Puzzles for the Classroom

Why these puzzles

Short puzzles make good starters, early-finisher work and maths-centre activities, and the same puzzle stretches the quickest student on Demon while others are on Beginner.

Tips

Give everyone the same puzzle and let each choose their level.
Ask the class to share strategies, not just answers.
See the For schools page for class codes and reports, coming next.

The puzzles

Block House (ages 5+): Fill the wooden house with blocks. At the top levels they come in order. Builds spatial reasoning and planning ahead.
Hexwood (ages 5+): Fill the hexagon tray. Pieces only snap when they truly fit. Builds spatial reasoning and shapes and geometry.
Hidden Blocks (ages 5+): Copy the picture on the card by turning and arranging the blocks. Builds spatial reasoning and pattern recognition.
Rectangle Tray (ages 5+): Fit every wooden piece into the rectangle, with none left over. Builds spatial reasoning and shapes and geometry.
Tangram (ages 5+): Seven wooden shapes, one picture. Turn and flip them to fill it. Builds spatial reasoning and shapes and geometry.
Blank Jigsaw (ages 6+): A jigsaw with no picture. Only the shapes tell you where pieces go. Builds spatial reasoning and pattern recognition.
Hakoiri Musume (ages 6+): Japan’s classic sliding-block puzzle: slide the big block out of the box. Builds planning ahead and logical reasoning.
Lucky Coins (ages 6+): Fit every bitten clover coin into the round tray. Builds spatial reasoning and shapes and geometry.
Number Slide (ages 6+): Slide the wooden tiles until the numbers are back in order. Builds planning ahead and logical reasoning.
Puzzle Box (ages 6+): A Japanese secret box. Slide the hidden panels in the right order to open it. Builds logical reasoning and persistence.
Road Slide (ages 6+): Slide the road tiles until the arrows join into one road. Builds planning ahead and logical reasoning.
Square Tray (ages 6+): Fit every wooden piece into the square, with none left over. Builds spatial reasoning and shapes and geometry.
Sudoku (ages 6+): Fill the grid so every row, column and box has each number once. Builds logical reasoning and number sense.
T Puzzle (ages 6+): Four wooden pieces make a T, and dozens of other shapes. Builds spatial reasoning and shapes and geometry.
Tower of Hanoi (ages 6+): Move the tower to the last peg. A big ring never sits on a small one. Builds planning ahead and logical reasoning.
Triangle Tray (ages 6+): Fit every wooden piece into the triangle, with none left over. Builds spatial reasoning and shapes and geometry.
Bridges (ages 7+): Join every island with bridges. Each island’s number is how many it needs. Builds logical reasoning and planning ahead.
Diamond Tray (ages 7+): Fit every wooden piece into the diamond, with none left over. Builds spatial reasoning and shapes and geometry.
Eight Logs (ages 7+): Fit every log in the box. Two half-cut ends can share one spot. Builds spatial reasoning and logical reasoning.
Luban Lock (ages 7+): Take the wooden lock apart. Only one piece can move at a time. Builds spatial reasoning and planning ahead.
Nonogram (ages 7+): Use the number clues to fill the right squares and reveal a picture. Builds logical reasoning and number sense.
Number Frame (ages 7+): Fit the frame pieces and number tiles so 1 to 9 read in order. Builds spatial reasoning and planning ahead.
Parallelogram Tray (ages 7+): Fit every wooden piece into the parallelogram, with none left over. Builds spatial reasoning and shapes and geometry.
Pattern Boards (ages 7+): A carved board with a hole. Find where every patterned piece fits. Builds spatial reasoning and pattern recognition.
Peg Solitaire (ages 7+): Jump pegs over each other until only one is left. Builds logical reasoning and planning ahead.
Six Bottles (ages 7+): Fill every bottle. All the pieces come from one pile. Builds spatial reasoning and planning ahead.
Sokoban (ages 7+): Push every crate onto its spot. You can push, but never pull. Builds planning ahead and logical reasoning.