Pattern Blocks

Ways to use it in class

• Fractions of a hexagon. Call the yellow hexagon 1 and cover it with trapezoids, rhombuses and triangles to see halves, thirds and sixths.
• Make a picture. Build a flower, a butterfly or a rocket, then describe it using the names of the shapes.
• Patterns. Start a repeating pattern of blocks and ask a partner what comes next.
• Symmetry and tiling. Build half a design and ask for the matching half, or tile a region with no gaps.

Questions teachers ask

What are pattern blocks?

Six flat shapes that fit together without gaps: a yellow hexagon, a red trapezoid, a blue rhombus, a green triangle, an orange square and a tan thin rhombus. Their sides share one length, so they tile, make pictures and show fractions.

How do pattern blocks teach fractions?

Call the hexagon one whole. The trapezoid covers one half, the blue rhombus one third and the green triangle one sixth, because two trapezoids, three rhombuses or six triangles cover the hexagon. Cover a shape with different blocks to compare.

How do I turn and move the blocks?

Press a block to add it, then drag it to move it. With a block selected, use Turn to rotate it 30 degrees at a time. Duplicate copies it and Remove takes it away. Blocks fit edge to edge because every turn is a multiple of 30 degrees.

What can children do with them?

Build pictures, make a pattern that repeats, cover a shape with the fewest blocks, find which blocks make a hexagon, and explore symmetry and tiling. Press Print to save a picture on paper.