Math Puzzles (Grades K-12)

Graphic: Andrew Ault

National Game and Puzzle Week, November 23-29

Happy National Game and Puzzle Week! Celebrate the week by having students do some math-related puzzles. Although most of the puzzles here are for middle and high school students, there's something for everybody.

Connections

Puzzles provide a fun way for students to acquire and practice math skills such as problem solving, logic, recognizing patterns, and number sense. Here are a few ideas in celebration of puzzles:

• Bring in a variety of puzzles, including math puzzles, puzzles that ask players to call on their knowledge of history or science or another area, and word puzzles. With the class, analyze the math and critical thinking skills needed to solve them, and discuss how these skills are applied in daily life.
• Ask students to choose a favorite puzzle and write a description of the puzzle and a strategy for solving it.
• Have groups of students design math puzzles, trade their puzzles with other groups, and then work out the puzzles.
• Challenge the class to design a maze, draw up plans for building it, and then build it.

Web Resources

1. MathsNet
   
   http://www.mathsnet.net/puzzles.html
   (Part of an ENC Digital Dozen selection, ENC# 011456) Grades 6-12. This web site provides a large variety of puzzles. Many are interactive.
   
   
2. Interactive Mathematics Miscellany and Puzzles
   
   http://www.cut-the-knot.com/games.html
   (Part of an ENC Digital Dozen selection, ENC# 002256) Grades 5-12 and post-secondary. Visit this web site to solve puzzles and learn about the mathematics behind them.
   
   
3. Principles and Standards for School Mathematics: Learning Geometry and Measurement Concepts by Creating Paths and Navigating Mazes: Ladybug Mazes
   
   http://standards.nctm.org/document/eexamples/chap4/4.3/Part3.htm
   Grades preK-2. This is a model lesson on geometry and problem solving taken directly from Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. A maze and ladybugs make the lesson fun for younger students.
   
   
4. A Math Forum Web Unit: Suzanne Alejandre's Magic Squares
   
   http://mathforum.org/alejandre/magic.square.html
   This site, filled with a number of links, is all about magic squares.
   
   
5. Through Mazes to Mathematics
   
   http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~tony/mazes/
   This thoughtful, informative site presents the mathematics behind mazes.
   
   

Ready-to-Go Activities

1. AIMS Puzzle Corner
   
   http://www.aimsedu.org/Puzzle/index.html
   Grades K-9. This web site has a monthly puzzle that can be used as part of a cooperative learning and problem-solving activity.
   
   
2. Enchanted Mind: Creative Java Puzzles
   
   http://www.enchantedmind.com/html/puzzles/interactive_puzzles/creative_java_puzzles.html
   Enchanted Mind: Creative Java Puzzles (An ENC Digital Dozen selection, ENC# 012954) Grades 6-12. This web site offers 10 interactive puzzles, including tangrams and pentominos.
   
   
3. Simon Singh.Net: Cryptograms
   
   http://www.simonsingh.net/Cryptograms.html
   Grades 5-post-secondary. If your students enjoy solving cryptograms, this is a fun site. You can click on three different kinds of cryptograms that range in level of difficulty. And for those who are feeling adventurous, scroll down the page and choose the Cipher Challenge! The puzzle took 2 years to create and earned the group that solved it a prize of 10,000 pounds.
   
   
4. NSA/CSS Kids and Youth Page
   
   http://www.nsa.gov/kids/intro.htm
   Grades 3-12 and post-secondary. The National Security Agency/Central Security Service developed some intriguing and challenging puzzles, many of which involve codes, for students of every age.
   
   
5. Magic Square Puzzle
   
   http://www.dubster.com/math/
   Click on the pieces and drop them in to complete the magic square.
   
   
6. Ken's Puzzle of the Week
   
   http://ken.duisenberg.com/potw/
   Grades 9-12. There's a different math puzzle every week, plus you can find more in the archives.
   
   

Classroom Resources from the ENC Collection

1. Tangoes: the puzzle game
   Date: 1998 Grade(s): K - 8 Cost: $11.95 ENC#: 015810
   Players arrange seven tangram pieces to match a picture shown on a card.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
2. Exploring math through puzzles kit
   Date: 1996 Grade(s): 5 - 12 Cost: $14.95 - $29.95 ENC#: 007303
   This kit and accompanying booklet of blackline masters relates such mathematical topics as geometry, combinatorics, and topology to the design and solution of mechanical puzzles.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
3. Math games and activities from around the world
   Date: 1998 Grade(s): 2 - 7 Cost: $14.95 ENC#: 015196
   Directions for more than 70 games, puzzles, and activities from all over the world are included in this book.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
4. Puzzles, mazes and numbers
   Date: 1995 Grade(s): 5 - 8 Cost: $22.95 ENC#: 016704
   In this book, you'll find information about numbers and mazes as well as many different kinds of puzzles.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
5. Creative puzzles of the world
   Featured in ENC Focus  
   Date: 1995 Grade(s): K - 12 Cost: $19.95 ENC#: 006475
   This book takes a look at the history, theory, and craftsmanship behind all kinds of puzzles. It includes more than 1,000 puzzles that require various levels of skill.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   

Teacher Resources from the ENC Collection

1. 1000 playthinks: puzzles, paradoxes, illusions and games
   Featured in ENC Focus  
   Date: 2001 Grade(s): 5 - Post-Sec. Cost: $29.95 ENC#: 026100
   This book alone will supply enough puzzles and games to keep you busy for years! You can choose a puzzle by subject--for example, patterns, numbers, science, or logic and probability--and by level of difficulty, from 1 (easy) to 10 (difficult). There are puzzles for multiple players and puzzles for just one player. Lots of fun packed into one big book!
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   

Search Strategies

Find more materials by searching Curriculum Resources on ENC Online using these terms: Mathematics or Puzzles.

Connections to Standards

Realizing that there are many ways to use this Classroom Calendar entry, we chose these standards because they relate to the entry, in full or in part. If you want to explore the standards further, please use the link(s) provided.

Connections to NCTM Standards
Algebra: Understand patterns, relations, and functions
Connections: Recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics
Number and Operations: Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems
Number and Operations: Understand meanings of operations and how they relate to one another
Problem Solving: Build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving
Problem Solving: Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems