Twosday Challenge Activity

This Twosday Challenge is the perfect way to infuse a bit of mathematical fun on an upcoming mathematical holiday – Twosday!

What is Twosday?

Twosday is the name being given to Tuesday, February 22, 2022 since the date will be written as 2/22/22 in the US and 22/2/22 in much of the rest of the world. On top of the date being composed of all 2’s, the day of the week (Tuesday) sounds like the name of the holiday (Twosday).

I first learned about this concept of Twosday as a mathematical holiday in one of the math teacher facebook groups I am a part of. Since then, I have seen someone ask for ideas for celebrating Twosday in math class on facebook at least once a week.

I decided that the Twos to Nines Challenge that I sometimes use with students during the first week of school would be the perfect activity to modify to create a Twosday Challenge.

Challenge Rules

Using exactly four twos, add arithmetical symbols between the twos to make each of the target numbers. You may use plus, minus, times, and divide symbols, as well as parentheses and brackets for grouping.

I created a printable template for the challenge that already has the four twos written in. Students just have to add various mathematical symbols to make each expression mathematically correct.

Source of Challenge

I discovered this challenge based on the number two in Pierre Berloquin’s 100 Numerical Games book.

I picked up a copy of the book several years ago at Goodwill, and it has inspired numerous classroom activities over the years.

The 20 x 9 Challenge was also inspired by this same collection of puzzles.

Ideas for Using in Class

If you wanted to have students working vertically on dry erase boards for this activity, you could set up the Twosday Challenge the same way I set up the Twos to Nines Challenges at the beginning of the year.

I printed off copies of the Twosday Challenge on regular copy paper. You could easily screenshot the activity and turn it into a virtual activity using Google Slides, Jamboard, or Desmos Activity Builder. If you create any digital versions, please share them with me so I can add a link to this post.

In order to save paper, I decided to only print a class set of copies. I will be giving the challenge in a Dry Erase Pocket. You can pick them at places like Dollar Tree and Target’s Dollar Spot, but I’ve found they are much cheaper when you buy a classroom set from somewhere like Amazon.

If you don’t have a classroom set of dry erase pockets, you could also use heavy duty sheet protectors. But, I highly recommend investing in a classroom set of the pockets since they are so much more durable.

I love using dry erase pockets in my math classroom because it is so easy to just slide any activity into the pockets and have them be instantly eraseable!