Hidoku Puzzles Collection
Hidoku Puzzles (also known as hidato puzzles) have been one of my go-to puzzles in my file cabinet of puzzles for several years now. I have had great success with getting students interested in these puzzles who haven’t been interested in other logic puzzles like Sudoku or KenKen.
Somehow, these puzzles have never made an appearance on my blog. Today, that is changing!
What are Hidoku Puzzles?
Hidoku Puzzles (or Hidato Puzzles) are a creation of Dr. Gyora M. Benedek, an Israeli mathematician. The Hebrew word “hida” means riddle. In a hidoku puzzle, you are given a grid with a selection of the numbers already filled in.
Your task is to fill in the missing numbers so that each number connects to the next number either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. 1 must connect to 2, 2 must connect to 3, and so on.
When I use Hidoku Puzzles with students, I often have them draw in the lines between the numbers in order to help them check their solutions.
These grids can take the form of a traditional square grid (as seen above) or a beehive shape.
I’ve only ever used the square gridded hidato puzzles with my students. But I think the beehive puzzles could work just as well with students.
If you are looking to post these puzzles for students to solve and want a good explanation of how to solve them, check out this set of solving instructions/worked example online.
Square and Rectangular Hidoku Puzzles
Hidoku Worksheet Packet
My original introduction to using hidoku puzzles in the classroom was a PDF of six different levels of puzzles (22 hidoku puzzles in total) that sadly no longer appears to be online. I have uploaded the PDF below. If this file belongs to you, please let me know. I can either take it down or attach your name and give you a major shout-out!
I’ve used this packet of hidoku puzzles so many times on those unexpected days where you end up only having three students in class due to extracurricular activities or bad weather or whatever else the world decides to throw at you that day. The puzzles start out easy enough, that I’ve found that students were able to teach themselves how to solve hidato puzzles without me having to really do anything at all.
Click here to SAVE the file to your device.
Hidato Puzzles (PDF)
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Other favorite puzzles I like to use on these odd days where little instruction can occur are Zukei Puzzles, Hashi Puzzles, and Angle Mazes.
Animal Shaped Hidoku Puzzles
Mathematical Hidoku Puzzles
Monthly Hidoku Puzzles
Come back every month for a new hidoku puzzle featuring the 3 letter abbreviation for each month.
Miscellaneous Shaped Hidoku Puzzles
Holiday and Seasonal Hidoku Puzzles
Spring Hidoku Puzzles
Summer Hidoku Puzzles
Coming Soon
Fall Hidoku Puzzles
Winter Hidoku Puzzles
Other Sources of Printable Hidoku Puzzles
Math in English has a wide variety of free printable puzzles.
Alex Bellos shares a video of how to solve beehive puzzles in his puzzle column in The Guardian. There are several free beehive puzzles shared in the article.
The New York Times has a set of three free printable hidato puzzles on their website in PDF form.
Brilliant.org offers up a beehive hidato puzzle. I like the twist where they ask puzzlers to determine the value of the sum of three cells of the grid.
Puzzle Solutions
Puzzle solutions are available on a password-protected solution page. I do not openly post the puzzle answer keys because one of my goals as a resource creator is to craft learning experiences for students that are non-google-able. I want teachers to be able to use these puzzles in their classrooms without the solutions being found easily on the Internet.
Please email me at sarah@mathequalslove.net for the password to the answer key database featuring all of my printable puzzles and math worksheets. I frequently have students emailing me for the answer key, so please specify in your email what school you teach at and what subjects you teach. If you do not provide these details, I will not be able to send you the password.
Not a teacher? Go ahead and send me an email as well. Just let me know what you are using the puzzles for. I am continually in awe of how many people are using these puzzles with scouting groups, with senior adults battling dementia, or as fun activities in their workplace. Just give me enough details so I know you are not a student looking for answers to the puzzle that was assigned as their homework!
Thanks for all these great puzzles. I’ve been coming back to your site to get warm up ideas for my grade 6/7 students. Currently, my students are ADDICTED to Hidato.
Have you ever heard of Perplexors? My kids also like doing these. They are logic and process of elimination riddles. Good fun!