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Students stand quietly around the room. Students throw a soft ball around the room. A bad throw or bad catch results in the thrower or catcher being out. Game continues until one person is left.

Rules:

No talking

No throwing it back to the person who threw it to you (until there are four or fewer players left)

No moving around the room.

Variations:

Players must clap twice before catching the ball

Players must catch the ball with one hand only

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The player in the middle will close their eyes and count slowly and loudly from 10 to 0.

While they are counting, all others may stay where they are or quietly move to a different corner. When the counter gets to 0, everyone must be at a corner (if not they must sit down).

After counting, the player in the middle points to corner of his/her choice and can only open their eyes after having done so.

Anyone standing in that corner must sit down.

If no one is standing at the chosen corner, all players sitting may stand up and get back into the game.

When only one player is left standing, s/he becomes the counter for the next round.

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Seven students stand in front of the class. The rest of the students put their heads on their desks. The seven then move about and each touches a student. Once touched, a student sticks his or her thumb up. Then the seven say “heads up seven up!” The students who were touched then get a chance to guess which of the seven touched each of them. If they guessed right, they get to change places and be one of the students in the front.

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A teacher or another student tries to get the rest of the class to laugh or smile. Kids get out if they laugh or smile.

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Group stands in a circle. One person stands outside of the room. A person in the circle is elected to be the leader. The leader does a repeatable motion that the rest of the group copies. The outside person enters the room and stands in the middle of the circle. The leader changes the motion ever 10 seconds or so. The person in the middle has three guesses to figure out who the leader is. Once the game is over, the leader leaves the room and becomes the guesser.

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Sit or stand in a circle. The idea is for the group to count to twenty, one person saying one number at a time. Anybody can start the count. Then a different person says the next number – but if two or more people happen to speak at the same time, counting must start again from the beginning. It is possible to get to twenty if everybody really concentrates – but try and be relaxed as well.

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Stand in a circle. Have kids practice saying “Zip, Zap, Zop.” One person starts by clapping and pointing to someone as she says, “zip.” The person she pointed to claps, and points to someone else saying “zap.” The person she pointed to then claps, and points to someone saying “zop.”

Then it starts all over again with the next player clapping and pointing to someone saying “zip!” The game continues until someone gets out.

If a player says a word out of order, he’s out. If a player hesitates too long, she’s out. When players is out, they can stay in the game, but turn into “land mines” by crossing their arms over their chest. If a player still in the game points to one of the “mines,” he is out too.

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Everyone sits down in a circle. The leader explains the rules of the game. The rules are discussed. Everybody in the circle closes their eyes. The leader walks around the circle and chooses one murderer by touching their shoulder. Once a murderer is chosen the leader tells the children that it is time to open their eyes. From there, the children stand up and start shaking hands. When they shake other kids’ hands they say, “Hi, my name is _________.” This way everyone gets to know each other’s names. The only difference between the murderer and everybody else is their hand shake. When the murderer shakes another kid’s hand they slip one of their fingers and tickle the person’s hand that they are shaking. 2 After getting tickled by the murderer the child must shake 4 other hands before dramatically dropping to the floor with an exciting fake death. After each death the other people can guess who they think the murderer is. If they guess wrong they too have to drop to the ground in a dramatic death. None of the people who have been tickled get a guess because they already know who the murderer is.

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One person is”Big Booty,” the person on their left is “number two,” and so on until the last person is called “Little Booty.” Big Booty starts by hitting their knees and starting a clapping beat while saying the words “Biiiig Booty, Big Booty, Big Booty, Uh huh, Big Booty.” Then, in quick succession and on time to the beat, they say their position (in this first case, Big Booty) and then the position of someone else in the circle, i.e. “Big Booty, Number Three.” This is all said in time to the beat. Then the person who is number three says “Number Three,” and then another person’s position in the circle. The game continues until someone misses their turn when called or says the phrase off beat, at which point they skip to the last position and are the new “Little Booty.” The goal is to become Big Booty and stay in that position as long as possible, but no one actually wins.

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Arrange chairs in a circle; one chair per person playing, minus one.

2.  One person stands in the middle of the circle and approaches a person sitting in the circle and asks: “Do you love your neighbor?”

