Spark critical thinking with math brain teasers embedded in real-world scenarios to engage and challenge your upper elementary students.
Boost Thinking Skills with Engaging Math Brain Teasers
If you have students who love a math challenge (and let’s face it, we all have them!), then you need to get your hands on this set of math brain teaser task cards!
This set of 24 task cards contains a range of word problems that challenge students to apply their understanding of various mathematical concepts. From calculating winning scores to decoding secret codes, each brain teaser is crafted to develop logical reasoning, calculation skills and perseverance.
Here is an example math brain teaser:
Michelle can type an average of 30 words per minute when she writes a text message. Her average text message is 20 words long. How many words can she type in 3 minutes? How many text messages can she write in 4 minutes?
The resource download includes:
- Instructions
- 24 x math brain teasers
- Recording sheet
- Answer page
These math brain teasers can be downloaded as a printable PDF or editable Google Slides file. Whether you’re looking to enrich your daily math warm-ups or offer an extension activity for fast finishers, these task cards are a valuable addition to your teaching toolkit.
Multiple Uses for These Math Brain Teasers
There are many ways to incorporate these math brain teasers into your lessons. Here are some engaging activity ideas:
- Scoot Activity – Place the math brain teaser cards around the room and have students rotate through them, spending a set amount of time at each card. This activity can be completed in pairs or individually.
- Group Rotation Activity – Set up a brain teaser station where students work in a small group to solve a challenge. This fosters collaboration and exposes students to a variety of approaches to the same problem.
- Take-Home Fun – Send a math brain teaser card home each week as a family-friendly challenge that sparks discussion beyond the classroom. This is a great way for parents and carers to engage with the learning taking place in the classroom.
Download Your Math Brain Teasers Today!
Use the dropdown menu on the Download button above to select your chosen file format.
As this resource contains an answer page, we recommend printing one copy of the entire file, removing the answer page, then making further copies if required.
Print the cards on cardstock to increase the durability of the resource. Place the cards together in a large envelope or ziplock bag for safekeeping.
Resources to Complement These Maths Brain Teasers
Click below to explore more challenging maths activities to encourage problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
teaching resource
10 Problem Solving Strategies Posters
Boost problem solving skills and remind your students to use their strategies with our Problem Solving Strategy Posters.
teaching resource
The Escape From Millbrook Manor – Halloween Escape Room
Practice computation skills by solving puzzles with this differentiated Halloween escape room game.
teaching resource
Open-Ended Math Word Problems - 5th Grade/6th Grade
Boost your students’ problem-solving skills with rigorous open-ended math problems for 5th and 6th grade students.
0 Comments
Write a review to help other teachers and parents like yourself. If you'd like to request a change to this resource, or report an error, select the corresponding tab above.