Scale Copies
Make scaled copies and read maps, plans and dilations with scale factors.
Is a bigger drawing a true copy? Scale Copies teaches what it means for one shape to be a true copy of another. Children compare drawings on a grid, count squares to find a scale factor and use matching sides to find a missing length. Some rounds ask them to adjust a copy with plus and minus buttons until it fits a dotted outline.
The game then moves to maps and floor plans, where one centimeter stands for a real distance, and to what happens to perimeter and area when a shape is scaled. The final level places triangles on a coordinate grid and dilates them about the origin, linking proportional thinking to geometry.
What children practice
- Tell a true scaled copy from a stretched or squashed shape
- Find a scale factor by counting squares or dividing matching sides
- Use a scale factor to find a missing side length
- Read map and floor plan scales such as 1 cm = 5 m
- See that perimeter scales by k and area by k times k
- Dilate points about the origin and use similar triangles
Levels
- Same shape?: Bigger or smaller
- Count squares: Scale factor 2, 3, 4
- Matching sides: Fractions and missing sides
- Maps and plans: 1 cm = 5 m
- Perimeter and area: Times k and k × k
- Dilations: Origin and similar triangles
How it works
- Six levels run from Same shape or not through maps and plans to dilations.
- Questions mix multiple choice with hands on tasks like tapping the true copy, adjusting a shape or placing a dilated point.
- A Show a hint button offers a nudge about how to think, and a wrong choice is followed by a short note.
- A speaker button beside each prompt reads it aloud.
Best for: A good fit for grades 4 to 8 when a class is working on ratios, scale drawings or similarity.
Tip for parents: Use a photo or a map. Ask your child to measure the distance between two places with a ruler, then use the map scale to say how far apart they really are.
Questions parents ask
What is a scale factor?
It is the number you multiply every length by to get the copy. Level 2 shows it by counting squares, Level 3 uses fractions and missing sides, and Level 6 applies it to points on a coordinate grid.
Does the game cover area?
Yes, Level 5 shows that perimeter grows by the scale factor while area grows by the factor times itself. It asks for the perimeter or area of a copy and how many copies of A fit inside B.
How are maps and plans used?
They are simple drawings made for practice, with two places and a ruler or scale bar, or a floor plan on a grid. Children turn lengths on the drawing into real distances and back again.
Ready to try it?
Scale Copies is free with a parent account. A parent adds a child profile, and the child's progress is saved.