Too often we give children the answers to remember rather the problems to solve.
No matter the ages of your children, mathematical concepts can be shared and explored. Most of the math activities, puzzles, games that I share, intentionally do not fit into a grade-level pigeonholes. Experience math concepts through play.
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Matchstick Puzzle
There are five squares (one 3×3 and four 1×1) formed with 20 matchsticks, as shown in the illustration.
Move two matchstick to get seven squares.
Overlapping or breaking of matchsticks or “loose ends” are not allowed.
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Diffy Math Puzzle
1. Begin by writing four different numbers into the four circles on each of the outer corners.
2. Fill in the outer squares by subtracting the smaller number from the larger number on each corner.
3. Continue working toward the center, subtracting the corners.
What patterns do you see? Can you get to the middle without a difference of zero?
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Here’s a completed one. As you can see, the player did not win because the circles closest to the center all came up zero.
Can you win?
