Make your own tangrams pieces with a printable tangrams template you can use with any craft material for home or school.
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Printable tangrams are one of the most popular posts for One Mama’s Daily Drama readers. My kids love them – and yours do too!
Tangrams are a simple 7-piece puzzle. They fit together to make a square but can be arranged in lots of ways to create other shapes and images.
Since readers are always asking for more versions, I put together a tangrams template so you can make your own sets. You can use this template to make them in different sizes and out of lots of different materials.
The templates are black and white, so you can print them at home or school without using much ink.
Note that all of my printables are for personal use only. That means you can use them at home for your family, at school in your own classroom, or in a small nonprofit group (eg. no commercial use).
If you want to share them with a friend or another teacher, please send them a link to this blog post instead of sharing the PDF files.
DIY tangrams ideas
There are lots of ways to make your own tangrams!
- Print the template directly onto any paper – white or colored card stock, scrapbook paper, etc. The templates are 8.5×11 inches, so you may need to trim your paper before printing.
- Print the tangrams on plain white paper, then use crayons, markers, or paint to color them.
- Print the template, then trace it onto another material like craft foam, wood, plastic, or paper that’s too thick to go through your printer.
How to make your own tangrams
I made a set of DIY tangrams using card stock and washi tape to make each piece unique and colorful.
Supplies
- printable template (download at the end of this post)
- printer and ink
- white card stock
- scissors
- washi tape
Instructions
Print the template.
For the washi tape tangrams, I printed my smaller template on white card stock.
Cut out the pieces.
Cut out the main square, then cut to separate each of the 7 smaller shapes.
Cover pieces with washi.
Choose washi tape in any color and pattern combo. I used 7 different tapes in coordinating pastel colors.
Tear the tape and use it to cover each individual shape. Line up the edges as close as possible, overlapping where necessary to match patterns.
After you’ve made a set of tangrams, use the challenge cards from other blog posts or create your own! Tangrams are a great learning tool for kids – practicing fine motor skills, shape recognition, and creative thinking.
Get the printable
What’s next? Try these other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:
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