ks1 problem solving activities

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Learn all about the topics covered in KS1 maths, explore our free resources and have a go at some practice questions!

• What do children learn in the KS1 maths curriculum?

• Topic guides and practice questions

• KS1 maths resources and activities

•   KS1 maths SATs: guides and resources

Select a topic

Explore the topics covered in KS1 maths and have a go at some fun, interactive practice questions!

Number and place value

Learn how to count, read and write numbers up to 100

Find out more

Addition and subtraction

Explore strategies for mental and written problem solving

Multiplication and division

Discover key multiplication and division facts

Find out about data and how to read bar charts and graphs

Measurement

Explore time, volume and length and quantities

Learn how to identify 2D and 3D shapes

Position and direction

Discover how to arrange objects into patterns

Fractions, decimals and percentages

Learn what a fraction is and how to order them

Choose a year group

Select a year group.

Take a look at the skills children learn in each year group and have a go at some questions

What do children learn in KS1 maths?

In Key Stage 1 (KS1), kids explore a wide breath of content to help develop their knowledge of core concepts and gain an understanding of how maths is used in everyday life. From fractions to shapes, they learn lots of key skills that’ll place them in great stead for KS2!  The main topics they learn about are…    

1. Number and place value: In the KS1 maths curriculum, children learn to count, read, write and represent numbers up to 100. They also learn how to compare numbers and use the place value system.  

2. Addition and subtraction: Children learn various strategies for mental and written addition and subtraction. They also explore number bonds, counting techniques and inverse operations.  

3. Multiplication and division: Kids develop their understanding of multiplication and division and learn how to solve problems using multiplication and division facts, arrays and pictorial representations.  

4. Fractions : Learners discover how to recognise, name, find and write fractions in relation to length, shapes and quantity.

  5. Measurement: In KS1 maths, children learn how to use appropriate units, estimate measurements and read scales, including length, capacity and time.  

6. Properties of shapes: Learners explore the fundamentals of shapes, including how to recognise and name different types of 2D and 3D shapes.  

7. Position and direction: Children  learn how to describe position, direction and movement, as well as how to organise objects into patterns and sequences. 

8. Statistics: In the KS1 curriculum, kids explore how to collect and organise data. They also learn how to create graphs and interpret data using a variety of graphs.

Meet Doodle, the personalised maths app that explores the whole KS1 curriculum!

Created by our team of teachers, DoodleMaths is an award-winning maths app that’s filled with interactive questions and games covering the whole KS1 curriculum.    

Designed to be used for just 10 minutes a day, it creates every child a unique learning experience tailored to their needs, boosting their confidence and ability in maths.  And best of all, you can  try it for free !  

Frequently asked questions about KS1 maths

DoodleMaths is an award-winning app that’s filled with fantastic maths games for KS1!

From working in a messy bakery to helping a monkey collect coconuts, all of its games are specifically designed to develop instant recall and mental maths skills, transforming learning into a fun adventure.

Best of all, all of its questions feel like a game, with every exercise using interactive activities and explanations to help bring the subject to life!

Create an account today to enjoy a free 7-day trial .

There are lots of ways that you can help your child or pupils to learn KS1 maths:

• Rather than explaining concepts, use visual representations to explore them, such as number lines and grids.
• Nothing beats doodling! Encourage your child or pupils to draw pictures to help them understand concepts or have a go at working out the answer to a question. 
• Use real-life items to explore number, such as Smarties or pebbles. Encourage your child to sort the items into different amounts; doing this will help them understand concepts such as addition and fractions!
• Boosting their instant recall skills will help them with their mental maths and speed answering questions. Learning times tables in a specific order and using fun activities is a great way to help with this!

An array is an arrangement of items (such as pictures or numbers) in columns or rows.

They let children visualise what happens when they multiply or divide numbers together, helping them master times tables and division!

Reasoning is basically detective work: it’s when learners use what they already know to work out the answer to a question.

For example, if a child knows what 12 – 5 is, they can use this knowledge to work out what 12 – 6 is.

“I know that 12 – 5 is 7. As 6 is 1 higher than 5, the answer must be 1 higher than 7.”

KS1 maths resources and activities

Looking for even more ways to support your child or pupils’ learning? We’ve got you covered!

How to improve at mental maths

Discover our top tips to help any child master mental maths! 

Outdoor learning activities for KS1

When the sun is shining, there’s nothing better than taking your learning outside!

How to support your child's home learning

Practising maths ‘little and often’ is the perfect way to help kids develop their skills

Discover our top tips to help any child master mental maths!

When the sun is shining, there’s nothing better than taking your learning outside!

Practising maths ‘little and often’ is the perfect way to help kids develop their skills

KS1 maths SATs: guides and resources

In Year 2, children complete maths and English SATs papers. Explore what’s covered in the exams and how you can help your child or pupils prepare for them!

KS1 SATs papers 2024: what's included?

See what’s covered in KS1 SATs and how you can help your child prepare for them

How Doodle can help kids prepare for SATs

Our apps cover the whole KS1 curriculum, making them perfect study buddies

How to help your child prepare for SATs

SATs may seem worrying, but these tips will help calm your child (and you!)

KS1 SATs papers: what's included?

See what’s covered in KS1 SATs and how you can help your child prepare for them

Our apps cover the whole KS1 curriculum, making them the ultimate study buddies

Try our KS1 maths app for free!

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Fun Maths Activities and Investigations for KS1 and KS2 in Primary School

Anantha Anilkumar

Over the years, we’ve created lots of different fun maths activities and investigations to add to primary teachers’ toolboxes. Some of these maths activities mirror our online one to one maths tutoring programme, while others are more suitable for whole class teaching. We share here as part of our continual support for KS1 and KS2 teachers working in UK classrooms.

The purpose of these numeracy activities, especially the event-based ones, is three-fold:

1. To support you, the teacher, with problem solving and reasoning questions (with answers) and save you writing your own. 

2. To give learners the opportunity to see more everyday maths in context, and experiences of how maths reasoning really matters in the real world. 3. To add some variety and relevance to the maths lesson slides, questions and worksheets you may be doing with your class every day. We love what the White Rose maths hub resources provide in terms of weekly planning, but sometimes we may be looking for some more exciting, hands-on and fun maths activities, whether for Year 1 or Year 6.

Topical Maths Activities For The Term

Maths investigations linked to key calendar dates this term, designed to develop reasoning and problem solving in your pupils

Some of you may question the place that fun has in a child’s education , and whether fun maths lessons will achieve the long term goal of retention and retrieval. While we’ve all had a class which requires an upbeat tempo of fun games as part of their learning process, many children will experience cognitive overload if important new maths concepts are introduced through a game. You will know your pupils best in this context. 

The majority of maths activities and investigations shared below use a fun concept or relevant idea to develop children’s number sense, fluency, reasoning and problem solving skills in the pursuit of learning maths.

Follow the links below to find out more about the kind of maths activities and maths investigations we’ve got available to you.

Fun maths activities KS2 (with some KS1 in there too)

Fun outdoor maths activities 13 flexible and fun activities to do outside, many of which can be adapted for early years to Year 6; most of these involve some kind of physical activity and fine motor skill development, as well as treasure hunts for angles, ways to incorporate data handling, graphs and measurement into the school fair, and using mathematical skills to make mathematical connections to nature. 

Fun back to school maths activities teaching ideas to help you get back in the groove of maths lessons after a long summer break. These are summer maths activities the whole class can get involved in, some practising quick mental maths skills, others involving more complex reasoning, plus the odd card game maths activity as well.  

Fun end of term maths activities : We all know that by the end of the summer term the atmosphere in class tends to get a bit overexcitable. Here are some ideas to harness that excitement into some fun and lively maths investigations that recap children’s knowledge from across their year’s work from 2d shapes to averages and algebra.

