The letters in the following addition sum represent the digits 1
... 9. If A=3 and D=2, what number is represented by "CAYLEY"?
The idea of this game is to add or subtract the two numbers on the dice and cover the result on the grid, trying to get a line of three. Are there some numbers that are good to aim for?
Here is a chance to play a version of the classic Countdown Game.
Can you see why 2 by 2 could be 5? Can you predict what 2 by 10
Place the numbers from 1 to 9 in the squares below so that the difference between joined squares is odd. How many different ways can you do this?
This is an adding game for two players.
This article gives you a few ideas for understanding the Got It! game and how you might find a winning strategy.
Place six toy ladybirds into the box so that there are two ladybirds in every column and every row.
If each of these three shapes has a value, can you find the totals
of the combinations? Perhaps you can use the shapes to make the
Is it possible to rearrange the numbers 1,2......12 around a clock
face in such a way that every two numbers in adjacent positions
differ by any of 3, 4 or 5 hours?
Some Games That May Be Nice or Nasty for an adult and child. Use your knowledge of place value to beat your oponent.
First Connect Three game for an adult and child. Use the dice numbers and either addition or subtraction to get three numbers in a straight line.
Find the sum of all three-digit numbers each of whose digits is
Got It game for an adult and child. How can you play so that you know you will always win?
How many solutions can you find to this sum? Each of the different letters stands for a different number.
Do you notice anything about the solutions when you add and/or
subtract consecutive negative numbers?
How have the numbers been placed in this Carroll diagram? Which
labels would you put on each row and column?
In this game for two players, the idea is to take it in turns to choose 1, 3, 5 or 7. The winner is the first to make the total 37.
Fill in the numbers to make the sum of each row, column and
diagonal equal to 34. For an extra challenge try the huge American
Flag magic square.
Find the sum and difference between a pair of two-digit numbers. Now find the sum and difference between the sum and difference! What happens?
Find out about Magic Squares in this article written for students. Why are they magic?!
If you have only four weights, where could you place them in order
to balance this equaliser?
Using 3 rods of integer lengths, none longer than 10 units and not
using any rod more than once, you can measure all the lengths in
whole units from 1 to 10 units. How many ways can you do this?
Can you find six numbers to go in the Daisy from which you can make all the numbers from 1 to a number bigger than 25?
Start by putting one million (1 000 000) into the display of your
calculator. Can you reduce this to 7 using just the 7 key and add,
subtract, multiply, divide and equals as many times as you like?
Place the digits 1 to 9 into the circles so that each side of the
triangle adds to the same total.
Try entering different sets of numbers in the number pyramids. How does the total at the top change?
Put the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 into the squares so that the
numbers on each circle add up to the same amount. Can you find the
rule for giving another set of six numbers?
Fill in the missing numbers so that adding each pair of corner
numbers gives you the number between them (in the box).
Can you be the first to complete a row of three?
Place the numbers 1 to 10 in the circles so that each number is the
difference between the two numbers just below it.
Try adding together the dates of all the days in one week. Now
multiply the first date by 7 and add 21. Can you explain what
Can you put the numbers 1 to 8 into the circles so that the four
calculations are correct?
Different combinations of the weights available allow you to make different totals. Which totals can you make?
Strike it Out game for an adult and child. Can you stop your partner from being able to go?
A game for 2 people using a pack of cards Turn over 2 cards and try
to make an odd number or a multiple of 3.
Make your own double-sided magic square. But can you complete both
sides once you've made the pieces?
A game for two people, or play online. Given a target number, say 23, and a range of numbers to choose from, say 1-4, players take it in turns to add to the running total to hit their target.
Choose a symbol to put into the number sentence.
Starting with the number 180, take away 9 again and again, joining up the dots as you go. Watch out - don't join all the dots!
For this challenge, you'll need to play Got It! Can you explain the strategy for winning this game with any target?
Delight your friends with this cunning trick! Can you explain how
Five numbers added together in pairs produce: 0, 2, 4, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15 What are the five numbers?
This problem is based on a code using two different prime numbers
less than 10. You'll need to multiply them together and shift the
alphabet forwards by the result. Can you decipher the code?
How could you put eight beanbags in the hoops so that there are
four in the blue hoop, five in the red and six in the yellow? Can
you find all the ways of doing this?
This challenge extends the Plants investigation so now four or more children are involved.
This challenging activity involves finding different ways to distribute fifteen items among four sets, when the sets must include three, four, five and six items.
A game for 2 or more players with a pack of cards. Practise your
skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to hit
the target score.
A game for 2 players. Practises subtraction or other maths
Sweets are given out to party-goers in a particular way. Investigate the total number of sweets received by people sitting in different positions.