3.  If that person answers: “Yes, I love my neighbor,” the two people sitting on either side of him/her, quickly tries to exchange seats before the person in the middle sits in one of their chairs.

4.  If they answer “No,” they continue with, “But, I love everyone who… __________” (i.e. …has brown eyes). Everyone in the circle with brown eyes finds a new chair.

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One person is chosen to be interviewed by another student. The interviewee must answer every question with one word: “sausage” If the interviewee laughs, they are out.

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Jellyfish Song | Songs for Kids | GoNoodle

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Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Texas

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Preschool program: "The Green Grass Grew All Around"

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Herman the Worm Camp Song - Ultimate Camp Resource

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Pair ups students and have them hide a number behind their backs. On the go signal, they show their hands and to add/multiply the number of fingers up. Play as many rounds as you like.

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The teacher (or chosen student) has 2 coins. Before each round, students must decide if both coins will be heads (both hands on heads), tails (both hands on back), or one of each (one hand on head, one on back.) The teacher flips the coins. Anyone who chose wrong sits down. Keep playing until one student is remaining.

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One student is a night guard and everyone else is a statue. While the night guard closes their eyes and counts down from 10, the statues come to life and can move around the room. However, at 0, the night guard will open their eyes and try to catch any moving statues - laughing and talking count as well. the night guard must say the student’s name and the movement they caught. While the night guard’s back is turned, the statues may continue to move around, so long as they do not get caught.

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https://www.goodtricks.net/magic-square-mind-reading-trick-revealed.html

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The goal of this mind reading trick is to fool your spectator into thinking that one of two magicians is either a mind reader or an extremely good guesser. This mesmerizing trick may seem hard at first, but once you read the clever secret which brings it all together, it isn't that hard.

You Will Need:
To perform the magic square trick you will need a pack of cards, two magicians and one spectator. There may be more than one spectator, but only one can choose the card that will be revealed by the magician.

Method:
1. Shuffle the cards thoroughly,. If the spectator asks if they can shuffle the cards, allow them to, The cards are not set up in anyway for this trick.

2. Pick out 9 cards from the deck, once again, allow the spectator to pick some if they wish to. Place the 9 cards in a 3 x3 layout. So that there are three rows each with three cards in them. Imagine the lines are cards

3. Once this has been done, magician number two walks away and doesn't look at the 9 cards that are laid out.on the table

4. Magician one asks the spectator to choose a card, in any row and to memorize it Any one of them will be fine. Tell the spectator that once a card is chosen, that they cannot change the card.

5. Once this has been completed and the spectator has memorized their card, magician two is called back into the room.

Chosen card in center. Magician's secret thumb signal.

Chosen card at top right position
Magician's secret thumb signal.

Now this is the tricky part. Magician one needs to hand the deck to magician two. The way that the magician hands the card to the other magician is extremely important and is the key to this trick.
The magician needs to place his thumb on deck in the position the card is on 3 x 3 grid.

For example, if the spectator had chosen the middle card in the middle row, when handing the deck to magician 2, his thumb must be in the middle of the deck.

If he/she chooses a top card, the top of the grid is the part of the deck that is closer to Magician 1 when being handed to magician 2. ( See examples above in photos. )

6. Slowly take away cards that are not the spectators card with slight hesitation to make it look like you're not sure. Eventually, come to the conclusion of what the card is and say " That's your card". If they say " No", magician one is either rubbish at remembering positions or, the spectator has changed his position of the card.

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Magic Square - Mind Reading Trick Revealed

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The goal of this mind reading trick is to fool your spectator into thinking that one of two magicians is either a mind reader or an extremely good guesser. This mesmerizing trick may seem hard at first, but once you read the clever secret which brings it all together, it isn't that hard.

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Find two other people to play this with (can be your family members or over video conferencing)

One of the players says, 'One,. two, three, show!'

On 'show', each person holds out 0-5 fingers.

The aim is to have 7 fingers in total.

How many times do you have to do it to have exactly 7 fingers?

Once you do, play with both hands and try to get to 11!

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Students form a circle. Give them a word to spell, such as INTERESTING. Begin with one student who will say I, move to the next student who will say N, and keep going around the circle with the next student saying the next letter. After the last letter G, the next student will say “sparkle,” and the student after that is automatically out. If a student says the wrong letter, they are also out.