Fun maths games for kids at home : This might almost be our favourite collection – one to hand out to parents for homework and homeschool; it includes home-made board games, fun ways to practise times tables and lost of fun games that help children with their maths skills and require only a pencil, a piece of paper and a pack of playing cards to get going. Essential for anyone undertaking any kind of home learning with their children. 

We’ve also now extended our maths games collections to include KS1 maths games , KS2 maths games , and even KS3 maths games .

Fun maths lessons for KS2 : a collection of our favourite fun maths lessons, suitable for Year 3 to Year 6 (ideal for after SATs) which include human bar charts, sharing 3D shapes, and planning the teacher’s next holiday! 

Fun maths starters KS2 : 15 of the best maths starters to help you introduce a new topic, consolidate previous work, or just to use as part of a maths meeting with your class, improving their mental maths – includes a printable version to use in school. 

Fun SATs revision games : Even 11-year-olds need a break sometimes, so we asked some fantastic teachers on Twitter what their favourite top tips for keeping SATs revision fun were, and here’s your answer – loads of great ideas in here for anyone teaching Year 6 .  Fun maths club activities : Provided you’re armed with some creative, open ended, and ideally practical maths club activities to give children, maths clubs are not nearly as hard to set up and run as you might first imagine. The benefits are manifold; this article has all you need to get started including several really fun group games specially designed for primary school maths clubs.

Fun maths investigations for topical events

KS2 maths investigations : For many years now, Third Space has been creating maths investigations for Year 6. We’ve now adapted them to be suitable across KS2. In the main, these tend to be open ended maths investigations, focused around key events in the primary school calendar. Some of these are also slightly shorter activities but they all require pupils to do extensive problem solving and reasoning based around events in everyday life. Here are some favourite KS2 maths problems solving investigations from each term:

Here’s our complete list of topical maths investigations for year 5 and year 6.

Autumn Term maths investigations year 6 and year 5

• Autumn maths activities
• Halloween maths activities
• Bonfire Night maths activities
• Christmas maths activities and Christmas maths quiz

Spring Term maths investigations year 6 and year 5

• Heart Month Months activities
• Shrove Tuesday Maths activities
• Pancake Day Maths activities
• World Book Day Maths activities
• International Women’s Day Maths activities
• British Science Week Maths activities
• Holi Maths activities
• Easter/Lent Maths activities

Summer term maths investigations year 6 and year 5

• Share-a-Story Month activities
• FA Cup Maths activities
• Walk to School Week activities
• Ramadan Maths activities
• Child Safety Week activities

And if that’s not enough we’ve even got  maths activities  for Year 5 and Year 6 for events you’re likely to celebrate in primary school but don’t come round every year… 

• Red Nose Day Maths activities
• World Cup Maths activities
• Election Maths
• Jubilee Maths activities

Mixed ability maths investigations

We know most of you now teach mixed ability maths classes so something we’re often asked for is year 6 maths activities with a low threshold high ceiling . Take a look at these open ended maths investigations for Year 6 and the rest of Key Stage 2. You’ll also be able to download one of our favourite free teaching resources – 8 low threshold high ceiling activities including the famous fox chicken grain puzzle. 

We’ve also collected the best KS2 maths challenges here for any of your pupils who are working at greater depth in KS2 maths and need further extension in your maths lessons.

Holiday maths activities

We all know about the summer brain drain and how easily children forget what we’ve taught them but it can be difficult to know what to do about it. These summer holiday maths activities were created with parents in mind, you can also use these KS1 and KS2 holiday maths activities to give your pupils lots of fun maths challenges to do over the holidays. 

• Year 3 holiday homework: Don’t Forget Your Maths Pack Year 2 to Year 3
• Year 4 holiday homework: Don’t Forget Your Maths Pack Year 3 to Year 4
• Year 5 holiday homework: Don’t Forget Your Maths Pack Year 4  to Year 5
• Year 6 holiday homework: Don’t Forget Your Maths Pack Year 5 to Year 6

National curriculum maths activities for KS1 and KS2

The final way we’ve organised our KS2 maths activities for you is by national curriculum topic. We’ll continue to add to this section so bookmark this page and check back if it’s useful. Get started:

• 35 times tables games
• KS1 and KS2 place value games and activities  
• 3 minute number facts activity  

DO YOU HAVE PUPILS WHO NEED MORE SUPPORT IN MATHS?

