Reindeer Logic Puzzle

This reindeer logic puzzle is perfect for bringing a bit of Christmas cheer into your classroom. Students are given seven statements about Santa’s reindeer who have run a race. They must use logical reasoning to determine the order in which the reindeer finished the race.

This logic puzzle is a testament to how much I love twitter and the difference it has made in my classroom. In 2016, I came across this Christmas-themed logic puzzle from Learning Maths on twitter.

Here’s the text of the puzzle:

Santa’s reindeer had a race to see who would lead the sleigh this year. Medals were given to the top three reindeer. In what order did they finish?

• Blitzen finished two ahead of Cupid and three ahead of Vixen.
• Rudolph finished just ahead of Blitzen and just behind Dancer.
• Only one reindeer was slower than Cupid.
• Comet was pleased to have beaten Rudolph, but he wished that he’d also beaten Dasher.
• Prancer, Comet, and Dasher all won medals.
• Donner was unhappy to be in the bottom half of the results.
• Prancer was delighted to beat Dasher.

The first time I used this reindeer puzzle with my students, I projected the text on my SMARTBoard and let students work through the puzzle using dry erase boards.

I found that my students did not know the names of all of the reindeer from memory which made the puzzle extra difficult for them to solve. I soon got tired for repeating the names of the reindeer over and over again, so I decided there had to be a better way.

I ended up typing up the clues on a sheet of paper and made laminated cards with each reindeer’s name printed on them.

With this structure in place, it took my students about 5 minutes to work through this puzzle. This is the perfect length for a lesson starter during the Christmas season!

I recently decided to give this activity a bit of a face lift since it has been one of my favorite Christmas puzzles for several years now. Be sure to check out my other Christmas puzzles!

I actually ended up making three slightly different styles of this reindeer logic puzzle for you to choose from.

The first version of the Reindeer Logic puzzle has the seven clues written out as simple bullet points.

I also created a similar version of the puzzle with the clues printed in a table instead of a bulleted list.

Finally, I made a worksheet version in case teachers that teachers can use in conjunction with the laminated cards or without them.

I also created several different sizes/styles of reindeer name cards that you can print and use with your students.

My favorite version has reindeer clipart on each card with the reindeer’s name. This set of reindeer cards prints 1 set/page.

If you want to save paper, this next set of reindeer names prints 2 sets/page.

The third option is probably what you want if you are making a class set of these puzzles. The reindeer name cards are much smaller, but you can print four sets per page.

Be sure to share photos of your students working on this reindeer logic puzzle or any of my other Christmas puzzles with me on twitter!

I love seeing students around the world enjoying the puzzles I share here on my blog!