Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Toying with Tangrams



Do you enjoy the challenge of a good puzzle?  Sometimes, people really like them, and sometimes--not so much.  However, most people believe that puzzles are a necessary component to child development.  They help children to build spatial relationships as well as problem-solving skills.  Besides that, the hands-on component of puzzles is an important form of learning for some of our students.

Tangrams are the puzzles that especially seem to connect with math because of their geometric shapes.  If you want to introduce  your students to tangrams, this book is a great start!
You might decide to read and discuss this book as part of reading workshop, or it might be part of your listen to reading activities when you send students to this Youtube video of the book.  No matter how you decide to use this book, it is one that students are sure to enjoy!

Another great book to use with younger kiddos is this one:



If your students are older, you might be able to review the legend of the tangram, and then have them move into building with tangrams.  You might have them as a recess activity, an activity that they can choose when they have completed their work, or a math station.

Here are some resources that might help you put tangrams in your students' hands:







A friend of mine used to make each of her students a tangram set for the holidays each year.  She would then print out a couple of patterns that they could do at home, too. What a great idea!

Once your students become used to tangrams, you might try a literacy activity I used to use as an option for my kiddos:

After reading a book, they would make a tangram picture that represented the beginning of the book and then write a sentence or two about the beginning.  They would do the same for the middle and the end.  It was a fun option for some of the kids!

Do you have other ideas for Tangrams?  I'd love to hear them. Please comment below if you do.





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