Every week Third Space Learning’s maths specialist tutors support thousands of students across hundreds of schools with weekly primary school tuition designed to plug gaps and boost progress.

Since 2013 these personalised one to one lessons have helped over 150,000 primary and secondary students become more confident, able mathematicians.

Learn about the emphasis on building a positive maths mindset or request a personalised quote for your school to speak to us about your school’s needs and how we can help.

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FREE 12 Maths Club Activities for Primary Schools (Years 1 to 6)

A collection of games and activities to make maths enjoyable in a primary school maths club!

Minimal resources are needed for each activity.

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I See Reasoning - KS1

The ebook i see reasoning - ks1 gives 281 thought-provoking images and questions linked to all areas of the ks1 maths curriculum. tasks help to build children's conceptual understanding, promoting non-counting calculation and providing opportunities for reasoning and talk. there are rich tasks for deepening learning every day.

I See Reasoning - KS1 Addition  is a free sample section from the resource. Visual prompts help children to see likely mistakes, notice similarities between questions and develop new strategies for calculating. Techniques such as  Read the Pictures, Explain the Mistakes  and  Which Answer?  draw attention to key learning points and help to generate focused talk. For order enquiries, please read the Frequently Asked Questions .

There are prompts that open up mathematical investigations, for example the  Different Ways  tasks.  True or False? questions draw children's attention to key differences between correct and incorrect responses. There are also different question types that are specific to particular areas of the curriculum, like the  Missing Hand questions in the time section. There are answers too!

I See Reasoning - KS1 Addition  gives a free copy of one of the sections from the resource. Please use and share it!

The 281 tasks of  I See Reasoning - KS1  cover all areas of the Year 1&2 mathematics curriculum. There are many other question types that display maths concepts visually, including the use of bar models. All of the tasks encourage meaningful mathematical talk and challenge children to apply their understanding flexibly. This helps pupils to develop mastery in KS1 mathematics.

I See Reasoning - KS1  corresponds to US grade levels K and grade 1, and Australian school years 1&2. The sale price is  £15  When ordered, the PDF file is emailed direct to your inbox for your use. To purchase, click on the link below:

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Reasoning and Problem Solving Questions Collection - KS1 and KS2

Subject: Mathematics

Age range: 5-7

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

10 March 2023

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These booklets each contain over 40 reasoning and problem solving questions suitable for KS1, KS2 and KS3 classes. These are the questions that we have been putting out each day in March 2016 on Twitter in the run up to SATS.

The answers are provided with some simple notes at the back of the booklet and for some problems supplementary questions and variation has been provided.

As always we welcome any feedback on the work we are doing and the materials that we are releasing. Thank you for taking an interest in our work. The White Rose Maths Hub Team

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A very good and engaging way to teach mastery of maths. Thank you for sharing

thank you for sharing, this is really good

Thanks for sharing.

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Free Team Building Activities For School

Team Tic Tac Toe

Group Size: Any Size,  space allowing Key Stages: KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Concentration, Observation, Strategy Communication Equipment: Stools Download Activity PDF https://youtu.be/g4pltPtYGHA Use the link below to subscribe to our U Tube Channel: Subscribe Now There are many ways to play Team Tic Tac Toe. This method

Take Action (Numbers & Actions)

Group Size: Any Size,  space allowing Key Stages: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills:  Concentration, Following instructions, Speed Equipment: No Equipment Download Activity PDF https://youtu.be/88QLo21O8Xg Use the link below to subscribe to our U Tube Channel: Subscribe Now Take action is the perfect activity to energise your group.

