Tangram

Like building blocks, tangrams can teach kids about spatial relationships. They may help kids learn geometric terms, and develop stronger problem solving abilities.

Tangram: Like building blocks, it can teach kids about spatial relationships. They may help kids learn geometric terms, and develop stronger problem-solving abilities. They might even help children perform better on tests of basic arithmetic.

what is a tangram?

Invented in China approximately 200 years ago, a tangram is a two-dimensional re-arrangement puzzle created by cutting a square into seven pieces -- seven geometric shapes called "tans" (Slocum et al 2003).

What are the seven shapes in a tangram? Each tangram puzzle contains the following:

• 2 large right triangles

• 1 medium-sized right triangle

• 2 small right triangles

• 1 small square

• 1 parallelogram

Arranged correctly, these shapes can be fitted together as a large square, rectangle, or triangle. They can also be arranged in a variety of complex shapes, including fanciful ones (like the rabbit illustrated here). There are many ways to play with tangrams. The simplest way is to let kids create their own complex shapes. But traditionally, tangrams are treated as puzzles.

The player is shown a target shape in outline so that the "seams" between the composite tans are concealed. Then the player attempts to recreate the shape using the seven pieces. In essence, it's an exercise similar to structured block play, where the challenge is to create an exact copy of a structure depicted in a diagram. But there's a key difference.

Age: 3+