National Young Mathematicians' Award activities

problem

Favourite

Growing garlic

Age

5 to 11

Challenge level

Ben and his mum are planting garlic. Can you find out how many cloves of garlic they might have had?

problem

Favourite

Button-up

Age

5 to 7

Challenge level

My coat has three buttons. How many ways can you find to do up all the buttons?

problem

Favourite

The amazing splitting plant

Age

5 to 7

Challenge level

Can you work out how many flowers there will be on the Amazing Splitting Plant after it has been growing for six weeks?

problem

Favourite

The Brown family

Age

5 to 7

Challenge level

Use the information about Sally and her brother to find out how many children there are in the Brown family.

problem

Favourite

Lots of lollies

Age

5 to 7

Challenge level

Frances and Rishi were given a bag of lollies. They shared them out evenly and had one left over. How many lollies could there have been in the bag?

problem

Favourite

Stop the clock

Age

5 to 7

Challenge level

This is a game for two players. Can you find out how to be the first to get to 12 o'clock?

problem

Favourite

Odd times even

Age

5 to 7

Challenge level

This problem looks at how one example of your choice can show something about the general structure of multiplication.

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Jigsaw pieces

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

How will you go about finding all the jigsaw pieces that have one peg and one hole?

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Snake coils

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

This challenge asks you to imagine a snake coiling on itself.

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Making pathways

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Can you find different ways of creating paths using these paving slabs?

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Diagonal in a spiral

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Investigate the totals you get when adding numbers in threes on the diagonal of this pattern.

problem

Favourite

Button-up some more

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

How many ways can you find to do up all four buttons on my coat? How about if I had five buttons? Six ...?

problem

Walking the squares

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Find a route from the outside to the inside of this square, stepping on as many tiles as possible.

problem

Favourite

Six ten total

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

This challenge combines addition, multiplication, perseverance and even proof.

problem

Favourite

Six numbered cubes

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

This task combines spatial awareness with addition and multiplication.

problem

Display boards

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Design an arrangement of display boards in the school hall which fits the requirements of different people.

problem

Open boxes

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Can you work out how many cubes were used to make this open box? What size of open box could you make if you had 112 cubes?

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Centred squares

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

This challenge, written for the Young Mathematicians' Award, invites you to explore 'centred squares'.

problem

Dice stairs

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Can you make dice stairs using the rules stated? How do you know you have all the possible stairs?

problem

Favourite

Curious number

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Can you order the digits from 1-3 to make a number which is divisible by 3 so when the last digit is removed it becomes a 2-figure number divisible by 2, and so on?

problem

Favourite

Inky cube

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

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?

problem

Favourite

So it's times!

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

How will you decide which way of flipping over and/or turning the grid will give you the highest total?

problem

Building with rods

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

In how many ways can you stack these rods, following the rules?

problem

Favourite

Dice in a corner

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

How could you arrange at least two dice in a stack so that the total of the visible spots is 18?

problem

Make those bracelets

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

Find all the ways of arranging the beads on this bracelet using just two colours.

problem

Favourite

The dice train

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

This dice train has been made using specific rules. How many different trains can you make?

problem

Cover the tray

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

These practical challenges are all about making a 'tray' and covering it with paper.

problem

Favourite

Ribbon squares

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

What is the largest 'ribbon square' you can make? And the smallest? How many different squares can you make altogether?

problem

Dart target

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

This task, written for the National Young Mathematicians' Award 2016, invites you to explore the different combinations of scores that you might get on these dart boards.

problem

This task, written for the National Young Mathematicians' Award 2016, involves open-topped boxes made with interlocking cubes. Explore the number of units of paint that are needed to cover the boxes and the small cubes that would fit inside each one.

problem

Open squares

Age

7 to 11

Challenge level

This task, written for the National Young Mathematicians' Award 2016, focuses on 'open squares'. What would the next five open squares look like?

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For younger learners

National Young Mathematicians' Award activities

Growing garlic

Button-up

The amazing splitting plant

The Brown family

Lots of lollies

Stop the clock

Odd times even

Jigsaw pieces

Snake coils

Making pathways

Diagonal in a spiral

Button-up some more

Walking the squares

Six ten total

Six numbered cubes

Display boards

Open boxes

Centred squares

Dice stairs

Curious number

Inky cube

So it's times!

Building with rods

Dice in a corner

Make those bracelets

The dice train

Cover the tray

Ribbon squares

Dart target

Painting possibilities

Open squares