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Students decide on a magic number (preferably under 30). Students stand in a circle and take turns counting up in threes (or fours or five) max (could be 1 or 2 or 3). The student who arrives on the magic number sits out until there’s only 1 student remaining.

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All the students group up in a circle. One student is the guesser. They leave the room. The rest of the class decides on the winker. When the guesser returns and stands in the middle of the circle, the winker will begin eliminating students by making eye contact and winking at them. If a student is eliminated, they must die dramatically. The guesser has three tries to identify the winker.

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Choose one child as “Simon.” The other children gather around Simon, who gives instructions by saying, “Simon says…” telling the kids to perform a physical action. For example, "Simon says touch your nose," "Simon says shake like a leaf." Each child must perform the action.

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https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/math-puzzles/

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All Posts

It's time for math class, and your students are bored.

It might sound harsh, but it's true -- less than half of 8th grade students report being engaged at school according to this Gallup survey, and engagement levels only drop as students get older.

Math puzzles are one of the best -- and oldest -- ways to encourage student engagement. Brain teasers, logic puzzles and math riddles give students challenges that encourage problem-solving and logical thinking. They can be used in classroom gamification, and to inspire students to tackle problems they might have previously seen as too difficult.

Math puzzles for kids

1. Math crossword puzzles

Puzzles to Print
Take a crossword, and make it math: that's the basic concept behind this highly adaptable math challenge. Instead of words, students use numbers to complete the vertical and horizontal strips. Math crossword puzzles can be adapted to teach concepts like money, addition, or rounding numbers. Solutions can be the products of equations or numbers given by clues.

2. Math problem search

Have students practice their addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills by searching for hidden math equations in a word search-style puzzle. It can be adapted to any skill you want students to practice, and promotes a solid understanding of basic math facts.

3. Math riddles

Do your students love word problems? Try giving them some math riddles that combine critical thinking with basic math skills. Put one up on the board for students to think about before class begins, or hand them out as extra practice after they've finished their work.

4. Prodigy

Prodigy is an engaging, game-based platform that turns math into an adventure! While it's not a math puzzle in the traditional sense, Prodigy uses many of the same principles to develop critical thinking skills and mathematical fluency.

Students complete standards-aligned math questions to earn coins, collect pets and go on quests. Teachers can deliver differentiated math content to each student, prep for standardized tests and easily analyze student achievement data with a free account.
See how it works below!
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5. KenKen

KenKenKenKen
is a "grid-based numerical puzzle" that looks like a combined number cross and sudoku grid. Invented in 2004 by a famous Japanese math instructor named Tetsuya Miyamoto, it is featured daily in The New York Times and other newspapers. It challenges students to practice their basic math skills while they apply logic and critical thinking skills to the problem.

6. Pre-algebraic puzzles

Pre-algebraic puzzles use fun substitutions to get students ready to perform basic functions and encourage them to build problem-solving skills. They promote abstract reasoning and challenge students to think critically about the problems in front of them. As an added bonus, students who suffer from math anxiety might find the lack of complicated equations reassuring, and be more willing to attempt a solution.

7. Domino puzzle board

Games 4 Gains
There are hundreds of ways to use dominoes in your math classroom, but this puzzle gives students a chance to practice addition and multiplication in a fun, hands-on way. You can have students work alone or in pairs to complete the puzzle.

8. 2048

2048
This online game and app challenges players to slide numbered tiles around a grid until they reach 2048. It's super fun and not as easy as it sounds, so consider sending it home with students or assigning it after the rest of the lesson is over. It encourages students to think strategically about their next move, and it's a great tool for learning about exponents.

9. Kakuro

Math in English
Kakuro, also called "Cross Sums," is another mathematical crossword puzzle. Players must use the numbers one through nine to reach "clues" on the outside of the row. Decrease the size of the grid to make it easier for younger players, or keep it as is for students who need a challenge. Students can combine addition and critical thinking and develop multiple skills with one fun challenge.

10. Magic square

Magic squares have been around for thousands of years, and were introduced to Western civilization by translated Arabic texts during the Renaissance. While magic squares can be a variety of sizes, the three by three grid is the smallest possible version and is the most accessible for young students.

