A tangram is an ancient Chinese puzzle that consists of seven
geometric shapes. Starting with a square, the shape is cut into five triangles,
a rhomboid, and a smaller square. All the pieces must be used in creating a
picture. In addition, they must touch, but not overlap.
In telling a story with a tangram, the person arranges the pieces or tans, as they are called, in the shape of a person, animal or other object. As new characters and story lines emerge, the pieces are rearranged. It's possible to create thousands of designs and objects by experimenting with the tans.
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As shown here, a tangram is made by
cutting a square into five triangles, a rhomboid, and a square. Click on the
image at the left to get a full sized, 8 by 8 inch pattern. Print the drawing
and transfer it to the mat board. Have an adult cut it out using a utility
knife.
Experiment with the shapes to see what you can create. Try making
animals, people, and objects. After you've played with the shapes, make up a
story based on your creations. Now gather an audience, and tell a tale using
your tangrams to illustrate the story. 
Most frame shops will give you scrap mat board in a variety of colors, or substitute another type of cardboard such as a cereal carton.
See if you can solve the tangram puzzles that are featured at the Strong Museum in Rochester, New York.
To read a story that uses tangrams to represent various animal characters, check out Grandfather Tang's Story from your library.
© 2008 Marilyn J. Brackney (updated 2018)
Volume 18 No. 1
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