Magic H Puzzle

Can you place the numbers 1 to 7 in the correct places to solve this fun Magic H Puzzle?

Puzzle Instructions

Place the numbers 1 to 7 in the spaces on the letter H so that the sum of the three numbers in any row, column, or diagonal is always the same. Two numbers (the 1 and 2) have already been placed for you.

This puzzle is a fun little twist on the classic magic square puzzle.

Puzzle Source

I ran across this puzzle in a collection of 199 different mathematical puzzles that is offered as a free download from IREM de Lyon. This is a top-notch puzzle resource if you speak French.

I sadly do not speak French, but I was able to use the Google Translate app to translate quite a few of the puzzle instructions in order to use them in my classroom. Other puzzles I typed up from this same resource include: U Sums Puzzle, Equal Sums Puzzle, and Lines of 3 Puzzle.

The puzzle book, 199 défis (mathématiques) à manipuler, credits FFJM as the original source of this Magic H Puzzle.

Using the Magic H Puzzle in the Classroom

I used the Magic H Puzzle with my students a few weeks ago as one of our Puzzles of the Week.

I hang my weekly puzzles on the dry erase board in these fabulous magnetic pockets that I ordered from Charles Leonard on Amazon.

When students get to class, they often grab one of the puzzles off the dry erase board and take it to their desk to work on before class starts. Other students gravitate towards the puzzles when they finish early.

I used to only put up one puzzle each week, but I now put up 4-5 different puzzles. I try to do a mix of puzzles which are relatively easy to solve in a minute or two and some that prove to be a giant challenge that might challenge students for days and days.

This Magic H Puzzle is definitely on the EASIER side of the puzzles I tend to share here on my blog.

Printing and Prepping the Puzzle

This puzzle is designed to print on letter-sized paper. I suggest printing the puzzle board on regular copy paper or cardstock and running it through a laminator to make the puzzle more durable.

The second page of the PDF features four sets of number tiles. You only need one set of the number tiles if you are printing a single copy of the puzzle. I like to print the number tiles on colorful Astrobrights paper.

I also run the number tiles through the laminator to make the pieces last for years to come.

MATH = LOVE RECOMMENDS…

A laminator is a MUST-HAVE for me as a math teacher! I spent my first six years as a teacher at a school with a broken laminator, so I had to find a way to laminate things myself.

I’ve had several laminators over the years. I currently use a Scotch laminator at home and a Swingline laminator at school.

• Scotch Laminator
• Swingline Laminator
• Nuova Laminating Pouches

I highly recommend splurging a bit on the actual laminator and buying the cheapest laminating pouches you can find!