Filter by: Content type: ALL Problems Articles Games Stage: All Stage 1&2 Stage 2&3 Stage 3&4 Stage 4&5 Challenge level:
Three children are going to buy some plants for their birthdays. They will plant them within circular paths. How could they do 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.
How could you arrange at least two dice in a stack so that the total of the visible spots is 18?
Here you see the front and back views of a dodecahedron. Each vertex has been numbered so that the numbers around each pentagonal face add up to 65. Can you find all the missing numbers?
Katie had a pack of 20 cards numbered from 1 to 20. She arranged the cards into 6 unequal piles where each pile added to the same total. What was the total and how could this be done?
Can you substitute numbers for the letters in these sums?
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?
Write the numbers up to 64 in an interesting way so that the shape they make at the end is interesting, different, more exciting ... than just a square.
Using the cards 2, 4, 6, 8, +, - and =, what number statements can you make?
An investigation involving adding and subtracting sets of consecutive numbers. Lots to find out, lots to explore.
There is a clock-face where the numbers have become all mixed up. Can you find out where all the numbers have got to from these ten statements?
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?
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?
You have 5 darts and your target score is 44. How many different ways could you score 44?
There are 4 jugs which hold 9 litres, 7 litres, 4 litres and 2 litres. Find a way to pour 9 litres of drink from one jug to another until you are left with exactly 3 litres in three of the jugs.
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?
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?
Can you put plus signs in so this is true? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 = 99 How many ways can you do it?
Find your way through the grid starting at 2 and following these operations. What number do you end on?
This magic square has operations written in it, to make it into a maze. Start wherever you like, go through every cell and go out a total of 15!
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?
There are 44 people coming to a dinner party. There are 15 square tables that seat 4 people. Find a way to seat the 44 people using all 15 tables, with no empty places.
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?
Ben has five coins in his pocket. How much money might he have?
Ten cards are put into five envelopes so that there are two cards in each envelope. The sum of the numbers inside it is written on each envelope. What numbers could be inside the envelopes?
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?
Can you make square numbers by adding two prime numbers together?
Add the sum of the squares of four numbers between 10 and 20 to the sum of the squares of three numbers less than 6 to make the square of another, larger, number.
Find all the numbers that can be made by adding the dots on two dice.
Choose four different digits from 1-9 and put one in each box so that the resulting four two-digit numbers add to a total of 100.
What do the digits in the number fifteen add up to? How many other numbers have digits with the same total but no zeros?
In this article for teachers, Elizabeth Carruthers and Maulfry Worthington explore the differences between 'recording mathematics' and 'representing mathematical thinking'.
What do you notice about the date 03.06.09? Or 08.01.09? This challenge invites you to investigate some interesting dates yourself.
Can you put the numbers 1-5 in the V shape so that both 'arms' have the same total?
Place the numbers 1 to 6 in the circles so that each number is the difference between the two numbers just below it.
Can you find which shapes you need to put into the grid to make the totals at the end of each row and the bottom of each column?
Explore Alex's number plumber. What questions would you like to ask? What do you think is happening to the numbers?
Can you use the information to find out which cards I have used?
What happens when you add three numbers together? Will your answer be odd or even? How do you know?
Tom and Ben visited Numberland. Use the maps to work out the number of points each of their routes scores.
Two children made up a game as they walked along the garden paths. Can you find out their scores? Can you find some paths of your own?
Sweets are given out to party-goers in a particular way. Investigate the total number of sweets received by people sitting in different positions.
Can you make a train the same length as Laura's but using three differently coloured rods? Is there only one way of doing it?
Using the statements, can you work out how many of each type of rabbit there are in these pens?
Look carefully at the numbers. What do you notice? Can you make another square using the numbers 1 to 16, that displays the same properties?
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?
Use your logical-thinking skills to deduce how much Dan's crisps and ice-cream cost altogether.
These two group activities use mathematical reasoning - one is numerical, one geometric.
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?