Balloon Towers

Group Size: Multiple groups of 4 – 5   Key Stages: KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5   Team Building Skills: Planning, Strategy, Communication   Equipment: Balloons, Tape, Scissors, Tape Measure Download Activity PDF https://youtu.be/fx9cjm0Me_g Use the link below to subscribe to our You Tube Channel: Subscribe Now Balloon Tower requires small

Dig Dig Dig

Group Size:  10 – 30 Key Stages:  KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Communication, Observations,  Information Sharing Equipment: Chairs Download Activity PDF https://youtu.be/wSra18Xrvtw Use the link below to subscribe to our You Tube Channel: Subscribe Now Dig Dig Dig is the perfect activity for groups that are getting to

Group Juggle

Group Size: Up to 30 but the larger the number thelonger the ball takes to get to each student. Key Stages: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Communication, Concentration Equipment: A selection of balls or beanbags. Download Activity PDF Use the link below to subscribe to our You

Newspaper Fashion Show

Group Size: Multiple groups of 4 – 5 Key Stages: KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Imagination, Planning, Strategy, Communication Equipment: Newspaper, String, Tape Download Activity PDF Newspaper Fashion Show will have your teams in tears of laughter. The participants will need to be arranged in groups of 4

Catch The Ball

Group Size: Multiple groups of 4 – 5 Key Stages: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Co-operation, Competition Equipment: Different balls (Table tennis, Golf, Perforated), Drinking straws, Tape Download Activity PDF Catch The Ball is a fantastic exercise to get your groups thinking. With so many ways to

Move The Balloons

Group Size: 30 students plus (Space dependant) Key Stages: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Coordination, Speed Equipment: Balloons – 1 per participant Move The Balloons is a fun fast paced game that will guarantee to have your students out of breath! The participants will need to be

Nosey Parker

Nosey Parker Group Size: Up to 13 players Key Stages: KS1 KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Concentration, Listening,  Communication Equipment: Pack of Playing cards Download Activity PDF This game is for up to 13 players as each player will need 4 cards from a pack of 52. If

Blindfolded Robots

Blindfolded Robots Group Size: 2 plus Key Stages: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Communication, Trust Equipment:  Bean Bags, Screwed up pieces of paper Download Activity PDF Blindfolded Robots is a great team building challenge to help gain trust between two or more participants. The instructor / teacher

Caterpillar Tracks

Caterpillar Tracks   Group Size: 5 –unlimited space dependant Key Stages: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Attention, Playing your role, Communication Equipment:  No Equipment Download Activity PDF Caterpillar Tracks is a fast paced fun team building activity for all ages. There are two ways to play: The

The White Brick Road

The White Brick Road Group Size: 5 – 30 space dependant Key Stages: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Planning, Memory, Cooperation,  Trust Equipment:  A4 pieces of paper Download Activity PDF The White Brick Road is a great team building game that can be played in a few

Just A Minute

Just A Minute Group Size: Any Key Stages: KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Decision making, Communication, Planning. Equipment: A means of timing one minute accurately. Download Activity PDF Just A Minute is a very simple game that can be played in a few different ways. The first is

Burst The Balloons

Burst The Balloons Group Size: Any, although large groups may get a little hectic. Key Stages: KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Organisation, Trust, Communication Equipment: Balloons (cheap balloons work best) and sellotape Download Activity PDF For Burst The Balloons each Person will need to sellotape a balloon to

Mirror Mirror

Mirror Mirror Group Size: Work in group of 2 Key Stages: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills : Cooperation, Focus, Attention to detail Equipment: No equipment needed Download Activity PDF Mirror Mirror is a very simple but very effective cooperation game. The students will need to work in groups of two.

The Silent Countdown

The Silent Countdown Group Size: 10 – 30 Key Stages: KS1 KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills : Concentration, Listening,  Communication Equipment: Blindfolds (possible without)  Download Activity PDF The Silent Countdown is the perfect activity if you want your group to think carefully about what is going on within a team. The

The Sitting Circle

The Sitting Circle Group Size: 10 – 30 Key Stages: Upper KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Trust, Communication Equipment: No equipment needed Download Activity PDF The Sitting Circle will require participants to be willing to get close to their team mates. The instructor / teacher will need to organise the team

Bridge Build

Group Size: 5 – 30 Key Stages: KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills : Planning, Communication, Generating Ideas Equipment: Newspaper, Cellotape Download Activity PDF Bridge Build is a great team building activity for generating ideas and putting them into practice. The students will need to be put of groups of approx 4-5.

