Well there are two important reasons. First, each shape has two dimensions. They look flat, right? Also, each shape is closed. You will not find any holes or gaps!

Plane Figures

A Polygon Does Not Have Any Curves

Let's think of a shape that has curves. What about a circle? A circle definitely has curves. In fact, there are no straight lines in a circle. Polygons, on the other hand, cannot have curves. So a circle is NOT a polygon!

A Polygon Has 3 or More Sides and Angles

Let's think of some shapes that have 3 or more sides and angles. Well, we have a triangle, square, pentagon, and hexagon. There are many more! All of the shapes that we just named are indeed polygons since they all have 3 or more sides and angles. How neat!

What is a Regular Polygon?

Now that we know what a polygon is, it is going to be really easy to understand what a regular polygon is! A polygon is a regular polygon when all of its sides and angles are equal. If the polygon has unequal sides and angles, then it is called irregular. Really easy, right? These are regular polygons. All of their sides and angles are equal.

Regular Polygons

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