What do pieces of fun add up to? Tangram puzzles! This puzzle game dates back to before Christ and is still played widely around the world. Why? It brings not only a lot of fun, but it also challenges the brains of people of all ages with only 7 pieces. Read our article to learn more about tangram shapes with 7 pieces and get tens of tangram printable puzzles and tangram images.
Tangram Games to Play Online
If you want to play tangram games whenever and wherever then play tangram online. Here are MentalUP interactive tangrams that will allow you and your child to play tangram online. Also, you can join tangram activities when you’re on your way to school, work, or even on a road trip with tangram images which we shared below.
Tangram
What Is Tangram?
We’ve talked about the online options for playing tangram games, but what is a tangram? Tangram puzzles are a very popular Chinese puzzle. They are widely preferred by parents because they improve children’s attention span and strategic thinking abilities while helping them. Also, tangram puzzles are one of the best home activities for kindergarten.
- understand instructions
- make accurate measurements
- understand geometric shapes
- work through logical steps
Are you looking for more online or mobile options for games that will help the mental development of your children? MentalUP, which is one of the best puzzle apps, is here for you! 🙌
MentalUP has 150+ brain games, including Tangrams, other puzzles, Math Kangaroo problems, and math riddles that help boost learning, attention, focus, and strategic thinking skills. 🥳✨
Millions of children around the world enjoy all these gamified exercises developed by pedagogues and academicians! 💯
Tangram Definition
A tangram puzzle is a puzzle usually made up of 2 large triangles, 1 medium triangle, 2 small triangles, a square and a parallelogram.
These shapes form a tangram square, and the aim is to create different tangram shapes out of them. However, the tangram puzzles numbers may vary as they can be built from tangram shapes using 5 pieces or more, which we will cover in more detail later on.
History of Tangram
If you need tips on popularity, look into tangram puzzles. Tangrams are the ancient Chinese brain puzzle games and they have maintained their popularity for hundreds of years now.
Although it is still not sure who invented it, the history of tangrams is traced to a book in the nineteenth century and an old painting of two Chinese people playing tangram that dates back to the eighteenth century. However, it is believed that the name itself must have existed before Christ.
How to Play Tangram?
Do you want to learn how to play a tangram puzzle game? Well, the rules to tangram puzzles are very simple but that shouldn’t fool you…
Some tangram activities can really make you sweat, therefore you shouldn’t challenge your children with hard tangram shapes (e.g more than tangram shapes with 7 pieces), but instead start with beginner tangram images and make your way up. So, here are the rules:
- to solve each puzzle, all tangram shapes must be used
- each tangram shape must touch at least one other shape
- the tangram shapes must not overlap
Following the rules, you should put the tangram puzzle pieces together to form a shape. You can find tangram pieces to print in our article.
How to Make Your Own Tangram at Home
A tangram activity brings a lot of fun, but we will double it with the instructions on how to make tangram shapes with 7 pieces with which you can build tens of printable tangram puzzles we will provide to you. First, you will need:
- a piece of thick cardboard (to make the tangram shapes)
- a ruler (always neat)
- a sharp pencil (you will need a tangram template to cut one out)
- a pair of scissors (adult supervision is required)
- paint & brush (to color)
Now that you have the equipment ready, let’s dive into it:
Step 1: Use your ruler and pencil to measure and trace out a 16 centimeter square on the cardboard.
Step 2: Measurements are crucial for the tangram puzzle to work. As seen in the image, each side has been lettered. Here are the measurements for each letter:
A = 16 cm
B = 5½ cm
C = 8 cm
Keep in mind that each side of a square is even. When you start to cut out the tangram shapes that have been lettered, the tangram shapes that haven’t been lettered will form on their own.
Step 3: Now that you have measured and marked the tangram template, it is time to cut out the tangram shapes. Be accurate and don’t cut too far into the pieces. After you have cut off all of them and formed a 7 piece tangram puzzle, reassemble them to make sure you have done it correctly.
Congratulations! You have made your first tangram square.
Tips
- If you don’t want to make a tangram puzzle from scratch, feel free to download our free printable tangram images.
- The traditional tangram puzzle is black or white, if not wooden. However, we would like to give you some options:
- You/your child can use either the colored tangram template or the blank template.
- If you choose to go with the blank template, coloring it after assembling the tangram puzzle can be a fun activity.
Activities that require attention and strategic thinking have a great impact on improving children’s mental development. The best way to introduce your children to these activities is, of course, through games.
MentalUP is a certified educational product that was designed with the help of pedagogues. It provides many benefits such as improving learning abilities and boosting intelligence. 🧠 🧩
Tangram Activities - Printable Tangram Shapes
You’ve learned what a tangram puzzle is, how to make your own tangram template and you’ve got your tangram puzzle pieces ready.
Now it’s time to enjoy, and challenge your brain to the tangram printables that we have for you. You can start with easy tangram puzzles and make your way up to the difficult tangram puzzles printable or you can start with a tangram cat or one of our holiday tangrams.
Tangram Animals
Want to learn how to make a tangram bird or how to make a tangram fish? Print out our tangram puzzle animals.
Bird
: A tangram bird is one of the beginner tangram puzzles. Enjoy our free printable tangram design.
Bear
: How to make tangram in the shape of a bear? Print our free tangram bear and find out.
Cat
: Print out a tangram cat out of our many tangram animals. Don’t worry, it’s an easy tangram.
Rabbit
: Do you want to learn how to make a tangram rabbit? Print out our rabbit tangram shapes and give it a try.