This is also a great math puzzle to try if your students are tactile learners. Using recycled bottle caps, label each with a number from one to nine. Have your students arrange them in a three by three square so that the sum of any three caps in a line (horizontally, vertically and diagonally) equals 15.

11. Perimeter magic triangle

This activity uses the same materials and concept as the magic square, but asks students to arrange the numbers one to six in a triangle where all three sides equal the same number. There are a few different solutions to this puzzle, so encourage students to see how many they can find.

12. Sudoku

Sudoku is an excellent after-lesson activity that encourages logical thinking and problem solving. You've probably already played this classic puzzle, and it's a great choice for your students. Sudoku puzzles appear in newspapers around the world every day, and there are hundreds of online resources that generate puzzles based on difficulty.

13. Flexagon

There's a pretty good chance that by now, fidget spinners have infiltrated your classroom. If you want to counter that invasion, consider challenging your students to create flexagons. Flexagons are paper-folded objects that can be transformed into different shapes through pinching and folding, and will keep wandering fingers busy and focused on the wonders of geometry.

14. Turn the fish

Transum
This puzzle seems simple, but it just might stump your students. After setting up sticks in the required order, challenge them to make the fish swim in the other direction -- by moving just three matchsticks.

15. Join the dots

Cool Math 4 Kids
This puzzle challenges students to connect all the dots in a three by three grid using only four straight lines. While it may sound easy, chances are that it will take your class a while to come up with the solution. (Hint: it requires some "out of the box" thinking.)

16. Brain teasers

While they don't always deal directly with math skills, brain teasers can be important tools in the development of a child's critical thinking skills. Incorporate brain teasers into a classroom discussion, or use them as math journal prompts and challenge students to explain their thinking.

Bonus: For a discussion on probability introduce an older class to the Monty Hall Problem, one of the most controversial math logic problems of all time.

This interactive logic puzzle was invented by a French mathematician named Edouard Lucas in 1883. It even comes with an origin story: According to legend, there is a temple with three posts and 64 golden disks.

Priests move these disks in accordance with the rules of the game, in order to fulfill a prophecy that claims the world will end with the last move of the puzzle. But not to worry -- it's going to take the priests about 585 billion years to finish, so you'll be able to fit in the rest of your math class.

Starting with three disks stacked on top of each other, students must move all of the disks from the first to the third pole without stacking a larger disk on top of a smaller one. Older students can even learn about the functions behind the solution: the minimum number of moves can be expressed by the equation 2n-1, where n is the number of disks.

18. Tangram

Wikipedia
Tangram puzzles -- which originated in China and were brought to Europe during the early 19th century through trade routes -- use seven flat, geometric shapes to make silhouettes. While Tangrams are usually made out of wood, you can make sets for your class out of colored construction paper or felt.

Tangrams are an excellent tool for learners who enjoy being able to manipulate their work, and there are thousands of published problems to keep your students busy.

19. Str8ts

Str8ts
Similar to Sudoku, Str8ts challenges players to use their logic skills to place numbers in blank squares. The numbers might be consecutive, but can appear in any order. For example, a row could be filled with 5, 7, 4, 6 and 8. This puzzle is better suited to older students, and can be used as a before-class or after-lesson activity to reinforce essential logic skills.

20. Mobius band

Is it magic? Is it geometry? Your students will be so amazed they might have a hard time figuring it out. Have them model the problem with strips of paper and see for themselves how it works in real life. With older students, use mobius bands to talk about geometry and surface area.

Why use math puzzles to teach?

Math puzzles encourage critical thinking

Critical thinking and logic skills are important for all careers, not just STEM-related ones. Puzzles challenge students to understand structure and apply logical thinking skills to new problems.

A study from the Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education found that puzzles "develop logical thinking, combinatorial abilities, strengthen the capacity of abstract thinking and operating with spatial images, instill critical thinking and develop mathematical memory."

All these skills allow young students to build a foundation of skills they'll draw on for the rest of their lives, no matter what kind of post-secondary route they pursue.

They help build math fluency

Math games can help students build a basic understanding of essential math concepts, and as another study shows, can also help them retain concepts longer.

In the study, early elementary students gradually moved from using the "counting" part of their brains to complete math problems to the "remembering" part that adults use, suggesting math puzzles and repeated problems can help build the essential skill of math fluency.

