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36 Rebus Puzzles With Answers (Free Printable)

Decode the fun and boost kids’ brainpower!

Adding rebus puzzles to your lesson plans is just as effective as using other language games that make learning fun . These puzzles provide unique opportunities for creative engagement and facilitate learning in disguise . 

Find out how to use these rebus puzzles for learning and fun in the classroom below, but first fill out the form on this page to download our free printable worksheets featuring 36 entertaining printable rebus puzzles with answers.

What Are Rebus Puzzles?

Helpful rebus puzzle-solving strategies, how to use rebus puzzles in the classroom.

A rebus puzzle is a visual riddle that cleverly uses pictures and words to convey a word, phrase, or saying. It’s a fun challenge that prompts students to flex their problem-solving muscles by deciphering the hidden meaning behind image and word combinations.

Here’s an example: picture the word ‘head’ surrounded by several clouds. The clever placement of the word ‘head’ and the clear imagery tell a lot. 

Can you decipher this rebus puzzle? It’s a tricky one! Download the free rebus puzzle printable to reveal the answer!

Mastering rebus puzzles becomes a breeze when you follow a few solving guidelines. Share these with your students:

Start with the Visual

Closely examine the images or symbols within the puzzle. These visual cues often hold the key to unraveling the riddle. The fundamental question to ask is, “What do these images represent?” This approach cultivates a critical-thinking mindset right from the beginning.

Break It Down

Suggest taking on each element of the riddle individually before putting the pieces together to form a coherent answer.

Context Matters

Consider the context of the rebus puzzle. Encourage students to think about where the words and images might fit within a sentence or story. Emphasize the importance of looking beyond individual elements to grasp the overall context.

Locate the Prepositions

Discover the subtle hints embedded in rebus puzzles by focusing on prepositions. These little words, guiding us in spatial relationships, play a vital role in deciphering the puzzle’s meaning. Keep a keen eye on how words, numbers, or images are positioned within the rebus.

Rebus puzzles aren’t just brain teasers – they’re powerful teaching tools that can transform the classroom experience.  After guiding students through strategies to solve rebus puzzles, check out these ways you can use rebus puzzles in the classroom.

Build vocabulary

Introduce a new rebus puzzle daily for one month and have students document it in their notebooks. Alongside solving the daily picture puzzle, encourage them to write a short explanation of the word or phrase. Take it a step further and have students write a story using the answer to their rebus puzzle or have them do some research on the phrase to learn what it means, where it comes from, and how it can be used. This process reinforces the vocabulary in multiple ways, from visual recognition to contextual understanding.

Explore the parts of speech

These versatile riddles range from full sentences to phrases and single-word rebuses, providing a dynamic way for kids to explore the parts of speech . As students decode each riddle, encourage them to simultaneously identify the parts of speech involved in the answer.

Rebus puzzles aren’t just fun; they’re a gentle nudge to the brain that wakes students up and prepares them for the day.  These puzzles spark creativity, encourage smart thinking, and set the stage for a lesson filled with enjoyment and open-minded exploration.

Explore math with a playful twist

Rebus puzzles sometimes feature common and not-so-common math symbols, equations, number patterns, and word problems. Whether it’s symbols for greater than or less than , pi, measurement, or even square root, rebus puzzles aren’t just about problem-solving; they’re about transforming the often stressful nature of math into an opportunity for curious exploration and fun.

Study cultural subjects

In the classroom, rebus puzzles serve as exciting tools that seamlessly blend visual elements and words to depict historical events, famous landmarks, or natural wonders. Deciphering a rebus representing the Eiffel Tower, Mount Rushmore, or Taiwan adds an interactive twist to cultural studies.

Engage in healthy classroom competition

Transform those extra minutes before recess into challenges by organizing rebus puzzle competitions. Split the class into teams and present them with a mix of easy and challenging puzzles. The team that successfully solves the most puzzles within a set time frame earns recognition. 

