NRICH Primary Curriculum Map

The problems linked below have detailed Teachers' Resources suggesting how they can be integrated into lessons.

Please email any comments to primary.nrich@maths.org

Looking for secondary problems? See the NRICH Secondary Curriculum Map.

Key

Games are indicated by ‘G’ and Articles by 'A'.

Tasks badged filled star are suitable for the whole class;
Tasks badged filled starfilled star are suitable for the majority;
Tasks badged filled starfilled starfilled star are for those who like a serious challenge.

Highlight ‘Thinking mathematically’ or ‘Mathematical mindset’ problems

Geometry

EYFS Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Post-Primary

Identifying Shapes and Their Properties

Talk about and explore 2D and 3D shapes (for example, circles, rectangles, triangles and cuboids) using informal and mathematical language: 'sides', 'corners', 'straight', 'flat', 'round'
Shapes in the Bag Shapes in the Bag
In this task, children put their hands into a bag and describe what shape they think they can feel and why.
Making Footprints Making Footprints
In this activity, children will develop an awareness of the faces of 3D shapes by using them to make 'footprints' in soft dough.
Exploring 2D shapes Exploring 2D shapes
In this task, children will make shapes out of loops of string and discuss what they notice about their shapes.
Recognise and name common 2D and 3D shapes, including: - 2D shapes [e.g. rectangles (including squares), circles and triangles] - 3D shapes [e.g. cuboids (including cubes), pyramids and spheres]
Jig Shapes Jig Shapes
Can you each work out what shape you have part of on your card? What will the rest of it look like?
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What's happening? What's happening?
Shapes are added to other shapes. Can you see what is happening? What is the rule?
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Always, sometimes or never? KS1 Always, sometimes or never? KS1
Are these statements relating to calculation and properties of shapes always true, sometimes true or never true?
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Three Squares Three Squares
What is the greatest number of squares you can make by overlapping three squares?
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Overlaps Overlaps
What does the overlap of these two shapes look like? Try picturing it in your head and then use some cut-out shapes to test your prediction.
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Identify and describe the properties of 2D shapes, including the number of sides and line symmetry in a vertical line
Colouring Triangles Colouring Triangles
Explore ways of colouring this set of triangles. Can you make symmetrical patterns?
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Chain of Changes Chain of Changes
Arrange the shapes in a line so that you change either colour or shape in the next piece along. Can you find several ways to start with a blue triangle and end with a red circle?
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Complete the Square Complete the Square
Complete the squares - but be warned some are trickier than they look!
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Shapely Lines Shapely Lines
This challenge invites you to create your own picture using just straight lines. Can you identify shapes with the same number of sides and decorate them in the same way?
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Paper Patchwork 1 Paper Patchwork 1
Can you work out what shape is made when this piece of paper is folded up using the crease pattern shown?
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Paper Patchwork 2 Paper Patchwork 2
Have a go at making a few of these shapes from paper in different sizes. What patterns can you create?
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Poly Plug Rectangles Poly Plug Rectangles
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?
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Inside Triangles Inside Triangles
How many different triangles can you draw which each have one dot in the middle?
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Exploded Squares Exploded Squares
Can you create symmetrical designs by cutting a square into strips?
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Let's Investigate Triangles Let's Investigate Triangles
Vincent and Tara are making triangles with the class construction set. They have a pile of strips of different lengths. How many different triangles can they make?
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Triangle or No Triangle? Triangle or No Triangle?
Here is a selection of different shapes. Can you work out which ones are triangles, and why?
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Identify lines of symmetry in 2D shapes presented in different orientations
Let Us Reflect Let Us Reflect
Where can you put the mirror across the square so that you can still "see" the whole square? How many different positions are possible?
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Stringy Quads Stringy Quads
This practical problem challenges you to make quadrilaterals with a loop of string. You'll need some friends to help!
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Counters in the middle Counters in the middle
This task depends on groups working collaboratively, discussing and reasoning to agree a final product.
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Identify 3D shapes, including cubes and other cuboids, from 2D representations
Guess What? Guess What?
Can you find out which 3D shape your partner has chosen before they work out your shape?
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Recognise, describe and build simple 3D shapes, including making nets
Making Cuboids Making Cuboids
Let's say you can only use two different lengths - 2 units and 4 units. Using just these 2 lengths as the edges how many different cuboids can you make?
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Cut Nets Cut Nets
Each of the nets of nine solid shapes has been cut into two pieces. Can you see which pieces go together?
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Angles, Polygons and Geometrical Proof

