Tangram Workshop
These free tangram puzzles ask you to fill a picture exactly with shapes: turn them, flip them, slide them into place. For ages 4 to 8, from simple shapes to the classic seven pieces.
How to play
For ages 4 to 8, from simple shapes to the classic seven pieces.
- Pick a mode: Shape Workshop uses a few simple pieces, Growing Tangram adds more, and Classic Tangram is the traditional seven pieces.
- Tap a piece under the picture to pick it up. It lights up so you know it is in your hand.
- Press Turn to spin it a quarter turn. In Growing and Classic, the parallelogram also has a Flip button that mirrors it.
- Tap the picture where the piece should go. It snaps to the grid if it fits. Pieces cannot overlap or stick out of the shape.
- Changed your mind? Tap a piece on the picture to pick it back up.
- Fill the whole shape with no gaps to finish the picture.
Stuck? Hint glows the spot for one piece and tells you how to turn it. It never places a piece for you, and you can ignore it.
What children learn
- Composing shapes: seeing how triangles, squares and parallelograms fit together to make a bigger shape.
- Turning and flipping: imagining how a piece will look after a quarter turn or a mirror flip, before trying it.
- Spatial reasoning: looking at an empty outline and working out where each piece belongs.
What is a tangram?
A tangram is a puzzle made of seven flat pieces that you arrange to fill a picture. Tangram puzzles use two large triangles, one medium triangle, two small triangles, a square and a parallelogram. In a classic tangram you use all seven pieces, and they may touch but never overlap.
How the modes work
- Shape Workshop: pictures made from 2 to 4 pieces, with no flipping. Pieces snap into place most generously here.
- Growing Tangram: pictures with 4 or 5 pieces. The parallelogram can be flipped, and pieces snap a little less.
- Classic Tangram: every picture uses all seven pieces, and pieces snap only when they are close.
More games
Four in a Row
Drop your tokens and make a line of four before Mathumo does.
- Ages 5–8
- Planning ahead
- Lines and patterns
Checkers
Jump, capture and crown kings on a mini 6×6 board or the classic 8×8.
- Ages 6–8
- Strategy
- Planning ahead
Questions about Tangram Workshop
What is a tangram?
A tangram is a shape puzzle made from seven flat pieces: two large triangles, one medium triangle, two small triangles, one square and one parallelogram. Together they make a square. You rearrange them, without overlaps or gaps, to fill a picture outline such as a house or a cat. The puzzle comes from China and is hundreds of years old.
What age can kids do tangrams?
Children from about 4 can start with the simple Shape Workshop pictures, which use only two to four pieces and no flipping. Ages 5 to 6 usually enjoy Growing Tangram. The full seven-piece Classic puzzles suit ages 6 to 8, and adults still find the harder ones tricky.
How many pieces are in a tangram?
A classic tangram has seven pieces. Two are large triangles, one is a medium triangle and two are small triangles, plus one square and one parallelogram. Every piece is built from the same small right triangle, so they all fit together exactly. The smaller modes here use only some of the shapes.
Why does the parallelogram need to flip?
The parallelogram is the only tangram piece whose mirror image looks different. Turning it can never make it match its mirror image, so some pictures need it flipped over. The triangles and the square look the same either way, so they never need flipping.
Where can I play tangram puzzles online?
Tangram Workshop plays free in your browser with no sign-up. Pick a mode, then fill each picture by sliding, turning and flipping the pieces. This page has a sample of pictures in each mode.