Write positive secret messages

You can brighten a child’s day by creating positive secret messages through rebus puzzles. These puzzles offer a playful and creative platform to convey uplifting compliments or positive affirmations to kids . Imagine the joy on their faces when they uncover a hidden message designed for them – it not only brings a smile but also instills a sense of pride and happiness. 

Give a rebus puzzle card as a reward

Make task completion even more rewarding by offering rebus puzzle cards as classroom rewards . This approach not only motivates kids to accomplish their goals or assignments but also infuses an element of fun into the process.

Learn about idioms

Rebus puzzles cleverly show common idioms, turning language lessons into exciting challenges. Students learn idioms and gain a deeper appreciation for figurative language in a way that sparks their curiosity.

Learn about compound words.

Rebus puzzles often put words together, making it a fun way for kids to learn about compound words . Picture puzzles teach students how words blend and make learning about language easier to grasp by making it exciting as words come alive through pictures.

Share the fun with families

Take the excitement of rebus puzzles out of the classroom and send that fun home so students can take their family game nights up a notch. This educational activity not only sparks joy but also fosters collaboration and critical thinking.

Get a free set of worksheets with 36 puzzles and answers

Rebus puzzles are a great way to build skills and engage young minds. With our free printable rebus puzzles with answers, your students will flex their brains and gain confidence in no time. Just fill out the form on this page to get instant access to your printables. Happy puzzling!

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7 Puzzles to Challenge Your Critical Thinking

Can you spot the connections and sort these items.

Posted March 5, 2015 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

The theme of this post is critical thinking—and the kinds of puzzles that can be constructed around it. This term is used frequently in psychology and education . There are various definitions, but the one that best suits our purpose and which is, in the end, perhaps the best, is the ability to comprehend the logical connections among ideas, words, phrases, and concepts . In the relevant scientific literature, of course, the term is used much more broadly as a framework for understanding human cognition . But in my opinion, the best way to understand things is to construct puzzles to illustrate their basic essence.

Critical thinking involves skill at recognizing a pattern in given information and especially recognizing how the information is connected to the real world. Here are a couple of very simple examples. First, consider the five words below:

• Cruise ship
• Walking on foot
• Automobile (not a race car)

Now, put them in order from the slowest to the fastest, when they are going at maximum speed. The solution, of course, is: 4-2-5-1-3.

As with all such puzzles, there might be slightly different solutions—one could claim that some automobiles go faster than cruise ships. This “indeterminacy” characterizes this kind of thinking. However, some puzzles are straightforward. For instance, what do the following five things have in common?

The answer? These are all words referring to shades of blue.

The seven puzzles below are to the ones above, though hopefully more challenging. Some involve knowledge of facts, but critical thinking is still involved in such cases because the organization of the facts according to some principle is always involved—for example, a puzzle may ask you to put five items in order of their dates of invention.

The following tongue-in-cheek definition of critical thinking by Richard W. Paul, a leading expert on critical thinking theory, says it all: “Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better.”

I. What do the following 5 things have in common?

• Orange juice

II. Put the following buildings or structures in order of height, from the shortest to the tallest.

• Typical camping tent

III. What do the following animals have in common?

IV. Put the following inventions in order from earliest to most recent.

V. What feature do the following words have in common?

• Imagination

VI. Put these bodies of water in order in terms of volume, from smallest to largest .

VII. What do the following landmasses have in common?

I. They are all drinkable liquids. II. 5-1-4-3-2 III. They all have a tail. They are also all quadrupeds. IV. To the best of my knowledge: 5-4-3-1-2 V. They start with a vowel: a, e, i, o, u VI. 4-2-1-5-3 VII. They are all peninsulas.

Marcel Danesi, Ph.D. , is a professor of semiotics and anthropology at Victoria College, University of Toronto. His books include The Puzzle Instinct and The Total Brain Workout .

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Puzzles and Brainteasers - Full List

Build logical thinking skills with these addition square puzzles.

Challenge students with these mind-bending, critical thinking puzzles.

Assemble a cipher disk and use it to decode facts about animals, explorers, plants, and other science/social studies topics.

