Filter by: Content type: ALL Problems Articles Games Stage: All Stage 1&2 Stage 2&3 Stage 3&4 Stage 4&5 Challenge level:
For this challenge, you'll need to play Got It! Can you explain the strategy for winning this game with any target?
Four bags contain a large number of 1s, 3s, 5s and 7s. Pick any ten numbers from the bags above so that their total is 37.
Find out about Magic Squares in this article written for students. Why are they magic?!
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.
Find a great variety of ways of asking questions which make 8.
How can we help students make sense of addition and subtraction of negative numbers?
Use your logical-thinking skills to deduce how much Dan's crisps and ice-cream cost altogether.
What happens when you add three numbers together? Will your answer be odd or even? How do you know?
Ram divided 15 pennies among four small bags. He could then pay any sum of money from 1p to 15p without opening any bag. How many pennies did Ram put in each bag?
I was looking at the number plate of a car parked outside. Using my special code S208VBJ adds to 65. Can you crack my code and use it to find out what both of these number plates add up to?
There were chews for 2p, mini eggs for 3p, Chocko bars for 5p and lollypops for 7p in the sweet shop. What could each of the children buy with their money?
This challenge extends the Plants investigation so now four or more children are involved.
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?
Vera is shopping at a market with these coins in her purse. Which things could she give exactly the right amount for?
This article for teachers suggests ideas for activities built around 10 and 2010.
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.
Here are the prices for 1st and 2nd class mail within the UK. You have an unlimited number of each of these stamps. Which stamps would you need to post a parcel weighing 825g?
Use your logical reasoning to work out how many cows and how many sheep there are in each field.
Go through the maze, collecting and losing your money as you go. Which route gives you the highest return? And the lowest?
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 given totals?
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?
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 happens?
Can you substitute numbers for the letters in these sums?
Make your own double-sided magic square. But can you complete both sides once you've made the pieces?
Lolla bought a balloon at the circus. She gave the clown six coins to pay for it. What could Lolla have paid for the balloon?
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?
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?
Ben has five coins in his pocket. How much money might he have?
An investigation involving adding and subtracting sets of consecutive numbers. Lots to find out, lots to explore.
Find at least one way to put in some operation signs (+ - x ÷) to make these digits come to 100.
How many solutions can you find to this sum? Each of the different letters stands for a different number.
This article gives you a few ideas for understanding the Got It! game and how you might find a winning strategy.
A game for 2 people. Use your skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to blast the asteroids.
Move from the START to the FINISH by moving across or down to the next square. Can you find a route to make these totals?
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?
Twizzle, a female giraffe, needs transporting to another zoo. Which route will give the fastest journey?
In sheep talk the only letters used are B and A. A sequence of words is formed by following certain rules. What do you notice when you count the letters in each word?
These sixteen children are standing in four lines of four, one behind the other. They are each holding a card with a number on it. Can you work out the missing numbers?
If the numbers 5, 7 and 4 go into this function machine, what numbers will come out?
Tim had nine cards each with a different number from 1 to 9 on it. How could he have put them into three piles so that the total in each pile was 15?
Use these head, body and leg pieces to make Robot Monsters which are different heights.
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.
There were 22 legs creeping across the web. How many flies? How many spiders?
As you come down the ladders of the Tall Tower you collect useful spells. Which way should you go to collect the most spells?
Zumf makes spectacles for the residents of the planet Zargon, who have either 3 eyes or 4 eyes. How many lenses will Zumf need to make all the different orders for 9 families?
Arrange eight of the numbers between 1 and 9 in the Polo Square below so that each side adds to the same total.
Choose four of the numbers from 1 to 9 to put in the squares so that the differences between joined squares are odd.
These two group activities use mathematical reasoning - one is numerical, one geometric.
Winifred Wytsh bought a box each of jelly babies, milk jelly bears, yellow jelly bees and jelly belly beans. In how many different ways could she make a jolly jelly feast with 32 legs?
In your bank, you have three types of coins. The number of spots shows how much they are worth. Can you choose coins to exchange with the groups given to make the same total?