Other tags that relate to Building with Cubes
Investigations. Games. Practical Activity. Tangram. Cubes & cuboids. Working systematically. Interlocking cubes. Visualising. Combinations. Interactivities.There are 189 results
Broad Topics > Using, Applying and Reasoning about Mathematics > Visualising
Building with Cubes
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
Try to picture these buildings of cubes in your head. Can you make them to check whether you had imagined them correctly?
Cubes Cut Into Four Pieces
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
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?
Start Cube Drilling
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
Imagine a 3 by 3 by 3 cube. If you and a friend drill holes in some of the small cubes in the ways described, how many will have holes drilled through them?
Single Track
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What is the best way to shunt these carriages so that each train can continue its journey?
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?
Paper Patchwork 2
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
Have a go at making a few of these shapes from paper in different sizes. What patterns can you create?
Waiting for Blast Off
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
10 space travellers are waiting to board their spaceships. There are two rows of seats in the waiting room. Using the rules, where are they all sitting? Can you find all the possible ways?
Holes
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
I've made some cubes and some cubes with holes in. This challenge invites you to explore the difference in the number of small cubes I've used. Can you see any patterns?
Shunting Puzzle
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you shunt the trucks so that the Cattle truck and the Sheep truck change places and the Engine is back on the main line?
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?
Triple Cubes
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
This challenge involves eight three-cube models made from interlocking cubes. Investigate different ways of putting the models together then compare your constructions.
More Building with Cubes
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Here are more buildings to picture in your mind's eye. Watch out - they become quite complicated!
Green Cube, Yellow Cube
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
How can you paint the faces of these eight cubes so they can be put together to make a 2 x 2 x 2 cube that is green all over AND a 2 x 2 x 2 cube that is yellow all over?
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.
Tetrahedron Faces
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
One face of a regular tetrahedron is painted blue and each of the remaining faces are painted using one of the colours red, green or yellow. How many different possibilities are there?
Paper Partners
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
Can you describe a piece of paper clearly enough for your partner to know which piece it is?
Paper Patchwork 1
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
Can you work out what shape is made when this piece of paper is folded up using the crease pattern shown?
How Many Pieces This Time?
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
How many pieces of string have been used in these patterns? Can you describe how you know?
How Many Pieces?
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
How many loops of string have been used to make these patterns?
Map Folding
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Take a rectangle of paper and fold it in half, and half again, to make four smaller rectangles. How many different ways can you fold it up?
Regular Rings 2
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What shape is made when you fold using this crease pattern? Can you make a ring design?
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.
Matchsticks
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Reasoning about the number of matches needed to build squares that share their sides.
Folding Flowers 1
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you visualise what shape this piece of paper will make when it is folded?
Folding Flowers 2
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Make a flower design using the same shape made out of different sizes of paper.
Endless Noughts and Crosses
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
An extension of noughts and crosses in which the grid is enlarged and the length of the winning line can to altered to 3, 4 or 5.
Tricky Triangles
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
Use the three triangles to fill these outline shapes. Perhaps you can create some of your own shapes for a friend to fill?
Regular Rings 1
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you work out what shape is made by folding in this way? Why not create some patterns using this shape but in different sizes?
Painted Faces
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Imagine a 3 by 3 by 3 cube made of 9 small cubes. Each face of the large cube is painted a different colour. How many small cubes will have two painted faces? Where are they?
Hundred Square
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
A hundred square has been printed on both sides of a piece of paper. What is on the back of 100? 58? 23? 19?
Turning Cogs
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What happens when you turn these cogs? Investigate the differences between turning two cogs of different sizes and two cogs which are the same.
Twice as Big?
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Investigate how the four L-shapes fit together to make an enlarged L-shape. You could explore this idea with other shapes too.
Shadow Play
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
Here are shadows of some 3D shapes. What shapes could have made them?
Dramatic Mathematics
Age 5 to 11
This article for teachers describes a project which explores the power of storytelling to convey concepts and ideas to children.
Putting Two and Two Together
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
In how many ways can you fit two of these yellow triangles together? Can you predict the number of ways two blue triangles can be fitted together?
Coin Cogs
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you work out what is wrong with the cogs on a UK 2 pound coin?
World of Tan 13 - A Storm in a Tea Cup
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outlines of the convex shapes?
Right or Left?
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Which of these dice are right-handed and which are left-handed?
The Development of Spatial and Geometric Thinking: Co-ordinating Space in Drawings
Age 5 to 7
This second article in the series refers to research about levels of development of spatial thinking and the possible influence of instruction.
Put Yourself in a Box
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
A game for 2 players. Given a board of dots in a grid pattern, players take turns drawing a line by connecting 2 adjacent dots. Your goal is to complete more squares than your opponent.
Tangram Tangle
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
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?
Posting Triangles
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
If you can post the triangle with either the blue or yellow colour face up, how many ways can it be posted altogether?
The Development of Spatial and Geometric Thinking: the Importance of Instruction.
Age 5 to 11
This article looks at levels of geometric thinking and the types of activities required to develop this thinking.
Triangular Faces
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
This problem invites you to build 3D shapes using two different triangles. Can you make the shapes from the pictures?
Tangram Paradox
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
How can the same pieces of the tangram make this bowl before and after it was chipped? Use the interactivity to try and work out what is going on!
Move Those Halves
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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 ...
Square Surprise
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
Why do you think that the red player chose that particular dot in this game of Seeing Squares?
World of Tan 7 - Golden Goose
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of the plaque design?
World of Tan 6 - Junk
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the silhouette of the junk?
World of Tan 18 - Soup
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outlines of Mah Ling and Chi Wing?
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.