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Last week, I came across a fun perfect square puzzle. Place a set of numbers in a row such that adjacent pairs of numbers always sum to a perfect square.
I decided to create a version of the perfect square puzzle for my students to try who finished their 9 weeks test early.
To keep things more manageable, I decided to only use the numbers 1-15 with my students. So, I typed up a set of number cards and a card with the puzzle’s instructions.
I laminated the cards, cut them apart, and placed them into the new square shaped snack bags from Wal-mart. I’m not sure how I feel about this new shape of snack bag…
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.
I highly recommend splurging a bit on the actual laminator and buying the cheapest laminating pouches you can find!
If your students need a list of perfect squares to reference, check out my printable perfect squares chart.
Even though I had typed up the instructions for the perfect square puzzle, I found that my students really needed to hear me explain the task aloud for them to grasp what it was asking them to do.
Even though they were quick to claim the puzzle was impossible, some students persevered!
Digital Version
Google Slides
Cathy has converted the Perfect Square Puzzle to Google Slides.
Free Download of Perfect Square Puzzle
Perfect Square Puzzle (PDF) (1629 downloads)
Perfect Square Puzzle (Editable Publisher File ZIP) (518 downloads)
Puzzle Solutions
I intentionally do not make answers to the printable math puzzles I share on my blog available online because I strive to provide learning experiences for my students that are non-google-able. I would like other teachers to be able to use these puzzles in their classrooms as well without the solutions being easily found on the Internet.
However, I do recognize that us teachers are busy people and sometimes need to quickly reference an answer key to see if a student has solved a puzzle correctly or to see if they have interpreted the instructions properly.
If you are a teacher who is using these puzzles in your classroom, please send me an email at sarah@mathequalslove.net with information about what you teach and where you teach. I will be happy to forward an answer key to you.
More Number Puzzles
- Fives Challenge Puzzle
- 3-1-4 Pi Day Number Challenge
- Fours Challenge Puzzle
- 2023 Challenge: Yearly Number Challenge
- Threes Challenge
- Twos Challenge
- 7 Free Printable Math Challenges to Enjoy
- Twosday Challenge Activity
- Strimko Puzzles in the Classroom
- Rotated Square Puzzle
- Make 30 Puzzles
- Which Side of the Line Numbers Puzzle
- Simple Sums Puzzle
- Sums Puzzle
- Twenty Cubes Puzzle
- Number Strips Puzzle
- Pips Puzzle
- Triangle Sums Puzzle
- In a Row Puzzle
- Square Sudokus
- Magic Square 15 Puzzle
- Make It Pythagorean Puzzles
- Hidden Equation Puzzle 3
- Measurement Puzzlers
- Make Six Puzzle – Number Challenge
- Hidden Equation Puzzle 2
- See and Say Sequence Puzzle
- Pattern 15 and Pattern 30 Puzzles
- Sum to Twenty-One Puzzle
- Number Ball Puzzles by Naoki Inaba
- 9-10-11-12 Challenge
- Hidato Puzzles
- Plus Times Puzzles
- Three Numbers Puzzle
- Equation Puzzle
- Sum to Thirty Puzzle
- The Splice is Right Puzzle
- Up to Specs Puzzle
- Equation Rotation Puzzle
- Tic Tac Total Puzzle
- Only Takes and Adds Puzzle
- 20 x 9 Challenge
- Big Magic – A Printable Magic Square Puzzle
- TIGO Puzzles
- Step Puzzles by Naoki Inaba – A Logic Puzzle for Introducing Arithmetic Sequences
- Is it Possible Divisibility Puzzle
- Genius Blocks
- Nine Squares Puzzle
- Twelve Envelopes Puzzle
- Twos to Nines Challenges
- Factor Tree Puzzles Inspired by Dr. Harold Reiter
- Seven Times Seventy Puzzle
- Hidden Equation Puzzle 1
- Sum to Twenty Puzzle by Marcy Cook
- Maximize the Sum Puzzle
- Strimko Logic Puzzles Review
- Perfect Square Puzzle
- Crazy Eight Paper Folding Puzzle
- Post-It Note Puzzle
- How Far Can YOU Climb? – An Activity by Frank Tapson
- Angle Mazes by Naoki Inaba
- The 5-4-3-2-1 Challenge
- Japanese Logic Puzzles for the Secondary Math Classroom
- Area Maze Puzzles from Naoki Inaba
- KenKen In The Classroom
- Futoshiki Puzzles
- Petals Around the Rose
- Hashi Puzzles
- Shikaku Puzzles
- Nonogram Puzzles
- Four Fours Challenge Activity
- 31-derful Puzzle
- Digit Cells Puzzle
