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Magnetic Tangram

  • Math
  • Motor Practice
  • Grades 4-5
  • Grades 6-8
  • Grades 1-3

Make your own magnetic puzzle pieces to create new shapes!

Materials


  • Magnetic Sheets
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Foam Sheets - 7 different colors
  • Cardstock - 7 x 7 inch piece
printDownload Template

Instructions


Step 1. Gather your supplies.

Magnetic Tangram

 

Make a tangram with your child

 

Step 2.

Begin with your 7 x 7 inch square piece of cardstock. Fold two opposite corners together to form a triangle.

Magnetic Tangram

 

Step 3.

Unfold cardstock and use scissors to cut along the crease. You will now have two triangles.

Magnetic Tangram children's puzzle

 

Step 4.

Take one of the triangle and fold two opposite corners together to form a smaller triangle. Unfold and cut in half along the crease.

Make a tangram

 

Step 5.

With your pencil write the number 1 on one piece, and the number 2 on the other. Put these pieces aside.

Make a magnetic Tangram Puzzle

 

Step 6.

Take the 2nd triangle piece from Step 3 and fold the tip of the triangle to the bottom as shown.

Make a tangram puzzle

 

Step 7.

Unfold and cut along the crease. Write the number 3 on the small triangular piece and put aside.

Tangram puzzle to make with children

 

Step 8.

Fold the remaining piece in half as shown. Unfold and cut along the crease. Set one piece aside for a later step.

Make a Tangram Puzzle

 

Step 9.

Take the other piece not set aside and using a ruler, draw a line that divides the shape into a square and triangle as shown. Use scissors to cut along this line.

Tangram Design

 

Step 10.

Label the triangle #4 and the square #5.

 

Tangram design and early math

 

Step 11.

Take the other piece put aside in Step 8 and using your ruler, divide the piece into a parallelogram and a triangle as shown. A parallelogram is a four sided shape, where there are two sets of parallel, equal length sides.

Handcrafted Tangram Design

 

 

Step 12.

Label your small triangle #6 and your parallelogram #7.

 

 

 

 

 

Make a colorful tangram puzzle with children

 

Step 13.

These pieces are now the template to create your magnetic tangram. Gather your foam sheets and decide which pieces will be what color. Place piece #1 onto a foam sheet. With your pencil, trace the template onto the foam.

 

Tip: It’s helpful to line up the sides of the triangle with the edges of the foam sheet for straight edges.

Make a tangram project

 

Step 14.

Use scissors to cut shape #1 out of the foam sheet. Repeat Step 13 with the remaining template shapes and foam sheets, using a different color for each puzzle piece.

Magnetic Tangram

 

Step 15.

Take your Magnetic Sheet, remove the adhesive backing. Place each of your pieces onto the adhesive background.

Magnetic Colorful Tangram

 

Step 16.

It is best to nest them together to get the most pieces to fit on one sheet. However, You will need to use both magnetic sheets in the package to make this puzzle.

Tangram Exploratory Puzzle

 

 

Step 17.

Use your scissors to cut out your Tangram pieces. They pieces are now magnetic! Place your puzzle shapes onto your fridge or other magnetic surface and have fun creating fun designs and shapes using your Magnetic Tangram!

 

 

 

 

 

 


Explore symmetry, shapes, and geometric patterns with this templated foam craft!  

  • What’s a Tangram?: Traditionally, it’s made of 7 shapes — 2 large right triangles, 1 medium right triangle, 2 small right triangles, 1 small square, and 1 parallelogram! Mix up the tangram and give your students time to piece them together as a square again.
  • What’s a Parallelogram?: A tangram is a great way to introduce the next level of geometry! A parallelogram is a shape with four sides and each line opposite is parallel — these lines will never cross. Can your students think of real-life parallelograms? (Hint: railroad tracks or an eraser)

Tangrams can be reshaped into all sorts of puzzles! Once your students have mastered piecing the shapes back together as a square, have them form other objects. Can they create a bunny or a fish? Let their imaginations roam to see what they shape on their own!