3D Shapes

Combine shapes to make new ones - an arch, a bigger triangle, etc. Compose and decompose shapes so that children recognise a shape can have other shapes within it, just as numbers can
Making a Picture Making a Picture
This task provides an opportunity for children to work together to make a picture, discussing with each other which position they want to put each shape in.
Identify and describe the properties of 3D shapes, including the number of edges, vertices and faces
Building with Solid Shapes Building with Solid Shapes
We have a box of cubes, triangular prisms, cones, cuboids, cylinders and tetrahedrons. Which of the buildings would fall down if we tried to make them?
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Skeleton Shapes Skeleton Shapes
How many balls of modelling clay and how many straws does it take to make these skeleton shapes?
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Illustrate and name parts of circles, including radius, diameter and circumference and know that the diameter is twice the radius.
Identify 2D shapes on the surface of 3D shapes, [for example, a circle on a cylinder and a triangle on a pyramid]
Shadow Play Shadow Play
Here are shadows of some 3D shapes. What shapes could have made them?
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Drawing and Constructing

Select shapes appropriately: flat surfaces for building, a triangular prism for a roof, etc.
Building Towers Building Towers
In this task, children will explore 3D shapes when selecting which shapes to use in their tower.
Draw 2D shapes and make 3D shapes using modelling materials; recognise 3D shapes in different orientations and describe them
Building Blocks Building Blocks
Here are some pictures of 3D shapes made from cubes. Can you make these shapes yourself?
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The Third Dimension The Third Dimension
Here are four cubes joined together. How many other arrangements of four cubes can you find? Can you draw them on dotty paper?
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Triple Cubes Triple Cubes
This challenge involves eight three-cube models made from interlocking cubes. Investigate different ways of putting the models together then compare your constructions.
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A Puzzling Cube A Puzzling Cube
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?
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Board Block Challenge Board Block Challenge
Choose the size of your pegboard and the shapes you can make. Can you work out the strategies needed to block your opponent?
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Move those Halves Move those Halves
For this task, you'll need an A4 sheet and two A5 transparent sheets. Decide on a way of arranging the A5 sheets on top of the A4 sheet and explore ...
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Arranging cubes Arranging cubes
A task which depends on members of the group working collaboratively to reach a single goal.
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Stick images Stick images
This task requires learners to explain and help others, asking and answering questions.
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Inky Cube Inky Cube
This cube has ink on each face which leaves marks on paper as it is rolled. Can you work out what is on each face and the route it has taken?
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Square Corners Square Corners
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?
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Overlapping Again Overlapping Again
What shape is the overlap when you slide one of these shapes half way across another? Can you picture it in your head? Use the interactivity to check your visualisation.
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Complete a simple symmetric figure with respect to a specific line of symmetry
Symmetry Challenge Symmetry Challenge
How many symmetric designs can you make on this grid? Can you find them all?
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ReflectoR ! RotcelfeR ReflectoR ! RotcelfeR
Can you place the blocks so that you see the reflection in the picture?
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Draw given angles, and measure them in degrees (°)
How Safe Are You? How Safe Are You?
How much do you have to turn these dials by in order to unlock the safes?
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Six Places to Visit Six Places to Visit
Can you describe the journey to each of the six places on these maps? How would you turn at each junction?
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The Numbers give the design The Numbers give the design
Make new patterns from simple turning instructions. You can have a go using pencil and paper or with a floor robot.
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Olympic Turns Olympic Turns
This task looks at the different turns involved in different Olympic sports as a way of exploring the mathematics of turns and angles.
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Draw 2D shapes using given dimensions and angles
Shape Draw Shape Draw
Use the information on these cards to draw the shape that is being described.
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Making Spirals Making Spirals
Can you make a spiral for yourself? Explore some different ways to create your own spiral pattern and explore differences between different spirals.
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Baravelle Baravelle
What can you see? What do you notice? What questions can you ask?
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Construction

