Pattern Blocks – Last Piece
Math Concepts
Basic polygon shapes
Materials
Game board, pattern blocks (wooden or paper), pencil
Players
2
Set up
Here are four shapes of pattern blocks to use. Note that the rhombus (parallelogram) is the one made by putting two triangles together. Similarly, the trapezoid is the one made of three triangles. This game can either be played with pattern blocks made out of wood or cut out of paper, or it can be played by coloring in appropriately shaped regions in the game board.
Play
Players take turns placing shapes on the game board. The first piece may go anywhere. Any subsequent piece must share a side with at least one existing piece.
Goal
The player who places the last shape that finishes filling the board wins.
Discussion and Tips
Discuss student strategies.
Variations
Three example game boards are provided. Your students may enjoy designing game boards for your class.
Play that the player who places the last piece loses. How does that change the strategy?
Only use two or three out of the four pattern block pieces to fill the board.