Students love to learn with these foldable origami cootie catcher (aka Fortune Teller) games.

This page has a nice selection of "connect the dots" puzzles. These are great for reviewing basic counting, alphabet, roman numerals, and skip counting.

Look carefully for items hidden within the playful scenes.

Build vocabulary and critical thinking skills with these analogy worksheets.

Penelope Peabody is lost somewhere in the USA. Can you tell where she is? Use the 50 states worksheet puzzles on a daily or weekly basis.

First find the answers to the math problems and plug the answers into the puzzles.

To find the answer to a funny riddle, solve the math problems. Skills include division, multiplication, subtraction, addition, place value, roman numerals, and many more.

Plot the ordered pairs on the coordinate grid and connect the points to reveal mystery pictures.

Solve the subtraction, addition, division, and multiplication facts to reveal a mystery picture.

The teacher posts a clue each day of the week. Students read the clues and try to figure out the mystery number.

Kids love these math puzzle match games! Try them in your learning centers. Topics include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, time, money and more!

Learn Sudoku with these easy, fun puzzles.

Challenge your students with these printable tangram puzzles. These worksheets are made specially for your 4-inch classroom tangram sets. Basic and advanced levels available.

Weekly "What Am I?" challenge puzzles for kids of all ages.

Students change one letter in each word on the puzzle to make a new word. These are great for teaching phonics, vocabulary, and critical thinking.

Connect the letters in these maze puzzles to make words from the list. Then find a science fact written in the unused letters.

We have lots of non-holiday word search puzzles for students of all ages.

A full index of all Math, ELA, Spelling, Phonics, Grammar, Science, and Social Studies worksheets found on this website.

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Brain Teaser Worksheets

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What Are Brain Teasers?

Who doesn't love to solve riddles and puzzles? Their tricky nature can be frustrating, but solving them is enjoyable.

If you want an activity that makes you think outside of the box, brain teasers are exactly what you need to be solving! Brain teasers are more than just simple puzzles and riddles. Brain teasers are fun to do, but they also boost your brainpower and improve your memory skills. Both kids and adults can enjoy the benefits that brain teasers entail. Brain teasers can be a bit complicated, like all puzzles and riddles, and some often make you ponder for a while.

According to research, any activity that tests the power of your brain using numbers and puzzles is bound to have a positive impact on your brain's activity by strengthening existing neural connections and building new connections. Now, let's try to understand brain teasers with the help of a few examples. Read along to find out.

Brain teasers are forms of word problems, questions, or puzzles that people solve for amusement as they require you to use unconventional and lateral thinking to derive the answers. This often means that the solution is rarely right in front of you, and you have to be creative and less straightforward to solve a brain teaser.

When you finally hear the answer to a brain teaser, you may feel silly as the answer should have been obvious to you. However, mastering brain teasers requires a lot of practice. So, don't be discouraged if you don't reach the answer in the first few attempts.

Teachers often use brain teachers to sharpen the minds of their students by creating a fun learning experience for them that they can enjoy with their classmates. Both children and adults enjoy brain teasers. Companies often use brain teasers during interviews to assess the candidate's ability to be creative and think logically, which are essential skills required in a job.

The different primary types of brain teasers are as follows:

- Riddles - Visual Puzzles - Illusions - Anagrams - Optical illusions - Stories with holes

While solving brain teasers, it is more important how you approach the answer than the answer itself. Your approach is the real test. Let's look at a few examples of brain teasers!

Example #1: "There are three houses. One is red, one is blue, and one is white. If the red house is to the left of the house in the middle, and the blue house is to the right of the house in the middle, where is the white house?" Answer: In Washington, D.C.!

Example #2:

"Jimmy's mother had four children. She named the first Monday. She named the second Tuesday, and she named the third Wednesday. What is the name of the fourth child?" Answer: Jimmy, because Jimmy's mother had four children!

Example #3:

"How can 8 + 8 = 4?" Answer: Think in terms of time: 8 AM + 8 hours= 4 o'clock.

