List

Primary Summer Challenges 2023

We have a challenge a day for you throughout the summer break...

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Each weekday, from 10 July to 1 September, a new problem or game will appear on this page.

After you've had a go at the day's challenge you may be able to compare your approach to the solutions we have published, which are based on students' work. 

You can also find Secondary Summer Challenges 2023.

 

Roll these Dice
problem
Favourite

Roll these Dice

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
filled star filled star empty star
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?
3 blocks towers
problem

Three block towers

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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Take three differently coloured blocks - maybe red, yellow and blue. Make a tower using one of each colour. How many different towers can you make?
Biscuit Decorations
problem
Favourite

Biscuit Decorations

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
Andrew decorated 20 biscuits to take to a party. He lined them up and put icing on every second biscuit and different decorations on other biscuits. How many biscuits weren't decorated?
Skip Counting
problem

Skip Counting

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
Find the squares that Froggie skips onto to get to the pumpkin patch. She starts on 3 and finishes on 30, but she lands only on a square that has a number 3 more than the square she skips from.
Missing Middles
problem
Favourite

Missing Middles

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star filled star empty star
Can you work out the domino pieces which would go in the middle in each case to complete the pattern of these eight sets of three dominoes?
Making Sticks
problem
Favourite

Making Sticks

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star filled star empty star
Kimie and Sebastian were making sticks from interlocking cubes and lining them up. Can they make their lines the same length? Can they make any other lines?
Domino Sequences
problem
Favourite

Domino Sequences

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
Find the next two dominoes in these sequences.
Family Tree
problem

Family Tree

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
filled star filled star filled star
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.
Add 3 Dice
problem

Add 3 Dice

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
filled star filled star empty star
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?
Square Corners
problem
Favourite

Square Corners

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
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?
Sets of Numbers
problem

Sets of Numbers

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
filled star filled star empty star
How many different sets of numbers with at least four members can you find in the numbers in this box?
Sealed Solution
problem
Favourite

Sealed Solution

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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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?
Nim-7
problem
Favourite

Nim-7

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
Can you work out how to win this game of Nim? Does it matter if you go first or second?
Seven Flipped
problem

Seven Flipped

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
filled star filled star filled star
Investigate the smallest number of moves it takes to turn these mats upside-down if you can only turn exactly three at a time.
Shape Times Shape
problem
Favourite

Shape Times Shape

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
These eleven shapes each stand for a different number. Can you use the number sentences to work out what they are?
Factor track
problem
Favourite

Factor track

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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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.
Fifteen cards
problem
Favourite

Fifteen cards

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
Can you use the information to find out which cards I have used?
Incey Wincey Spider
problem
Favourite

Incey Wincey Spider

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
You'll need two dice to play this game against a partner. Will Incey Wincey make it to the top of the drain pipe or the bottom of the drain pipe first?
More Less is More
problem
Favourite

More Less is More

Age
7 to 14
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
In each of these games, you will need a little bit of luck, and your knowledge of place value to develop a winning strategy.
Two flowers with the numbers 15 and 16 on them
problem
Favourite

Butterfly Flowers

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star

Can you find two butterflies to go on each flower so that the numbers on each pair of butterflies adds to the number on their flower?

Tangrams
problem

Tangrams

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
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Can you make five differently sized squares from the interactive tangram pieces?

Less is More
problem
Favourite

Less is More

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
Use your knowledge of place value to try to win this game. How will you maximise your score?
Coded hundred square
problem
Favourite

Coded hundred square

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
This 100 square jigsaw is written in code. It starts with 1 and ends with 100. Can you build it up?
First Connect Three
problem
Favourite

First Connect Three

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
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?
Robot Monsters
problem
Favourite

Robot Monsters

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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Use these head, body and leg pieces to make Robot Monsters which are different heights.
Dozens
problem
Favourite

Dozens

Age
7 to 14
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
Can you select the missing digit(s) to find the largest multiple?
4 Dom
problem
Favourite

4 Dom

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
filled star filled star filled star
Use these four dominoes to make a square that has the same number of dots on each side.
Teddy Town
problem

Teddy Town

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
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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?
Four Triangles Puzzle
problem
Favourite

Four Triangles Puzzle

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
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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?
Mystery Matrix
problem
Favourite

Mystery Matrix

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
filled star filled star empty star
Can you fill in this table square? The numbers 2 -12 were used to generate it with just one number used twice.
Junior Frogs
problem

Junior Frogs

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
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Have a go at this well-known challenge. Can you swap the frogs and toads in as few slides and jumps as possible?
Two-digit targets
problem
Favourite

Two-digit targets

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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You have a set of the digits from 0 to 9. Can you arrange these in the five boxes to make two-digit numbers as close to the targets as possible?

Factors and Multiples Game
game
Favourite

Factors and Multiples Game

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

Seeing Squares
problem
Favourite

Seeing Squares

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star

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.

Make 37 Poster
problem
Favourite

Make 37

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
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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?

Got It
problem
Favourite

Got It

Age
7 to 14
Challenge level
filled star filled star empty star

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.

A City of Towers
problem
Favourite

A City of Towers

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star

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?

Sort the Street
problem
Favourite

Sort the Street

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star

Sort the houses in my street into different groups. Can you do it in any other ways?

The Remainders Game
game
Favourite

The Remainders Game

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