Recognise, describe and build simple 3D shapes, including making nets (appears also in Identifying Shapes and Their Properties)
Making Cuboids Making Cuboids
Let's say you can only use two different lengths - 2 units and 4 units. Using just these 2 lengths as the edges how many different cuboids can you make?
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Cut Nets Cut Nets
Each of the nets of nine solid shapes has been cut into two pieces. Can you see which pieces go together?
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Sponge Sections Sponge Sections
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.
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Comparing and Classifying

Compare and sort common 2D and 3D shapes and everyday objects
Data shapes Data shapes
Sara and Will were sorting some pictures of shapes on cards. "I'll collect the circles," said Sara. "I'll take the red ones," answered Will. Can you see any cards they would both want?
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Matching Triangles Matching Triangles
Can you sort these triangles into three different families and explain how you did it?
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Paper Partners Paper Partners
Can you describe a piece of paper clearly enough for your partner to know which piece it is?
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Cubes Cut into Four Pieces Cubes Cut into Four Pieces
Eight children each had a cube made from modelling clay. They cut them into four pieces which were all exactly the same shape and size. Whose pieces are the same? Can you decide who made each set?
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Compare and classify geometric shapes, including quadrilaterals and triangles, based on their properties and sizes
Shapes on the Playground Shapes on the Playground
Sally and Ben were drawing shapes in chalk on the school playground. Can you work out what shapes each of them drew using the clues?
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Quad match Quad match
A task which depends on members of the group noticing the needs of others and responding.
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Sorting Logic Blocks Sorting Logic Blocks
This activity focuses on similarities and differences between shapes.
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Seeing Parallelograms Seeing Parallelograms
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 parallelogram.
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Seeing Rhombuses Seeing Rhombuses
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 rhombus.
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What shape? What shape?
This task develops spatial reasoning skills. By framing and asking questions a member of the team has to find out what mathematical object they have chosen.
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Four Triangles Puzzle Four Triangles Puzzle
Cut four triangles from a square as shown in the picture. How many different shapes can you make by fitting the four triangles back together?
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Seeing Squares Seeing Squares
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.
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Cut it Out Cut it Out
Can you dissect an equilateral triangle into 6 smaller ones? What number of smaller equilateral triangles is it NOT possible to dissect a larger equilateral triangle into?
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Nine-Pin Triangles Nine-Pin Triangles
How many different triangles can you make on a circular pegboard that has nine pegs?
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Distinguish between regular and irregular polygons based on reasoning about equal sides and angles
Bracelets Bracelets
Investigate the different shaped bracelets you could make from 18 different spherical beads. How do they compare if you use 24 beads?
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Egyptian Rope Egyptian Rope
The ancient Egyptians were said to make right-angled triangles using a rope with twelve equal sections divided by knots. What other triangles could you make if you had a rope like this?
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Compare and classify geometric shapes based on their properties and sizes and find unknown angles in any triangles, quadrilaterals, and regular polygons
Where are they? Where are they?
Use the isometric grid paper to find the different polygons.
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Quadrilaterals Quadrilaterals
How many DIFFERENT quadrilaterals can be made by joining the dots on the 8-point circle?
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Round a hexagon Round a hexagon
This problem shows that the external angles of an irregular hexagon add to a circle.
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Diagonally Square Diagonally Square
Ayah conjectures that the diagonals of a square meet at right angles. Do you agree? How could you find out?
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Triangles all Around Triangles all Around
Can you find all the different triangles on these peg boards, and find their angles?
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Always, sometimes or never? Shape Always, sometimes or never? Shape
Are these statements always true, sometimes true or never true?
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Name That Triangle! Name That Triangle!
Can you sketch triangles that fit in the cells in this grid? Which ones are impossible? How do you know?
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Angles, Polygons and Geometrical Proof