Looking at the three examples of brain teasers, you might notice one thing that's in common: they are not straightforward and require you to think long and hard to solve them. Here are a few simple steps that you can follow to solve brain teasers.

Tips on How to Solve Brain Teasers - We have put together some simple tips that you can use to solve brain teaser problems effectively.

1. Read the question carefully and take a moment to consider what is being asked carefully. You might have a few answers running through your mind as you read it. If you think the answer is too straightforward, it may not be true. You may have to read the brain teaser repeatedly to understand it fully.

2. Relax; you might not understand the problem right away. Try to rewrite it in your own words or think aloud and explain the problem to yourself and make mental notes.

3. List down all possible responses coming to your mind, then reread the problem, and you'll find yourself crossing out a lot of those answers, leaving you with only a couple of answers. Choose the one you think is most likely the answer.

4. Don't feel frustrated if you don't get it right the first time. Practice makes perfect! Brain teasers are tricky, but they provide a great workout for the brain.

Did you know that brain teasers have a lot of benefits besides just being fun and enjoyable? Let's take a look at how they are beneficial for you!

Benefits of Solving Brain Teasers

1. Brain Teasers Improve Your Memory Skills

Brain teasers provide a good workout for your brain. Solving brainteasers reinforces the connections between your brain cells. Solving such problems requires remembering patterns, shapes, and other information, strengthening your memory and concentration skills.

2. Brain Teasers Improve Your Ability to Solve Problems

You need to have good problem-solving skills in all aspects of life, and solving brain teasers can help you develop these skills. While solving these problems, you push yourself and challenge your brain to develop new solutions, improving your critical thinking skills and ability to solve problems in real life.

3. Brain Teasers Reduce Stress

Solving Brainteasers is a healthy and productive activity that puts you in a better mood and reduces stress levels it takes your mind off any negative thoughts. It engages it in solving a problem, which boosts confidence when you get it right.

4. Brain Teasers Improve Your IQ

Since brain teasers improve your cognitive, problem-solving, memory, and critical thinking skills, this helps improve your IQ. According to a study, brain teasers for 25 minutes daily can improve your IQ by 4 points.

Solving brain teasers are fun, and it benefits you by reducing stress level and improving your memory, problem-solving and cognitive skills. Don't miss out and start practicing brain teasers online. You'll master them with time! Solving brain teasers is a way to give your brain a healthy workout.

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Critical Thinking and Decision-Making  - Using Brain Teasers to Build Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking and decision-making  -, using brain teasers to build critical thinking skills, critical thinking and decision-making using brain teasers to build critical thinking skills.

Critical Thinking and Decision-Making: Using Brain Teasers to Build Critical Thinking Skills

Lesson 4: using brain teasers to build critical thinking skills.

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Using brain teasers to build critical thinking skills

Here's a brain teaser: A rooster is on the roof of a barn facing east. The wind is blowing to the west at 10 miles per hour. The rooster lays an egg. Which direction does the egg roll?

The answer appears below the image.

Answer: There is no egg. The rooster didn't lay one because roosters are male. Did you get it right? Let's pick this apart and see why so many people have difficulty with this brain teaser, and so many others.

Watch the video below to learn more about how you can use brain teasers to improve your critical thinking.

The answer is in the details

It's easy to overlook details or accept them without questioning. In the brain teaser above, the answer could be found in the second word: r ooster .

In hindsight, we realize it's impossible for roosters to lay eggs. But it's easy to overlook this when it's casually mentioned in the brain teaser.

Misdirection

Another process at work in this brain teaser is misdirection . There were several details included that we may have paid too much attention to: The fact that the rooster was facing east, and that the wind was blowing west at 10 miles per hour.

In the end, these details had nothing to do with the actual answer. However, they seemed important in the context of the brain teaser! This directed us away from the relevant information.

Applying these ideas to the real world

The same techniques we use to solve brain teasers can also be applied to real-world situations . When you're trying to figure something out, it's important to analyze the information that's available to you and ask the following questions:

• Are there any key details I may be missing?
• Am I being misled by something?
• Could I be thinking about this in another way?

