9 Pumpkins Puzzle

This 9 Pumpkins Puzzle is sure to provide your students a fun Halloween themed math challenge. Without lifting your pencil, draw 4 straight lines that pass through all nine of the pumpkins.

History of the Puzzle

This is a Halloween-specific version of a classic brainteaser known as the 9 Dots Puzzle. The original puzzle is often attributed to Sam Loyd, but that fact is debatable.

Using the Puzzle in the Classroom

Recently, a blog reader asked me if I had any Halloween math puzzles available to download. This question got me thinking about what puzzles I have used with my students in the past that could be modified for Halloween.

This is a classic example of a “think outside the box” brain teaser. As long as students are thinking “inside” the grid of the nine pumpkins, they will be unable to find a solution to the puzzle.

When I have used this puzzle with my students in the past, I like to give them the puzzle in a dry erase pocket. This lets them try multiple solution methods without having to do a lot of erasing on their paper or redrawing of the grid of nine dots/pumpkins.

MATH = LOVE RECOMMENDS…

I cannot imagine teaching math without my dry erase pockets! They instantly make any activity more engaging and save me countless hours at the copy machine since I can use the same class sets of copies year after year.

Here are my current go-to recommendations:

• 8.5 x 11 Inch Dry Erase Pockets from Puroma
• 11 x 17 Inch Dry Erase Pockets from C-Line Products
• Expo Dry Erase Markers

If you don’t have a classroom set of dry erase pockets, you could also use heavy duty sheet protectors. But, I highly recommend investing in a classroom set of the pockets since they are so much more durable.

Activities That Pair Well with 9 Pumpkins Puzzle

• Picking Pumpkins Game
• Ghost Game
• Halloween Triples Word Puzzle