Seven Flipped

This challenge is quite tricky but children will find it a motivating context in which to develop a logical, systematic approach.

It would be useful to introduce the problem on an interactive whiteboard so that the whole group can be involved with deciding which mats to turn. Alternatively, cardboard mats coloured differently on each side could be used and pinned to a board. This initial whole group work will familiarise the children with the "rules" of the problem so that they will be confident to find the smallest number of moves in pairs.

It will be important for them to devise a recording system that they are happy with, and this is something that can be addressed in the introduction, for example by asking whether they would be able to repeat the moves they made. Encourage them to think about odd and even numbers of flips, and when they come to investigate other numbers of tiles, you might expect them to generalise for multiples of three at least.