Brain teasers not only help to keep your mind sharp, but can help improve your critical thinking skills as well.

Let's finish things off with another brain teaser...

You are in a dark room with a single match. The only objects available to you are a candle, an oil lamp, and a gas stove. Which item do you light first?

Answer: The match!

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Critical thinking puzzles for adults (with answers)

Critical thinking can help to better navigate the information-dense and complex world we live in. By thinking critically we can better identify priorities, take a sensible approach to problem-solving and reach conclusions logically in line with evidence. Puzzles are an excellent way both to learn and practice critical thinking skills.

If you’d like to learn more about critical thinking or simply practice your skills with some puzzles, then this is the article for you. Read a little bit more about critical thinking skills and how to apply them first, or just skip straight to the puzzles and see how you get on.

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking is a broad approach to problem solving and analysis based on logic and evidence. It brings together a wide range of intellectual competences and the ability to combine and cross-reference them. Some of the most important elements of a critical thinking approach include:

Analytical skills:

• understanding of questions and concepts
• differentiation of relevant / irrelevant evidence and information
• identification of similarities, connections and differences
• use of metaphors or analogies to communicate ideas

Powers of inference:

• extraction of meaning from data using inductive or deductive reasoning
• extrapolation of data or abstraction into concepts and patterns
• correct identification and deployment of analogies and assumptions
• grasp of causal relationships, allowing development of conclusions and theories.

Data and theory evaluation:

• assessment of how strong, important or credible a theory might be
• taking on board new data and new arguments which alter understanding of ideas and theory

Rational decision-making:

– application of all the skills and competences above in order to come to a rational conclusion.

Problem-solving attitude: In addition to being able to think critically, you must also be personally inclined to think critically when facing a difficult or complex challenge. Developing qualities including curiosity and fairness, while distancing yourself from ideologies and group-think, should all help to create the kind of psychological landscape where critical thinking can flourish.

How can I learn critical thinking?

Critical thinking skills are hard to develop from only reading books or listening to lectures. The most effective way to sharpen and deepen critical thinking faculties is to practice critical thinking . Critical thinking puzzles offer a fun way to learn and the eight critical thinking puzzles we’ve chosen for this article should help you make a good start.

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Eight critical thinking puzzles – with answers

Puzzle 1 – letter puzzles.

What common feature do the following words share?

Answer: All of these words begin with a vowel. This type of puzzle may send your mind off in the wrong direction, thinking about the objects or concepts described by the words, and the properties they might share. In fact, the solution lies in a far more simple consideration of the alphabet. Puzzle 1 is a simple example of a common type of letter or word puzzle.

Puzzle 2 – Commonalities and differences

What do the following items have in common and which is the odd one out?

Orange Juice

Answer: These items are all liquids and the odd one out is petrol, since all the others are drinkable liquids.

Puzzle 3 – Falling on his feet

A man who lives in a high-rise building decides to exit through the window one morning rather than using the door. Somehow he survives the fall without a scratch and walks away to work. How did this happen?

Answer: The man lived on the ground or first floor and merely stepped or jumped down to the pavement outside. By stating early on that the building in question was a high-rise building, it’s easy for someone reading quickly to assume that the man jumped from a window on a high store but this it s not necessarily the case.

Puzzle 4 – Walk this way

A group of five people enter a windowless meeting room together. An hour later when the meeting ends, four walk out of the door, leaving the room empty. What has happened to the fifth member of the group?

Answer: The fifth person was in a wheelchair and wheeled out of the room rather than walked. Solving this puzzle requires you to think laterally about the question and the possible solutions. The answer can be found by asking yourself whether the emphasis of the question is on the emptiness of the room or the means by which the other four people left.

Puzzle 5 – Shapes and symbols

When lying on my side, I am everything, but when cut in half, I am nothing. What am I?

