Pattern Blocks & Tangrams
Drag, turn and snap virtual pattern blocks on a work mat, show fraction labels, and solve tangram puzzles with all 7 pieces.
Arrow keys move the piece (hold Shift for tiny steps). R turns it clockwise and Shift+R turns it back. D makes a copy and Delete removes it.
Tap a block in the tray or drag it onto the mat · drag pieces to move them · drag the round handle or press R to turn · drag a block back to the tray to remove it
Up to 120 blocks. Your mat is saved in this browser.
Tangram puzzles
Build, Turn and Compose Shapes with Virtual Pattern Blocks
Pattern blocks and tangrams let students compose and take apart shapes, and this virtual version puts them on any Chromebook, iPad or interactive whiteboard. The Pattern Blocks mat has the six standard shapes in their usual colors, sized to fit together exactly: yellow hexagon, red trapezoid, blue rhombus, green triangle, orange square and tan rhombus. Drag copies onto the mat, turn them 30° at a time and snap corners together. Tangrams mode gives you the classic seven pieces and 13 outline puzzles to fill, from a square and a house to a rocket, a fish and a rabbit. It is free, needs no sign-up, and your mat is saved in your browser.
Use the pattern blocks in 3 steps
Pick blocks or tangrams. Choose Pattern Blocks for the six classic shapes or Tangrams for the seven-piece puzzle set. In Pattern Blocks, tap a shape in the tray to add it to the mat, or drag it right where you want it.
Move, turn and snap. Drag any piece to move it. Turn it with Rotate Left and Rotate Right, the round handle above the selected piece, or the R key: 30° at a time for pattern blocks and 45° for tangrams. With Snap corners together on, corners click into place.
Explore fractions or solve a puzzle. Turn on Fraction labels to name each piece when the hexagon is 1 whole, or pick a tangram puzzle such as House or Cat and fill the gray shape with all seven pieces. Show Solution outlines every piece if students get stuck.
Ways to use Pattern Blocks & Tangrams in class
How many ways can you make a hexagon?
Put one yellow hexagon on the mat and challenge students to cover a copy of it with other blocks: two trapezoids, three blue rhombuses, six triangles, or a mix. Snap corners together keeps the edges lined up. Then turn on Fraction labels so the class can name each build, like 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/6 = 1.
Copy my design
Build a small design with the Dots background, then ask a partner to copy it next to yours using the same blocks. The dot lattice matches the block sides, so students can count spaces to place pieces. Use Duplicate to make a design repeat, or to start a growing pattern that students extend.
Count the turns
Select a blue rhombus and press Rotate Right one step at a time while students count. Each press turns it 30° and the tool shows the new angle, so students can find how many turns bring it back to where it started and which turns make it look the same. Compare with the square and the hexagon.
Whole-class tangram challenge
Open Classroom Presentation Mode, switch to Tangrams and pick a puzzle such as Sailboat. Students take turns coming to the board or call out which piece to move and how to turn it. When the gray shape is full, the tool announces it is solved. Show Solution starts off, so use it only when the class is stuck.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which fractions do the pattern blocks show?
With Fraction labels on, the hexagon counts as 1 whole: the red trapezoid is labeled 1/2, the blue rhombus 1/3 and the green triangle 1/6, because 2, 3 and 6 of them cover a hexagon exactly. The orange square and the tan rhombus get no label, since no number of them covers a hexagon exactly.
Why does only the tangram parallelogram flip?
Every pattern block and every tangram triangle and square looks the same in a mirror, so turning them is enough. The parallelogram is the one piece whose mirror image is different, and some puzzles need it flipped. Select it and press Flip or the F key.
Is my work saved?
Yes. Your pattern block mat (up to 120 blocks), your tangram pieces, the puzzle you picked and your settings are saved in this browser, so they are still there after a refresh. Nothing is uploaded. Clear Mat removes every block, and Undo Clear brings them back until you add a new block or switch modes.
How do the pieces snap together?
With Snap corners together on, a piece you drop with a corner close to another piece’s corner (or to a corner of the tangram outline) jumps so the corners meet. The tool picks the spot that lines up the most corners, so edges meet edges. Turn the switch off to place pieces anywhere.
Can students use it without a mouse?
Yes. Press Tab to move between pieces on the mat. Arrow keys move the selected piece (hold Shift for tiny steps), R turns it clockwise and Shift+R turns it back. In Pattern Blocks, D makes a copy and Delete removes it; in Tangrams, F flips the parallelogram. Adding, turning, flipping, copying and removing pieces are announced for screen readers.
How does the tool know a tangram puzzle is solved?
It checks whether your seven pieces cover the gray shape. Any arrangement that fills it counts, not only the one Show Solution draws. Every outline is made from a real arrangement of the seven pieces, so each puzzle can be solved with the 45° turns and the parallelogram flip.