Rooster
: How long will it take you to complete this rooster tangram? Use this tangram puzzle to print and find out.
Elephant
: Have you ever seen an elephant? If not, you can print our tangram elephant and make your own.
Fish
: Who wouldn’t want a tangram fish? Use our fish tangram template and make one.
Swan
:Swans are adorable, and so is this tangram animal shapes printable.
Horse
: We can’t give you a real one, but here is our printable tangram horse.
Wolf
:Here’s our tangram wolf from dozens of other tangram puzzles printable patterns.
Math & Geometry Patterns
Tangrams and math are closely related because they are both formed following the principles of logic. Plus, tangrams shapes, which are among the most popular number puzzles in maths, are very effective for teaching geometry. Therefore, take a look at our tangram pdf printable and introduce your children to the fun side of math.
Square Shapes
: You’ve cut out your tangram puzzle pieces from a tangram square. Let’s see if you can reassemble it!
Triangle Shapes
: You can form tangram shapes with 7 pieces or even use 2 tangram pieces to make a triangle.
Rectangle Shapes
: Want to learn how to make a rectangle with 7 tangrams? Here’s how. But don’t cheat - first give it a try.
Hexagon Shapes
:Tangram hexagon is fun and challenging. Use printable tangram activities to join the fun.
Easy Tangram Designs
Here are some other easy tangram puzzles for children or beginners.
Tangram Heart Pattern
: Heart pattern is both fun and a great way to express your love. Solve our tangram heart puzzle and give it to your loved ones as a gift.
Tangram Flower Pattern
:Here’s another easy tangram puzzle that you and your children can enjoy.
Tangram House Pattern
: If you want to learn how to make a tangram house, follow our tangram house printable.
Tangram Helicopter Pattern
:Tangram helicopter is one of the tangram patterns that’s very easy to form.
Creativity is intelligence having fun. 🥳 Games that encourage children to place shapes in the right order, match them, and thus see the bigger picture promote their mental skills and boosts their intelligence. 🧩
MentalUP has 150+ games whose difficulty level you can set according to your children’s needs. You can easily track their progress and choose the games in the areas in which your children need improvement.
Difficult Tangram Designs
Are you ready to step up your game? Challenge yourself and your children’s brain with difficult tangram puzzles printable.
Tangram Alphabet Patterns
: Tangram alphabet patterns are hard to form. Try each of the tangram alphabet letters that are on the tangram puzzle sheets.
Tangram Human Pattern
:Tangram human figures are some of the hardest tangram puzzles. Challenge yourself with the free printable tangram designs.
Tangram Lighthouse Pattern
: Use our tangram pdf printable to form a tangram lighthouse.
Tangram Candle Pattern
:Tangram candle solution is one of the hard tangram shapes, so feel free to take your time assembling it.
Holiday Patterns
Forming holiday tangrams can be a fun tradition for holidays. Check out our printable tangram activities for holidays.
Christmas Images
: Christmas tangram puzzles can be a fun activity for Christmas and cool ornaments for a Christmas tree. Use our printable Christmas tangrams to double the joy.
Halloween Images
:Halloween tangram patterns are perfect to spook someone. Take a look at our bat tangram to create Halloween tangram images.
Winter Images
: Winter means snowmen! Enjoy our free printable winter tangrams.
Tangram Candle Pattern
:Tangram candle solution is one of the hard tangram shapes, so feel free to take your time assembling it.
Tangram Pieces
As we have mentioned a few times before, not all tangram shapes are made out of 7 tangram pieces. Some tangram patterns are made of 4 tangram pieces, which can be an easy tangram, whereas some can be a 9 piece tangram, which can be the hardest tangram puzzle.
4 Piece Tangram Shapes
: The most common tangram 4 piece solution is for a tangram square. They are one of the easy tangram puzzles that can be made out of 4 pieces using a 7 piece tangram square template. Let’s see if you can make a tangram square with only 4 pieces!
5 Piece Tangram Shapes
: The most common tangram 4 piece solution is for a tangram square. They are one of the easy tangram puzzles that can be made out of 4 pieces using a 7 piece tangram square template. Let’s see if you can make a tangram square with only 4 pieces!
9 Piece Tangram Shapes
Are you up for a change? Here are 9 piece tangrams that form a heart (instead of a square). They are different from the standard tangram shapes with 7 pieces. So, you’ll need to download their own templates which we provide.
All you have to do is print out the free tangram images, cut the tangram shape in the middle according to the outlines, and try forming the tangram puzzles at the top.
Don’t worry, if you get stuck, you can look for the solutions at the bottom of the sheet. Keep in mind that they can be the hardest tangram puzzle so take your time.
10 Piece Tangram Shapes
Last but not least, here are our 10 piece tangram shapes for you to challenge yourselves even further.
These free tangram printables are also different from the traditional tangram shapes with 7 pieces. The shapes are formed of 10 tangram pieces; therefore they, too, have their own templates.
Just like the templates we’ve given you for the 9 piece tangram puzzles, you have to print out the free tangram printables, cut the tangram shape in the middle according to the outlines, and try forming the tangram puzzles at the top. If you need help, you can always look for the solutions below.
Egg Tangram
Does the egg come from the chicken or the chicken from the egg? With this easter egg tangram printable worksheet, you can solve different tangram puzzles out of an easter egg.
Tangram Circle
From a boat to an anchor, there are 7 tangram shapes that you can form out of this one tangram circle. Which tangram is your favorite?
If Tangram games don’t work for your kids, then color and shape learning games might be a good fit.
You can help your child practice, play, and learn colors and shapes with these games 🎨
