This blog post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. This comes at no cost to you. Thanks for your support of Math = Love!
This snowflake puzzle is a fun, logic puzzle with a winter theme. Can you place the snowflakes on the grid so that each row and column contain an even (not odd) number of snowflakes?
Snowflake Puzzle Instructions
Arrange the ten snowflakes in the 4×4 grid so that each row and column contain an even (not odd) number of snowflakes. Each square on the grid may only contain one snowflake.
Printing Instructions
I created a page of snowflake pieces for you to print and cut apart for students to use. Each student or group of students will need ten snowflakes. Each printed page will give you enough snowflake pieces for 4 students.
This puzzle is designed to print on letter-sized paper, but it could easily be scaled to print on A4 paper for my non-North American readers. Both pages are in the same file, so they should scale equally without any issues.
I would suggest printing the snowflake pieces on colored paper or cardstock to help make them “pop” when placed on the grid.
Puzzle Source
This snowflake puzzle was inspired by a puzzle called “Make it Even” that was included in Boris A. Kordemsky’s The Moscow Puzzles: 359 Mathematical Recreations which is published by Dover Publications.
I first used the Make It Even puzzle back in my classroom in 2015. As I read back over my old blog post, I realized just how much I have learned about using puzzles in my classroom over the past 8 years. Wowzers.
The original puzzle involved making a grid of items (I used bingo chips) and removing a certain number of items to leave an even number in each row and column. I quickly discovered that students found this to be very confusing.
It is much easier for students to place items in a grid to meet the required criteria instead of removing items from a grid.
I also decided to put a seasonal spin on this old puzzle and take what I have learned to make the instructions clearer and the design more aesthetically pleasing.
Free Download of Snowflake Puzzle
This snowflake puzzle is available as a PDF download and an editable publisher file.
Snowflake Puzzle (PDF) (557 downloads)
Snowflake Puzzle (Editable Publisher File ZIP) (42 downloads)
If you are looking for more winter-y, snow-y fun, check out my winter mystery tangram puzzle which features a snowman.
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.
Connie
Monday 16th of January 2023
I've done this puzzle with second graders, working in pairs. Some have done it by themselves but others needed a strong hint: make one row of four and a column of four. Now put the remaining markers where you need them.
Coming up with names for the resulting shapes also entertains second graders.