Angles

Recognise angles as a property of shape or a description of a turn
Know angles are measured in degrees; estimate and compare acute, obtuse and reflex angles
Estimating angles Estimating angles
How good are you at estimating angles?
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Angles, Polygons and Geometrical Proof

Identify right angles, recognise that two right angles make a half-turn, three make three quarters of a turn and four a complete turn; identify whether angles are greater than or less than a right angle
Identify acute and obtuse angles and compare and order angles up to two right angles by size
Identify: - angles at a point and one whole turn (total 360°) - angles at a point on a straight line and ½ a turn (total 180°) - other multiples of 90°
Recognise angles where they meet at a point, are on a straight line, or are vertically opposite, and find missing angles
Identify horizontal and vertical lines and pairs of perpendicular and parallel lines
National Flags National Flags
This problem explores the shapes and symmetries in some national flags.
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Use the properties of rectangles to deduce related facts and find missing lengths and angles
Making Rectangles Making Rectangles
A task which depends on members of the group noticing the needs of others and responding.
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Position, Direction and Movement

Understand position through words alone - for example, "The bag is under the table," - with no pointing Describe a familiar route Discuss routes and locations, using words like 'in front of' and 'behind'
Small World Play Small World Play
This activity provides an engaging context for children to consider the space they will allocate for some 'small world' toys, and how many toys they will be able to fit into the space.
Scooters, Bikes and Trikes Scooters, Bikes and Trikes
When waiting for a ride on outdoor toys, children can consider which route they might take around the outside area and how long they will spend on their toy.
Position with Wellies Position with Wellies
This task uses the familiar situation of a shelf of objects to encourage children to use positional language and follow directions to find their wellies.
Paths Paths
By making 'paths' out of different materials and discussing these, children will develop their shape and space language in this activity.
Obstacle Course Obstacle Course
As children move around an obstacle course, adults can model positional language, encourage children to describe their movement themselves and create their own course.
Describe position, direction and movement, including half, quarter and three-quarter turns
2 Rings 2 Rings
The red ring is inside the blue ring in this picture. Can you rearrange the rings in different ways? Perhaps you can overlap them or put one outside another?
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Olympic rings Olympic rings
Can you design your own version of the Olympic rings, using interlocking squares instead of circles?
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Turning Turning
Use your mouse to move the red and green parts of this disc. Can you make images which show the turnings described?
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Tangram Tangle Tangram Tangle
If you split the square into these two pieces, it is possible to fit the pieces together again to make a new shape. How many new shapes can you make?
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Use mathematical vocabulary to describe position, direction and movement, including movement in a straight line and distinguishing between rotation as a turn and in terms of right angles for quarter, half and three-quarter turns (clockwise and anti-clockwise)
Coloured Squares Coloured Squares
Use the clues to colour each square.
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Triangle Animals Triangle Animals
How many different ways can you find to join three equilateral triangles together? Can you convince us that you have found them all?
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Walking round a triangle Walking round a triangle
This ladybird is taking a walk round a triangle. Can you see how much he has turned when he gets back to where he started?
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Turning Man Turning Man
Use the interactivity to find out how many quarter turns the man must rotate through to look like each of the pictures.
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En-counters En-counters
This task requires learners to explain and help others, asking and answering questions.
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Cover the Camel Cover the Camel
Can you cover the camel with these pieces?
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Describe movements between positions as translations of a given unit to the left/right and up/down

