Tangram

What your child learns

• Spatial thinking: which shape fits where, and how far to turn it
• Naming big, medium and small triangles, the square and the parallelogram
• Building a big picture out of small shapes, seeing both the whole and the parts
• Patience: if a piece does not fit, turn it and try again

How to play

1. Press "Play now". The shadow appears on one side and the pieces wait in the tray.
2. Drag a piece onto the shadow. Put it near the right spot, the right way round, and it snaps in and stays.
3. To turn a piece, tap it twice, or select it and press the turn button. The parallelogram also has a flip button.
4. On a computer: Tab picks a piece, the arrow keys move it, R turns it, F flips it, Enter drops it.

For parents

• At first only 2–3 pieces are missing and faint outlines show where each one goes; as your child improves, more pieces are missing, up to all 7 with no outlines.
• The two big triangles can swap places, and so can the two small ones.
• Stuck? The light bulb button glows: tap it to see an empty spot and the piece that fits it (the piece turns the right way by itself).
• Ask "What does this piece look like in the picture?" (a cat ear, a sail, a turtle shell) to help your child see the parts.