The Steeple Chase

The Steeple Chase Group Size: 10 – 100 (space dependant) Key Stages: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills : Group participation, Following a lead, Public speaking – if commentating Equipment: No equipment needed Download Activity PDF The Steeple Chase is certainly not a quiet circle game. The first thing that you

The Elephant Race

The Elephant Race Group Size: 10 – 100 (space dependant) Key Stages: KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills : Taking Part, Personal contact Equipment: No equipment needed Download Activity PDF The Elephant Race is a game that will have the participating teams laughing all the way to the finish line. The instructor

Marshmallow And Spaghetti Towers

Group Size: Any size Key Stages: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills : Planning, Communication Equipment: Marshmallows and spaghetti Download Activity PDF Firstly you will need to split your cohort into groups of approx 4-5. Each group will need to have exactly the same resources. The same number of marshmallows and

Fizz Buzz Group Size: 10 – 30 Key Stages: KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills : Concentration, Support Equipment: No equipment needed Download Activity PDF Fizz Buzz is a fast paced counting game…..with a twist. The group will need to sit in a circle. Decide where to start the game and that

How Are You Doing?, Just Fine Thanks!

Group Size: 10 – 16 Key Stages: KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills : Trust, Communication Equipment: Blindfolds Download Activity PDF To begin with the group will need to stand in a circle. The instructor / teacher will then to need to tell everyone to turn to the person on their right. They

Group Size: 10 – 30   Key Stages: KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5   Team Building Skills : Following instructions, Group participation   Equipment: No equipment Download Activity PDF Grand Prix is an active and often noisy circle game. The idea is that the participants are pretending to be a racing

Sleeping Lions

Sleeping Lions Group Size: 5 – 30 Key Stages –  KS1, KS2, KS3 Team Building Skills : Common Goal, Trust Equipment: No equipment Download Activity PDF If you have not discovered Sleeping Lions then you will be amazed. It is a brilliant activity to have up your sleeve. Some might say a life

Group Size: 10 – 30 Key Stages: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Getting to know each other,  communication Equipment: Paper and pens Download Activity PDF This is a great guessing game and a fantastic getting to know you game. Every participant will need to be given a small piece of

The River Group Size: Unlimited, although space dependant Key Stages:  KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Following instructions, Individual thinking Equipment: Chalk, tape or rope Download Activity PDF This activity is great for big groups. You will need to mark two parallel lines on the floor. This may be done using

The Teddy Chase

Size: 10 – 30 Key stages: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Co-operation, Team Spirit, public speaking if commentating Equipment: Two teddy bears, blindfolds if you are running a variation. Download Activity PDF This is a great team challenge for all ages. With the participants sat in a

Flap The Fish – Fast Paced Team Building Activity

Group Size – Unlimited – although space dependant Key stages –  KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills : Common aim, competitive Equipment – Newspapers, magazine, thick plastic bag. Download Activity PDF Split your students into the same sized groups of between 3 – 6 This fun fast paced fishy

Wizards, Knights and Maidens.

Group Size – 20 Key stages –  KS2, KS3, KS4  Team Building Skills : Working together, Following instructions  Equipment – No Equipment Required Download Activity PDF Students work in groups of 2. If the facilitator shout ‘Wizards’ the pair must assume the following position as fast as possible – both

Blindfold Pass – Free Blindfolded Team Building Activity

Group Size: 10 – 100 Key stages: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5  Team Building Skills : Co-operation, Trust Equipment: Bell or other noisy item Download Activity PDF For this blindfolded team building activity the group stand in a large circle. One member of the group stands in the middle of the circle. They need to wear

