List

Trial and Improvement at KS2

Simply 'having a go' is a great way to make a start on a mathematical problem.  Whatever happens, you will have learnt more about the situation and can then tweak your approach.  These activities all lend themselves to this 'trial and improvement' way of working.

This collection is one of our Primary Curriculum collections - tasks that are grouped by topic.

Zios and Zepts
problem
Favourite

Zios and Zepts

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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On the planet Vuv there are two sorts of creatures. The Zios have 3 legs and the Zepts have 7 legs. The great planetary explorer Nico counted 52 legs. How many Zios and how many Zepts were there?
Four-digit targets
problem
Favourite

Four-digit targets

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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You have two sets of the digits 0-9. Can you arrange these in the five boxes to make four-digit numbers as close to the target numbers as possible?
Area and perimeter
problem
Favourite

Area and perimeter

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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What can you say about these shapes? This problem challenges you to create shapes with different areas and perimeters.
Fifteen cards
problem
Favourite

Fifteen cards

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Can you use the information to find out which cards I have used?
Daisy
game

Daisy

In this game for two players, take it in turns to shade one petal, or two petals next to each other. Is it better to go first or second?
Four Colours
problem

Four Colours

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
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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.
Fractions in a Box
problem
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Fractions in a Box

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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The discs for this game are kept in a flat square box with a square hole for each. Use the information to find out how many discs of each colour there are in the box.
Cycling Squares
problem
Favourite

Cycling Squares

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Can you make a cycle of pairs that add to make a square number using all the numbers in the box below, once and once only?
Factor-Multiple Chains
problem
Favourite

Factor-Multiple Chains

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Can you see how these factor-multiple chains work? Find the chain which contains the smallest possible numbers. How about the largest possible numbers?