The classic 7-piece tangram, right on the screen
Choose a level to start
Pick the shape you want to build
What is the tangram?
The tangram is a Chinese puzzle made of seven flat pieces —two large triangles, one medium, two small ones, a square and a parallelogram— that always cover the same area and can be arranged into hundreds of different shapes. In this online version the child drags the pieces with a finger or the mouse onto the shape's outline, and every piece that lands in place clicks and stays there. When the last one goes in, the shape comes to life.
There are two levels, each with its own shapes. In the easy one the pieces already come the right way up and the guide shows in color where each one goes: dragging is enough. In the hard one you only see the gray silhouette and the pieces come out crooked, so besides dragging them you tap them to keep turning them until they fit.
What does a child practice while playing tangram?
- Spatial perception: you have to picture a piece turned before you move it.
- Hands-on geometry: the child handles triangles, squares and parallelograms, and discovers that two equal triangles make a square.
- Mental rotation: in the hard level each piece only fits in one of the eight possible orientations.
- Persistence: the shape is built one piece at a time, and the counter shows how much is left.
- Fine motor skills: dragging and dropping accurately on a touch screen.
Tangram is not won by speed or by luck: it is won by looking carefully. That is why it works for a child from age 4 all the way through primary school, and why it is still used in classrooms after more than two centuries. Every shape is free, runs in the browser and needs no downloads or sign-up.
Tangram questions and answers
What is the tangram and how many pieces does it have?
The tangram is a puzzle of Chinese origin made of seven flat pieces: two large triangles, one medium triangle, two small triangles, a square and a parallelogram. With those seven pieces, without overlaps and without gaps, you can build very different shapes: a square, a sailboat, a swan and many more.
What age is tangram good for?
From age 4 with the easy level, where the pieces are already turned and the color guide shows where each one goes. The hard level, with the plain silhouette and pieces to rotate, works better from age 6.
How do you turn a piece?
In the hard level you tap the piece without dragging it and it turns 45 degrees; you can tap as many times as you need until it is in the right position. In the easy level nothing needs turning: the pieces already start in the orientation they need.
