Pattern Blocks – Least Pieces
Math Concepts
Basic polygon shapes
Materials
Game board, pattern blocks (wooden or paper), pencil
Players
Groups or whole class
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 activity 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.
Goal
Cover the game board with as few shapes as possible.
Discussion and Tips
Discuss strategies. Using as many hexagons as possible helps a lot. When is it a mistake to use a hexagon instead of other pieces, or is using hexagons always a good idea? Same question for the trapezoid.
Variations
Three example game boards are provided. There is nothing special about them, and your students may enjoy designing special game boards with fun designs for your class.
