Tangram (Foam) for School Maths Lab

Quick Answer: Tangram (Foam) is the classic seven-piece dissection puzzle, five triangles, a square and a parallelogram cut from one square, made in soft foam. Primary classes use the foam tangram for silhouette puzzles, naming and turning shapes, and first ideas about area.

A Soft Tangram for Younger Hands

The foam version of the tangram suits younger pupils and carpet or floor work. Foam pieces are light and quiet when dropped, easy for small fingers to pick up, and grip the table slightly, so a design does not slide apart while a child is still building it. They are thicker and softer-edged than rigid plastic pieces, which matters less for exact measurement and more for handling.

Early tangram tasks are about seeing shapes inside shapes. Children first fill an outline that shows every piece, then an outline that shows only the silhouette, which forces them to try rotations and flips. Along the way they learn to name triangle, square and parallelogram, and discover that two small triangles cover the same space as the square.

Once pupils are confident, the set leads into area without formulas. If the small triangle counts as one unit, the square, the parallelogram and the medium triangle are each two units, each large triangle is four units and the whole square is sixteen.

Specifications

Applications

• Silhouette puzzles of animals, people, boats and letters built from all seven pieces
• Naming shapes and describing turns and flips while fitting pieces into an outline
• Comparing areas by covering one piece with others
• Carpet or floor group work where noise and dropped pieces matter

Care & Handling

• Keep the seven pieces of each foam tangram together in a labelled bag or tray; one missing tan makes every puzzle impossible.
• Wipe foam with a damp cloth and mild soap; do not soak or scrub it, and let it air dry.
• Keep foam away from heaters, direct sunlight and sharp objects, which can distort, fade or dent the pieces.
• Supervise very young children, who may bite or tear foam.

Why Choose LabEquip

Pre-primary and primary teachers tend to choose foam when pieces will be handled by small children or used on the floor. For older classes who need crisper edges for tracing and angle work, the Plastic Tangram is the rigid alternative, and the Magnetic Tangram suits whiteboard demonstrations; all three are in the Mathematics School Lab Products range. Ask about class sets through the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many pieces are in a tangram?

A standard tangram has seven pieces, called tans: a square, a parallelogram and five right isosceles triangles in three sizes, with two large, one medium and two small. Together they fit exactly into one square, and every recognised tangram puzzle uses all seven without overlapping.

Why choose foam tangram pieces instead of plastic?

Foam is soft, light and quiet, and it does not slide easily on a table, so it suits small children and floor activities. Plastic keeps sharper edges and flatter faces, which is better for tracing outlines and measuring angles in older classes.

What is a silhouette puzzle?

It is an outline of a figure, such as a cat or a boat, filled in solid so the joins between pieces are hidden. Children must work out where each of the seven pieces goes, which builds visualisation and the habit of rotating and flipping shapes to test them.

What do children learn about area from a tangram?

They see that different shapes can have the same area: the square, the parallelogram and the medium triangle each cover exactly two small triangles. Because every figure uses all seven pieces, a cat and a boat made from the same set have equal areas even though they look very different.

Why does the parallelogram sometimes not fit?

The parallelogram is the only tan that changes when it is flipped over. If it will not fit an outline, turning it face down usually solves the problem. The triangles and the square look the same either way up.

How are foam tangram pieces cleaned?

Wipe them with a cloth dampened in mild soapy water, then with clean water, and leave them to dry flat. Avoid soaking, strong disinfectants and hot water, which can make foam swell, warp or lose colour.

Last Updated: September 2026