Many of the math puzzles above allow students to practice essential addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills, while advanced or modified problems can be used to introduce pre-algebraic concepts and advanced logic skills.

Math puzzles connect to existing curricula

No matter what curriculum you're using, there's a good chance it emphasizes problem-solving, critique and abstract thinking. This is especially true of Common Core math and similar curricula.

How Math Skills Impact Student Development
Math puzzles allow students to develop foundational skills in a number of key areas, and can influence how students approach math practically and abstractly. You can also tie them into strategies like active learning and differentiated instruction.

Instead of just teaching facts and formulas, math puzzles allow you to connect directly with core standards in the curriculum. You can also use them to provide a valuable starting point for measuring how well students are developing their critical thinking and abstract reasoning skills.

Tips for using math puzzles in the classroom

Now that you've got some great math puzzles, it might be tricky to figure out how to best incorporate them into your classroom. Here are some suggestions for making the most of your lesson time:

Make sure the puzzles are the right level for your class

If the problems are too easy, students will get bored and disengage from the lesson. However, if the problems are too difficult to solve, there's a good chance they'll get frustrated and give up early.

There's a time and a place

While fun math puzzles are a great way to engage your students in developing critical thinking skills, they're not a tool for teaching important math concepts. Instead, use them to reinforce the concepts they've already learned.

Kitty Rutherford, a Mathematics Consultant in North Carolina, emphasizes that math puzzles and games shouldn't be based solely on mental math skills, but on "conceptual understanding" that builds fluency over time. Math puzzles help build the essential balance between thinking and remembering.

Give them space to figure it out

Rachel Keen, from the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia, conducted a study about problem-solving skills in preschoolers. She found that "playful, exploratory learning leads to more creative and flexible use of materials than does explicit training from an adult."

Give your students space to struggle with a problem and apply their own solutions before jumping in to help them. If the problem is grade-appropriate and solvable, students will learn more from applying their own reasoning to it than just watching you solve it for them.

Model puzzles for your students

Use problems like the mobius strip to awe and amaze your students before drawing them into a larger discussion about the mathematical concept that it represents. If possible, make math puzzles physical using recycled craft supplies or modular tools.

Afterward, have a class discussion or put up math journal prompts. What methods did your students try? What tools did they use? What worked and what didn't? Having students explicitly state how they got to their solution (or even where they got stuck) challenges them to examine their process and draw conclusions from their experience.

Final thoughts on math puzzles

Be aware that it might take a while to get all your students on board -- they could be hesitant about approaching unfamiliar problems or stuck in the unenthusiasm that math class often brings. Consider creating a weekly leaderboard in your classroom for the students that complete the most puzzles, or work through a few as a class before sending students off on their own.

Instead of yawns and bored stares, get ready to see eager participants and thoughtful concentration. Whether you choose to use them as an after-class bonus, a first day of school activity or as part of a targeted lesson plan, math puzzles will delight your students while also allowing them to develop critical skills that they'll use for the rest of their lives.

What are you waiting for? Get puzzling!

Puzzles to Print

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KenKenKenKen

Games 4 Gains

2048

Math in English

Transum

Cool Math 4 Kids

Wikipedia

Str8ts

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20 Best Math Puzzles to Engage and Challenge Your Students

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All Posts It's time for math class, and your students are bored. It might sound harsh, but it's true -- less than half of 8th grade students report being engaged at school according to this Gallup survey, and engagement levels only drop as students get older.

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Anyone who disobeys the rules will be out. First 3 rules of silent ball is that everyone should stay silent, thrown underhand, and catch with one hand. Add rules  to make it harder (everyone stand on one leg, catch with off hand etc)until only one remains!

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Whoever's turn it is chooses a rule. The rule can be whatever that person would like and it is up to the rest of the class to figure out what the rule is. Whoever's turn it is starts by saying "I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing..." and then says an item that follows the rule. My favorite rule is "things with double letters" but it can be whatever the player chooses. THings that are yellow, things whose name has 5 letters, things in this classroom, etc. So you can bring anything that follows the rule, but you cannot bring things that do not. The students take turns asking if they can bring certain items, and the player tells them "yes they can bring that" or "no you cannot bring that." If they figure out the rule, they keep it to themselves, and continue to ask about different items until everyone has figured out the rule.