Unlock the Magic of Tessellations with Hands-on Art and Coding

One of the things I love most about teaching is showing my students how math connects to the world around them. For me, tessellations do this in the most fascinating way—they blend geometry with art, design, and even nature. Whether it’s the tiles on a floor, a beehive’s honeycomb, or patterns in ancient mosaics, tessellations surround us. What’s even better is that they make abstract math concepts like angles and symmetry tangible and fun for students. I’ve found that when students dive into activities like creating their own tessellations—whether by hand or using digital tools like Scratch—they get hooked on learning. In this post, I’ll share some of my favorite activities that merge geometry, art, and coding to make math both creative and engaging. The activities are organized on this slideshow.

Tessellations are patterns created when a shape repeats across a surface without leaving any gaps or overlaps, almost like fitting puzzle pieces perfectly together. The shapes used in tessellations can be simple, like squares and triangles, or more complex and irregular. What’s amazing is that these repeating patterns are not just visually striking; they’re also packed with math concepts waiting to be uncovered.

When students explore how shapes tessellate, they’re diving into key ideas like angles, symmetry, and spatial reasoning. For instance, when a shape tessellates, its angles must work together to fit neatly across a surface. It’s a great way for students to see how angle measures add up and how symmetry plays a role in creating seamless designs. Tessellations are more than just an artistic exercise—they challenge students to think critically and problem-solve as they experiment with how different shapes fit together. Plus, working with tessellations, whether by hand or digitally, gives them a hands-on way to experience geometry in a fun and creative way.

There are some great online tools for creating tessellations, like Mathcats, the NCTM Tessellation Creator, and Interactive Tessellations by Shodor. These digital platforms let students manipulate shapes in real-time, making geometry hands-on and engaging. With features like translation, rotation, and reflection, students can see how these transformations create intricate patterns. The instant feedback helps them experiment without fear of mistakes, allowing for creative exploration while reinforcing geometric concepts like angles and symmetry. These tools make it easy for students to test ideas and discover why certain shapes tessellate, all while having fun.

To guide this exploration, I provide students with a worksheet where they can paste screenshots of their designs and reflect on what they’ve learned. I encourage them to play with different shapes, adjust angles, and push the limits of what they can create. This hands-on activity deepens their understanding of geometry and gives them a creative outlet to express what they’ve discovered. By the end, they not only have a record of their work but also a stronger appreciation for how math shapes the world around them.

Hands-On Activity: Creating a Tessellation Template

Creating tessellations by hand is a fantastic way for students to dive into geometry while getting creative. This hands-on activity lets them see how different shapes fit together, pushing them to think beyond the usual and come up with their own designs. It’s an engaging mix of learning and creativity—helping students grasp key math ideas like angles, symmetry, and congruence as they work with physical shapes. Along the way, they’re also sharpening spatial reasoning and pattern recognition skills. Plus, there’s something really satisfying about seeing their unique designs take shape!

While students are busy creating, it’s the perfect opportunity to introduce geometry concepts like translation, rotation, and reflection. Translation is when a shape slides without rotating, and rotation is when it turns around a point—both of which are key in tessellations.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Index cards

• Scissors

• Tape

• Paper

Step 1: Create Your Tessellation Shape

Start by having students cut out a small square from an index card. This square will be their base shape. Then, they cut a piece from one side and tape it to the opposite side. Repeat with another side of the square, and now they’ve created a custom tessellation shape.

Once their shape is ready, students can trace it onto a blank sheet of paper, placing each tracing next to the last to form a repeating pattern.

Let’s take tessellations to the next level with a fun coding activity using Scratch. This entire process is explained in my YouTube tutorial. Just like creating a tessellation by hand, coding one in Scratch starts with designing a simple shape. Using the “Paint” tool, students create their shape, similar to cutting out a piece from one side and moving it to the other side on paper. Once they have their shape, they use the “stamp” block in Scratch to place copies of their shape on the screen, forming a tessellation. But here’s where coding adds a new layer—students can use loops to automate the process, creating rows and columns of their shape with just a few lines of code. 

For an extra challenge, students can experiment with nested loops to fill the entire screen with their design. They can also play with color, coding their tessellation to alternate colors or create patterns, adding a creative twist. This activity not only reinforces important geometry concepts but also introduces programming ideas like loops and conditionals. Plus, students learn how coding can make repetitive tasks easier, a key skill in computer science.

Tessellations offer a fun and creative way for students to explore math, whether through hands-on activities or coding in Scratch. They make abstract concepts like angles and symmetry more accessible while strengthening spatial reasoning and pattern recognition. By combining math, art, and technology, tessellations turn learning into an engaging, interactive experience, helping students see how math comes to life in both the physical and digital worlds.