Being resourceful - Primary teachers

Being Resourceful is part of our Developing Mathematical Mindsets - Primary Teachers collection.

Good thinkers are resourceful and reflective. They think critically and can explain and justify the choices that they make. They become absorbed in what they are doing and show attention to detail. They look back on what they have done in order to learn from both successes and failures.

How do we help our learners to become more resourceful?

These problems require careful consideration. If you allow your learners time to immerse themselves in the problems, they may learn to appreciate that the journey is often as important as the destination.

You can browse through the Number, Measures, Geometry or Statistics collections, or scroll down to see the full set of problems below.

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Being resourceful - Primary statistics

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Statistics problems at primary level that require careful consideration.

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Being resourceful - Primary geometry

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Geometry problems at primary level that require careful consideration.

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Being resourceful - Primary measures

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Measure problems at primary level that require careful consideration.

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Being resourceful - Primary number

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Number problems at primary level that require careful consideration.

problem

Ladybird count

Age

5 to 7

Challenge level

Some children were playing a game. Make a graph or picture to show how many ladybirds each child had.

problem

Turning man

Age

5 to 7

Challenge level

Use the interactivity to find out how many quarter turns the man must rotate through to look like each of the pictures.

problem

Repeating patterns

Age

5 to 7

Challenge level

Try continuing these patterns made from triangles. Can you create your own repeating pattern?

problem

Dotty six

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Dotty Six is a simple dice game that you can adapt in many ways.

problem

Poly plug rectangles

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

The computer has made a rectangle and will tell you the number of spots it uses in total. Can you find out where the rectangle is?

problem

The animals' sports day

Age

5 to 7

Challenge level

One day, five small animals in my garden had a sports day. Who do you think won each race?

problem

Seeing squares

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Players take it in turns to choose a dot on the grid. The winner is the first to have four dots that can be joined to form a square.

problem

Eggs in baskets

Age

5 to 7

Challenge level

There are three baskets, a brown one, a red one and a pink one, holding a total of 10 eggs. How many eggs are in each basket?

problem

Wallpaper

Age

5 to 7

Challenge level

These pieces of wallpaper need to be ordered from smallest to largest. Can you find a way to do it?

problem

Heads and feet

Age

5 to 7

Challenge level

On a farm there were some hens and sheep. Altogether there were 8 heads and 22 feet. How many hens were there?

problem

The tall tower

Age

5 to 7

Challenge level

As you come down the ladders of the Tall Tower you collect useful spells. Which way should you go to collect the most spells?

problem

4 dom

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Use these four dominoes to make a square that has the same number of dots on each side.

problem

A puzzling cube

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Here are the six faces of a cube - in no particular order. Here are three views of the cube. Can you deduce where the faces are in relation to each other and record them on the net of this cube?

problem

Digit discovery

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Here is an interesting property about two sets of digits. Can you work out what the digits might be?

problem

Square corners

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

What is the greatest number of counters you can place on the grid below without four of them lying at the corners of a square?

game

Favourite

More Dicey operations

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

In these multiplication and division games, you'll need to think strategically to get closest to the target.

problem

Torn shapes

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

These rectangles have been torn. How many squares did each one have inside it before it was ripped?

problem

Shape times shape

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

These eleven shapes each stand for a different number. Can you use the number sentences to work out what they are?

problem

First connect three

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Add or subtract the two numbers on the spinners and try to complete a row of three. Are there some numbers that are good to aim for?

problem

Cows and sheep

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Use your logical reasoning to work out how many cows and how many sheep there are in each field.

problem

Magic Vs

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Can you put the numbers 1-5 in the V shape so that both 'arms' have the same total?

problem

Treasure hunt

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

Can you find a reliable strategy for choosing coordinates that will locate the treasure in the minimum number of guesses?

problem

Coded hundred square

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

This 100 square jigsaw is written in code. It starts with 1 and ends with 100. Can you build it up?

problem

Nice or nasty

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

There are nasty versions of this dice game but we'll start with the nice ones...

game

Favourite

The remainders game

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

Play this game and see if you can figure out the computer's chosen number.

problem

Missing multipliers

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

What is the smallest number of answers you need to reveal in order to work out the missing headers?

game

Favourite

Dicey operations

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

In these addition and subtraction games, you'll need to think strategically to get closest to the target.

game

Favourite

Dicey operations in line

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

In these addition, subtraction, multiplication and division games, you'll need to think strategically to get closest to the target.

problem

Play to 37

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

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.

problem

Dozens

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

Can you select the missing digit(s) to find the largest multiple?

problem

Satisfying four statements

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Can you find any two-digit numbers that satisfy all of these statements?

problem

Xavi's T-shirt

Age

7 to 16

Challenge level

How much can you read into a T-shirt?

problem

Sealed solution

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

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?

problem

Sponge sections

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

You have been given three shapes made out of sponge: a sphere, a cylinder and a cone. Your challenge is to find out how to cut them to make different shapes for printing.

problem

Cut nets

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Each of the nets of nine solid shapes has been cut into two pieces. Can you see which pieces go together?

problem

Four go

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

This challenge is a game for two players. Choose two of the numbers to multiply or divide, then mark your answer on the number line. Can you get four in a row?

problem

Eight hidden squares

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

On the graph there are 28 marked points. These points all mark the vertices (corners) of eight hidden squares. Can you find the eight hidden squares?

problem

Baravelle

Age

7 to 16

Challenge level

What can you see? What do you notice? What questions can you ask?

problem

Through the window

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

My local DIY shop calculates the price of its windows according to the area of glass and the length of frame used. Can you work out how they arrived at these prices?

problem

Twenty divided into six

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

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?