Battle of the Pen – Free Indoor Team Building Game

Group Size: 6+ Key stages:  KS2, KS3 , KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Communication,  Equipment: Pen, Coin and table and chairs  Download Activity PDF This is an indoor team building game played around a table. Ideally even sized teams sit in lines facing each other across a table. Sitting in chairs is

Fruit Salad – Free Team Building Game

For this team building activity everyone is required to stand in a circle. The bigger the group the better – Tricky at the time of print! Go around the circle and give all team members a name – Kiwi, lime, pineapple, banana. These names can be whatever you fancy, although

The Sky Is The Limit aka Newspaper Towers – Free Team Building Exercise

Group Size: Multiple Groups of 4 – 6 Key Stage: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 Team Building Skills: Creativity; Verbal Communication; Decision Making Equipment: Newspapers; Cellotape Download Activity PDF The Sky is the Limit –  AKA: Newspapers Towers,  This activity is a great team building exercise where the equipment of old newspapers and

Free Team Problem Solving Activity – Back To Back aka Sketch It

Back to Back – Sketch it. Students will work in pairs and sit back to back. They will take it in turns to be the describer and the sketcher. The describer will describe a shape without saying the name whilst the sketcher will try to draw the described shape as

Free Team Building Activity – Alphabet Hunt

A great fun yet inexpensive team building activity. All that is required is some scissors a newspaper a piece of A4 paper and a glue stick or cellotape per team. We suggest that this activity is run in teams of 2-6. However larger teams will work. The aim of the

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Problem solving / team building activities for schools ks1, ks2, ks3, ks4, ks5.

Or search by topic

Number and algebra

• The Number System and Place Value
• Calculations and Numerical Methods
• Fractions, Decimals, Percentages, Ratio and Proportion
• Properties of Numbers
• Patterns, Sequences and Structure
• Algebraic expressions, equations and formulae
• Coordinates, Functions and Graphs

Geometry and measure

• Angles, Polygons, and Geometrical Proof
• 3D Geometry, Shape and Space
• Measuring and calculating with units
• Transformations and constructions
• Pythagoras and Trigonometry
• Vectors and Matrices

Probability and statistics

• Handling, Processing and Representing Data
• Probability

Working mathematically

• Thinking mathematically
• Mathematical mindsets
• Cross-curricular contexts
• Physical and digital manipulatives

For younger learners

• Early Years Foundation Stage

Advanced mathematics

• Decision Mathematics and Combinatorics
• Advanced Probability and Statistics

Developing Mathematical Thinking - Primary Teachers

Successful mathematicians  understand curriculum concepts, are fluent in mathematical procedures, can solve problems, explain and justify their thinking, and have a positive attitude towards learning mathematics. 

Exploring, questioning, working systematically, visualising, conjecturing, explaining, generalising, convincing, proving... are all at the heart of mathematical thinking. The activities below are designed to give learners the opportunity to think and work as mathematicians.

For problems arranged by curriculum topic, see our  Primary Curriculum  page For problems arranged by mathematical mindsets, see our  Mathematical Mindsets  page

Exploring and Noticing - Primary Teachers

These problems offer learners an opportunity to explore by trying something out, and reflect on what they notice.

Working Systematically at KS1 - Primary Teachers

These problems will challenge your learners to work systematically.

Working Systematically at KS2 - Primary Teachers

Conjecturing and Generalising at KS1 - Primary Teachers

These tasks will encourage children to conjecture and generalise.

Conjecturing and Generalising at KS2 - Primary Teachers

Visualising at KS1 - Primary Teachers

These lower primary tasks all specifically draw on the use of visualising.

Visualising at KS2 - Primary Teachers

These upper primary tasks all specifically draw on the use of visualising.

Reasoning and Convincing at KS1 - Primary Teachers

The tasks in this collection can be used to encourage children to convince others of their reasoning, using 'because' statements.

Reasoning and Convincing at KS2 - Primary Teachers

The tasks in this collection can be used to encourage children to convince others of their reasoning, by first convincing themselves, then a friend, then a 'sceptic'.