Is anyone else tired of seeing this tablecloth?
Tangrams are an ancient Chinese puzzle game using the 7 geometric pieces that make up a standard square to form thousands of different designs. Tangram puzzles can be simple (like the ones pictures above) to very difficult where only the silhouette of the design is shown and you have to figure out how to use the 7 tans to "solve the problem."
A 7-piece Tangram set cut from craft foam and a ring of puzzles in a little zippered fabric bag is my current "go to" gift for the young school-aged set.
This is the tangram template I used for the set above (you can print a small or large version) and this site has lots of printable tangram puzzle patterns. I printed out several of the 4 to a page puzzles, cut them out and had them laminated 2 per side. Then I punched a hole and put them on a ring.
You can also find a variety of tangram puzzle books online or at the libarary. I really love this ABC Tangram Book
Huck really enjoys working on these. They're perfect for playing with in restaurants and waiting rooms so our set lives in the car, but we also keep a small wooden set
