Tessellation Template
Repeating-tile blank grid.
The Tessellation Template is a blank repeating-tile grid printable designed for students in grades 4–8 to explore how identical shapes interlock across a plane without gaps or overlaps. The grid provides the structural foundation — a set of accurately spaced, pre-drawn tile outlines — so students can focus on decorating each tile, designing colour patterns, or using the grid as a starting point to create their own interlocking shapes by modifying the tile edges with the translate, rotate, or glide-reflection method. Math teachers use it to make geometry lessons tangible: students see symmetry, transformation, and plane tiling in action rather than just on a diagram. Art teachers appreciate that tessellation connects fine art (Escher-style designs) with precise spatial reasoning. The template saves significant time compared to asking students to construct a tile grid from scratch, and the regular spacing ensures accurate results even for students who are not yet confident with rulers.
Learning objectives
- Understand how repeating shapes tile a plane without gaps
- Apply geometric transformations — translation, rotation, reflection — to tile design
- Develop spatial reasoning by visualising how edges align across the grid
- Connect mathematics and visual art through pattern design
- Practise careful, detailed colouring to reveal the repeating structure
- Explore colour pattern rules across a regular grid
How to use this template
- Download and print the template on standard paper — use heavier stock if students will paint or use wet media.
- Decide on a design approach: colour only (using the pre-drawn tiles), or modify tile edges to create interlocking custom shapes.
- If modifying edges, cut and slide, rotate, or flip a piece of one edge to the opposite side of the tile before drawing.
- Colour the completed design using a consistent colour rule (e.g. no two touching tiles the same colour) to make the tessellation pattern pop.
- Label the template with the type of symmetry used and display or include in a maths/art portfolio.
Classroom & home ideas
- Geometry unit: use the template as a hands-on complement to a lesson on translations and rotational symmetry, having students identify which transformations appear in their finished design.
- Escher study: show examples of M.C. Escher's tessellation artworks, then challenge students to morph the template's basic tile into a recognisable animal or object shape.
- Colour rule challenge: give students a constraint — use exactly three colours so that no tile touches another of the same colour — and have them figure out how to arrange the palette.
- Cross-curricular maths art display: create a class set where each student picks a different colour palette; mount them together for a striking whole-class mosaic.
- Home extension: send the template home as a relaxing, focused colouring and patterning activity that reinforces in-class geometry concepts.
Skills & curriculum links
Frequently asked questions
What tile shape is used in this template?
The standard template uses a square grid, which is the most accessible tile shape for students new to tessellation. Variations with equilateral triangles or regular hexagons are also available for more advanced exploration.
Do students need prior knowledge of geometry to use this?
No prior knowledge is needed for the colouring version — students simply apply colours to the pre-drawn tiles. The edge-modification version works best after a short introduction to translation and rotation in class.
How is this different from a plain square grid?
A plain grid is generic; the tessellation template has tiles sized and spaced specifically for pattern-design activities, with a border that frames the finished artwork. Some versions include a worked example tile in the margin as a visual guide.
Can this be used for maths assessment as well as art?
Yes. Teachers can ask students to annotate their design — labelling an axis of symmetry, describing the transformation used to modify a tile edge, or calculating the number of tiles on the page — turning it into a documented maths task.
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