Transformations

Functions and graphs

Select, rotate and manipulate shapes to develop spatial reasoning skills
The importance of shape and space in the early years The importance of shape and space in the early years
In this article for EY practitioners, Dr Sue Gifford discusses children's early spatial thinking and how this predicts their mathematical understanding and achievement.
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Can you build this? Can you build this?
Children explore characteristics of shapes and use both everyday and mathematical language to describe them, talk about positions and solve problems
Describe positions on a 2D grid as coordinates in the first quadrant
Coordinate Challenge Coordinate Challenge
Use the clues about the symmetrical properties of these letters to place them on the grid.
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Eight hidden squares Eight hidden squares
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?
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Identify, describe and represent the position of a shape following a reflection or translation, using the appropriate language, and know that the shape has not changed
More Transformations on a Pegboard More Transformations on a Pegboard
Use the interactivity to find all the different right-angled triangles you can make by just moving one corner of the starting triangle.
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Transformations on a Pegboard Transformations on a Pegboard
How would you move the bands on the pegboard to alter these shapes?
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Describe positions on the full coordinate grid (all four quadrants)
Ten Hidden Squares Ten Hidden Squares
These points all mark the vertices (corners) of ten hidden squares. Can you find the 10 hidden squares?
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Treasure Hunt Treasure Hunt
Can you find a reliable strategy for choosing coordinates that will locate the treasure in the minimum number of guesses?
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Plot specified points and draw sides to complete a given polygon
A Cartesian puzzle A Cartesian puzzle
Find the missing coordinates which will form these eight quadrilaterals. These coordinates themselves will then form a shape with rotational and line symmetry.
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Draw and translate simple shapes on the coordinate plane, and reflect them in the axes

Pattern

Talk about and identify the patterns around them Extend and create ABAB patterns - stick, leaf, stick, leaf Notice and correct an error in a repeating pattern Continue, copy and create repeating patterns
Collecting Collecting
In this task, children make a collection out of some items and then discuss what they notice about their collection, focusing on the shapes and patterns that they can make.
Developing Pattern Awareness with Young Children Developing Pattern Awareness with Young Children
This article explores the importance of pattern awareness with young children.
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Pattern Making Pattern Making
In this activity, there are lots of different patterns for children to make, describe and extend.
Order and arrange combinations of mathematical objects in patterns and sequences
School fair necklaces School fair necklaces
How many possible symmetrical necklaces can you find? How do you know you've found them all?
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Repeating Patterns Repeating Patterns
Try continuing these patterns made from triangles. Can you create your own repeating pattern?
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Triple Cubes Triple Cubes
This challenge involves eight three-cube models made from interlocking cubes. Investigate different ways of putting the models together then compare your constructions.
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Circles, Circles Circles, Circles
Here are some arrangements of circles. How many circles would I need to make the next size up for each? Can you create your own arrangement and investigate the number of circles it needs?
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A City of Towers A City of Towers
In this town, houses are built with one room for each person. There are some families of seven people living in the town. In how many different ways can they build their houses?
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Cube bricks and daisy chains Cube bricks and daisy chains
Daisy and Akram were making number patterns. Daisy was using beads that looked like flowers and Akram was using cube bricks. First they were counting in twos.
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Poly Plug Pattern Poly Plug Pattern
Create a pattern on the small grid. How could you extend your pattern on the larger grid?
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Domino Patterns Domino Patterns
What patterns can you make with a set of dominoes?
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Three Ball Line Up Three Ball Line Up
Use the interactivity to help get a feel for this problem and to find out all the possible ways the balls could land.
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Caterpillars Caterpillars
These caterpillars have 16 parts. What different shapes do they make if each part lies in the small squares of a 4 by 4 square?
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Hundred Square Hundred Square
A hundred square has been printed on both sides of a piece of paper. What is on the back of 100? 58? 23? 19?
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Break it up! Break it up!
In how many different ways can you break up a stick of seven interlocking cubes? Now try with a stick of eight cubes and a stick of six cubes. What do you notice?
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Patterns and Sequences