Real pattern blocks are standard shapes and colors. Many people ask me what are pattern blocks or where can they buy them? They are small blocks, usually made of either wood or plastic, that are a common learning material in classrooms. Click on the thumbnails to download and print the mats. Pattern blocks teach children about shapes and geometry, as well as develop their visual discrimination skills. The blackline mats offer more of a challenge as children figure out which shape goes in the space. ![]() Each mat comes in color and blackline, depending on your preference. Pattern Block Puzzles for the Whole Year.I made these pattern block mats using Photoshop.Templates are a great way to get started exploring pattern blocks! Lets get those fine motor muscles working and the minds exploring! Check out my pattern block templates here. Want to try out a couple puzzles for FREE!? Click Here to download some pattern block templates and try them out! Additionally, I encourage preschoolers to count how many of each shape was used in the puzzle and try computation, addition, or sorting with the shapes. On the templates I’ve created, I’ve also included the English, Chinese, and pinyin pronunciation vocabulary of the intended picture. ![]() These printables have colored or black and white shape outlines of the pattern block shapes and sizes so that a set of pattern blocks can be used to copy or recrate the puzzle template picture. With a bucket of pattern block shapes and your imagination, you can create almost anything! I have created worksheet printable templates to help you and your kids get started exploring pattern blocks. I’ve used them in my fourth-grade classroom as well! They are just different than pattern block pieces. Don’t get me wrong, tangrams are super cool, and as a teenager I found tangram puzzles challenging and super fun. However, pattern blocks are more open ended in the sense that you can use two or you can use twenty as you create a picture, pattern, or puzzle template. The seven shapes is one complete set and all the pieces must be used in each puzzle without omitting or adding any extra. The oxford dictionary defines tangrams as, “a Chinese geometric puzzle consisting of a square cut into seven pieces that can be arranged to make various other shapes.” Typically, when you use tangrams or tangram puzzles, you only use the one set of seven shapes. What is the Difference Between Pattern Blocks and Tangrams? I love integrating multiple subject and learning goals together so I’ve created pattern block printable templates that allow for exploration of shapes and geometry as well as second language acquisition, counting, and addition. Kids can use pattern blocks to create images and creations of their own design, or follow patterns and templates such as these. Pattern blocks can be used for patterning, counting, sorting, vocabulary, symmetry, geometry, spatial awareness, equivalence and so much more. Don’t leave them on a shelf like I did! They’re usable in independent play and exploration as well as structured lessons and materials. Pattern blocks are very versatile in their function. Each shape has equal sides except the trapezoid because one side must be shorted to be a trapezoid. I find this helps the children to learn the properties of the shapes easier and it makes it easier for toddlers and preschoolers to work with the shape as they do pattern block templates and puzzles. All the squares are orange, all the hexagons are yellow, etc. You’ll never see a blue square for example. ![]() ![]() The colors stay consistent to that specific shape with a bucket of shapes. The shapes are: yellow hexagon, green triangle, orange square, blue parallelogram, and tan rhombus. Pattern blocks are a set of six shapes in six distinct colors. What are the Names of the Pattern Blocks? My experience is with the plastic pattern block pieces I’ve purchased so I’ll stick to what I know about them. The plastic ones are much cheaper, but I also love the sustainability of buying wooden toys and they also provide a unique texture for kids to explore. Depending on where you buy them, they can be made out of wood or plastic.
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