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 Number
Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
Number 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 Geometry
Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
Geometry problems at primary level that require careful consideration.
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Being Resourceful - Primary Statistics
Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
Statistics 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 were going to have a sports day. They decided to have a swimming race, a running race, a high jump and a long jump.
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
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
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
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
Satisfying Four Statements
Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
Can you find any two-digit numbers that satisfy all of these statements?
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
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?
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 14
Challenge level
There are nasty versions of this dice game but we'll start with the nice ones...
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?
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
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?
problem
Number Lines in Disguise
Age
7 to 14
Challenge level
Some of the numbers have fallen off Becky's number line. Can you figure out what they were?
problem
Mystery Matrix
Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
Can you fill in this table square? The numbers 2 -12 were used to generate it with just one number used twice.
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
Two and Two
Age
7 to 16
Challenge level
How many solutions can you find to this sum? Each of the different letters stands for a different number.