The Polar Express - Tangram Trains!

The Polar Express: Create Your Own Tangram Trains!

All aboard The Polar Express! This fun and engaging activity is designed to bring the magic of the classic holiday story to life while helping children develop important skills such as spatial awareness, fine motor control, and creativity.

In this resource, students will use tangram shapes to design and build their own trains. They’ll start by copying provided examples of trains, then let their imagination soar as they create their own unique designs! This cut-and-stick activity also includes beautiful backdrops—one with a clear background for simple play, and another with a wintery landscape scene for extra Polar Express magic!

What’s Included:
Three Train Tangram Examples
Students will begin by copying these tangram train examples, practicing how to use the shapes to create recognizable forms. This will help them get familiar with how the tangrams work together to form different parts of the train.

Create Your Own Train!
After practicing with the examples, it’s time to get creative! Encourage students to think outside the box and design their own unique train using the tangram shapes. They can use different combinations and layouts, allowing them to explore their imagination.

Backdrops for Extra Fun
Choose from two types of backdrops:

Clear backdrop: Perfect for keeping things simple and focusing on the tangram creation itself.

Polar Express landscape backdrop: A beautifully illustrated scene that sets the stage for your train creation, giving students the chance to bring their train into a wintery, magical setting.