🔢 14 number puzzles with answers
14 number puzzles for kids, from sequences to magic squares
Number puzzles make practice feel like play. Give each one a go on paper, then tap to check your answer and the reason behind it.
How to play
- Use paper and pencil. Writing things down is how mathematicians think.
- Try small cases first, then spot the pattern.
- Check your answer by putting it back into the puzzle.
Fill a 3 by 3 grid with the numbers 1 to 9 so that every row, column and diagonal adds up to 15.
One solution is: 2 7 6 / 9 5 1 / 4 3 8. Every row, column and diagonal makes 15.
Two numbers add up to 20 and multiply to 96. What are they?
12 and 8. 12 + 8 = 20 and 12 × 8 = 96.
What is 1 + 2 + 3 + ... + 100?
5050. Pair the numbers: 1 + 100, 2 + 99, 3 + 98 and so on. There are 50 pairs and each makes 101, so 50 × 101 = 5050.
What comes next: 3, 6, 12, 24, ...?
48. Each number is double the one before.
What comes next: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, ...?
36. These are the square numbers: 1², 2², 3² and so on.
What comes next: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ...?
42. The numbers are 1×2, 2×3, 3×4, 4×5, 5×6, so next is 6×7.
Which numbers between 1 and 100 are both perfect squares and perfect cubes?
1 and 64. 64 is 8² and also 4³.
What is the smallest three-digit palindrome (reads the same both ways) that is divisible by 5?
505. A number divisible by 5 ends in 0 or 5, and a three-digit palindrome cannot start with 0, so it starts and ends in 5.
A two-digit number has digits that add to 9. If you reverse the digits, the new number is 27 more. What is the number?
36. The reversed number is 63, and 63 − 36 = 27.
Each letter is a different digit: SEND + MORE = MONEY. Find the digits.
9567 + 1085 = 10652, so S=9, E=5, N=6, D=7, M=1, O=0, R=8, Y=2.
How many squares of all sizes are on a chessboard?
204. There are 64 + 49 + 36 + 25 + 16 + 9 + 4 + 1 squares of sizes 1 to 8.
Six friends each shake hands with every other friend once. How many handshakes are there?
15. Each of 6 people shakes 5 hands, which counts every handshake twice, so 6 × 5 ÷ 2 = 15.
Using exactly four 4s and any signs, make 10 and make 7.
10 = (44 − 4) ÷ 4 and 7 = 44 ÷ 4 − 4.
What are the next two numbers: 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, 16, ...?
22 and 29. The gaps grow by one each time: +1, +2, +3, +4, +5, +6, then +7.
FAQ
Number puzzles for kids: questions people ask
Are these good for school maths?
They practise addition, multiplication, patterns and reasoning in a playful way.
What age?
Ages 8 to 14, with the first few suitable for younger children.
Where can I find more?
Try our free maths games and the 24 game.
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