KS2 Roadshow

game

Two Stones

This game is known as Pong hau k'i in China and Ou-moul-ko-no in Korea. Find a friend to play or try the interactive version online.

problem

Favourite

Four Triangles Puzzle

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

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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Favourite

What is the time?

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Can you put these times on the clocks in order? You might like to arrange them in a circle.

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Whose Face?

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

These are the faces of Will, Lil, Bill, Phil and Jill. Use the clues to work out which name goes with each face.

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Favourite

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.

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Favourite

Number Detective

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Follow the clues to find the mystery number.

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Favourite

Nim-7

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Can you work out how to win this game of Nim? Does it matter if you go first or second?

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Favourite

Make 37

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Four bags contain a large number of 1s, 3s, 5s and 7s. Can you pick any ten numbers from the bags so that their total is 37?

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Tangrams

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Can you make five differently sized squares from the interactive tangram pieces?

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Teddy Town

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

There are nine teddies in Teddy Town - three red, three blue and three yellow. There are also nine houses, three of each colour. Can you put them on the map of Teddy Town according to the rules?

problem

Ladybird Box

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Place six toy ladybirds into the box so that there are two ladybirds in every column and every row.

problem

Three by Three

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Arrange 3 red, 3 blue and 3 yellow counters into a three-by-three square grid, so that there is only one of each colour in every row and every column

problem

Three Way Mix Up

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Jack has nine tiles. He put them together to make a square so that two tiles of the same colour were not beside each other. Can you find another way to do it?

problem

Teddy Town - Part two

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

There are nine teddies in Teddy Town - three red, three blue and three yellow. There are also nine houses, three of each colour. Can you put them on the map of Teddy Town according to the rules?

problem

There are sixteen teddies in Teddy Town - four red, four blue, four yellow and four green. There are also sixteen houses, four of each colour. Can you put them on the map of Teddy Town according to the rules?

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Teddy Town - Part four

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

There are twenty five teddies in Teddy Town - five red, five blue, five yellow, five green and five purple. There are also twenty five houses, five of each colour. Can you put them on the map of Teddy Town according to the rules?

problem

Teddy Town - Part five

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

There are thirty six teddies in Teddy Town - six red, six blue, six yellow, six green, six purple and six turquoise. There are also thirty six houses, six of each colour. Can you put them on the map of Teddy Town according to the rules?

problem

Four Colours

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Kate has eight multilink cubes. She has two red ones, two yellow, two green and two blue. She wants to fit them together to make a cube so that each colour shows on each face just once.

problem

Favourite

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

Favourite

The Third Dimension

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Here are four cubes joined together. How many other arrangements of four cubes can you find? Can you draw them on dotty paper?

game

Favourite

Dicey Operations in Line

Who said that adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing couldn't be fun?

problem

Making Maths: Birds from an egg

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Can you make the birds from the egg tangram?

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Favourite

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?

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Favourite

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

Air Nets

Age

7 to 18

Challenge level

Can you visualise whether these nets fold up into 3D shapes? Watch the videos each time to see if you were correct.

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Favourite

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?

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Favourite

Less is More

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Use your knowledge of place value to try to win this game. How will you maximise your score?

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Favourite

More Less is More

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

In each of these games, you will need a little bit of luck, and your knowledge of place value to develop a winning strategy.

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Favourite

Dozens

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

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

game

Odds and Threes

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.

game

Online

A game for 2 players that can be played online. Players take it in turns to select a word from the 9 words given. The aim is to select all the occurrences of the same letter.

problem

Favourite

Matching Fractions, Decimals and Percentages

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

Can you match pairs of fractions, decimals and percentages, and beat your previous scores?

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Favourite

Factors and Multiples Game

A game in which players take it in turns to choose a number. Can you block your opponent?

game

Twinkle Twinkle

A game for 2 people. Take turns placing a counter on the star. You win when you have completed a line of 3 in your colour.

problem

Favourite

Roll these Dice

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Roll two red dice and a green dice. Add the two numbers on the red dice and take away the number on the green. What are all the different possible answers?

problem

Square tangram

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

This was a problem for our birthday website. Can you use four of these pieces to form a square? How about making a square with all five pieces?

problem

Bean Bags for Bernard's Bag

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

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?

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Favourite

Domino Square

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Use the 'double-3 down' dominoes to make a square so that each side has eight dots.

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Favourite

Factor track

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Factor track is not a race but a game of skill. The idea is to go round the track in as few moves as possible, keeping to the rules.

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Number Sandwiches

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

Can you arrange the digits 1, 1, 2, 2, 3 and 3 to make a Number Sandwich?

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Prime Magic

Age

7 to 16

Challenge level

Place the numbers 1, 2, 3,..., 9 one on each square of a 3 by 3 grid so that all the rows and columns add up to a prime number. How many different solutions can you find?

problem

Add 3 Dice

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Three dice are placed in a row. Find a way to turn each one so that the three numbers on top of the dice total the same as the three numbers on the front of the dice. Can you find all the ways to do this?

game

Dominoes

Everthing you have always wanted to do with dominoes! Some of these games are good for practising your mental calculation skills, and some are good for your reasoning skills.

problem

Creating Cubes

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Arrange 9 red cubes, 9 blue cubes and 9 yellow cubes into a large 3 by 3 cube. No row or column of cubes must contain two cubes of the same colour.

problem

Favourite

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.

game

Pentanim

A game for 2 players with similarities to NIM. Place one counter on each spot on the games board. Players take it is turns to remove 1 or 2 adjacent counters. The winner picks up the last counter.

problem

Colour in the Square

Age

7 to 16

Challenge level

Can you put the 25 coloured tiles into the 5 x 5 square so that no column, no row and no diagonal line have tiles of the same colour in them?

game

Low Go

A game for 2 players. Take turns to place a counter so that it occupies one of the lowest possible positions in the grid. The first player to complete a line of 4 wins.

problem

Sets of Numbers

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

How many different sets of numbers with at least four members can you find in the numbers in this box?

game

Fifteen

Can you spot the similarities between this game and other games you know? The aim is to choose 3 numbers that total 15.

problem

Favourite

Got It

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

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.

problem

Favourite

Remainders

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

I'm thinking of a number. My number is both a multiple of 5 and a multiple of 6. What could my number be?

problem

Seven Flipped

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Investigate the smallest number of moves it takes to turn these mats upside-down if you can only turn exactly three at a time.

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Tea Cups

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

Place the 16 different combinations of cup/saucer in this 4 by 4 arrangement so that no row or column contains more than one cup or saucer of the same colour.

problem

Penta Place

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Penta people, the Pentominoes, always build their houses from five square rooms. I wonder how many different Penta homes you can create?

problem

Eight Dominoes

Age

7 to 16

Challenge level

Using the 8 dominoes make a square where each of the columns and rows adds up to 8

problem

Family Tree

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Use the clues to find out who's who in the family, to fill in the family tree and to find out which of the family members are mathematicians and which are not.

problem

Favourite

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.

game

Domino Magic Rectangle

An ordinary set of dominoes can be laid out as a 7 by 4 magic rectangle in which all the spots in all the columns add to 24, while those in the rows add to 42. Try it! Now try the magic square...

game

Counter Roundup

A game for 1 or 2 people. Use the interactive version, or play with friends. Try to round up as many counters as possible.

Or search by topic

Number and algebra

Geometry and measure

Probability and statistics

Working mathematically

Advanced mathematics

For younger learners

KS2 Roadshow