Tangram Puzzles for Kids
Tangram Puzzles is a free online version of the classic Chinese puzzle: seven flat pieces that fit together to make hundreds of pictures.
Tangram Puzzles
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- Ages
- 5–12
- School years
- Senior Infants–6th Class
- Skills
- Recognising triangles, squares and parallelograms, Turning (rotating) and flipping (reflecting) shapes, Seeing how small shapes combine to make bigger ones
- Time
- 2–5 minutes a round
- Cost
- Free, no sign-up
- Updated
How to play Tangram Puzzles
- Choose a level. Easy shows where every piece goes, Medium shows only the dark shape, and Hard shows the shape with less help.
- Drag a piece from the tray onto the shape. When it is in the right place and facing the right way, it clicks into place.
- Tap a piece you have chosen, press R or use the Turn button to turn it. The parallelogram can also be flipped over with F or the Flip button.
- Place all seven pieces to finish the picture. Solve 3 puzzles in a round, and use as few hints as you can for more stars and points.
What your child learns
- Recognising triangles, squares and parallelograms
- Turning (rotating) and flipping (reflecting) shapes
- Seeing how small shapes combine to make bigger ones
- Spatial reasoning: picturing shapes in your head
- Persistence and trying different strategies
- Comparing sizes and angles
About Tangram Puzzles
A tangram is a square cut into seven pieces: two large triangles, a medium triangle, two small triangles, a square and a parallelogram. The challenge is to use all seven pieces, without overlapping, to make a given shape. Turning pieces in your head and spotting how two small triangles can make a square are exactly the spatial skills that help with geometry, maps and reading diagrams later on.
Easy puzzles, for Senior Infants to 1st Class, show the outline of every piece inside the shape, so children only need to match each piece and turn it the right way. Medium, for Classes 2–3, shows just the dark silhouette, and any correct arrangement is accepted. Hard, for Classes 4–6, gives less help when a piece is close. There are 12 puzzles: a square, triangle, rectangle, house, cat, fish, sailing boat, swan, rabbit, candle, arrow and running person, and every one is checked by the computer to make sure the seven pieces fill it exactly.
Which level should my child play?
| School year | Suggested level |
|---|---|
| Senior Infants | Easy |
| 1st Class | Easy |
| 2nd Class | Medium |
| 3rd Class | Medium |
| 4th Class | Hard |
| 5th Class | Hard |
| 6th Class | Hard |
Move up a level after getting three stars two or three times in a row.
🏆 Leaderboard
Full leaderboard →Play a round to get on the board! Create a free account to save your scores.
🖨️ Printable worksheets
Practise away from the screen too: free worksheets with answer keys that match this game.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn or flip a piece?
Tap or click a piece to choose it, then tap it again, press R or use the Turn button to turn it by an eighth of a full turn. Only the parallelogram ever needs flipping: choose it and press F or the Flip button. With a keyboard, press Tab to choose a piece, the arrow keys to move it and Enter to drop it into place.
Why will a piece not click into place?
It must be in a space that matches its shape, facing the right way. Try turning it, or try a different space. Remember that the two large triangles are the same, and so are the two small ones.
Where do tangrams come from?
Tangrams were invented in China more than 200 years ago and became a craze in Europe and America in the 1800s. People have since designed thousands of tangram pictures, all made from the same seven pieces.
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Help your child shine in school
Practice at home is a great start. Success Tutoring offers personalised tutoring to build skills and confidence.