Answer: The number 8. This puzzle requires that you think about a shape being repositioned or cut in a way that can change it to “everything” or “nothing”. Number 8 on its side is the mathematical symbol for infinity (i.e. everything) and also shaped like two small number 0s put together.

Puzzle 6 – Three hard options

The hero is escaping the lair of an evil super-villain and is faced with three possible exits:

• Door A leads into a pit of bubbling lava
• Door B leads to a room housing a deadly hitman
• Door C leads to the den full of lions that haven’t had a meal for a year.

Which door should the hero choose?

Answer: Door C. If the lion hasn’t eaten in a year, it will definitely be dead by now. This type of puzzle requires you to consider the full implications of the information given, rather than being drawn into a comparison of the relative dangers of lava, hitmen and lions…

Puzzle 7 – The bus driver’s eyes

You are a bus driver. Today the bus is empty at the start of your route but at the first stop, four people get onto the bus. Eight people get on at the second stop, while three alight. When the bus reaches the third stop, one more gets off, and three get on.

At the fourth stop, two people get off the bus and one gets on. The bus is traveling at an average speed of 30mph and its tires are new.  What color are the bus driver’s eyes?

Answer: You are the bus driver so the color will be the color of your own eyes. This type of puzzle tries to confuse you and obscure the single piece of relevant information by presenting large quantities of irrelevant information.

Puzzle 8 – Losing weight

A man walks into a room, closes the doors behind him and presses a button. In a matter of seconds the man is 20lb lighter. Despite this, he leaves the room at the same weight he entered it.

Answer: The room in question is actually an elevator. When the man gets in and presses the button, the elevator moves downwards with an acceleration that reduces the effect of gravity and makes the man temporarily 20lb lighter. Once the lift stops moving, the man’s weight is subject to normal gravity, just the same as before. Solving this puzzle requires a small piece of general physics knowledge.

A final word…

We hope you’ve enjoyed our critical thinking puzzles for adults and that your critical thinking skills are feeling refreshed and sharpened after reading our article. Whether at school, in the workplace, or in general life, critical thinking can be a valuable tool for success and anyone can learn to use it.

Get more critical thinking puzzles on our Youtube channel:

20 Challenging Lateral Thinking Puzzles That Are Harder Than They Seem

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10 Brilliant Math Brain Teasers

Tap into rigorous problem-solving and critical thinking with these playful math brain teasers for middle and high school students.  

To break the ice during the first few awkward moments of class in the new school year, high school math teacher Lorenzo Robinson uses an unusual strategy: He reads his students’ minds.

Here’s how the mystical feat unfolds: Each student picks a number between 1 and 100. Next, they use calculators to add, subtract, multiply, and divide their way through a set of predetermined numbers. At the end, everyone ends up with the same answer: 427. Robinson isn’t psychic, of course, but because the mechanics of the teaser are always the same, regardless of which initial numbers his students select, he’s able to correctly “guess” their final result—much to their amazement. 

Starting off the lesson with a math brain teaser sets a playful tone and lowers the stakes for kids, “generating a buzz around my class,” Robinson says. “It makes students feel as though this class is not going to be scary, it’s going to be interesting. ‘We’re going to be learning, but we’re also going to have some fun.’” 

Robinson thinks of math brain teasers as a variation on brain breaks —a brief respite from dense curricular material that gives kids time to pause and process. They can also provide an opportunity to build relationships and community as kids put their heads together to find solutions. Good brain teasers can be sneaky: They get kids developing problem-solving and critical thinking skills. 

Meanwhile, before introducing a new one, Robinson works through the problem himself, identifying questions that students might have along the way and making sure his class has the background knowledge to understand how the teaser works. It’s important, he says, to provide a few minutes for kids to examine and discuss the teaser. Ask them to observe, highlight, and share things that stand out. 

“The most powerful reaction is when a kid doesn’t get the correct answer,” Robinson says, and they ask to try the problem again. “They want to feel what the other kids are feeling, that educational euphoria. They want to do it again because they want to be right.” That organic intellectual curiosity is hugely helpful in high school math, Robinson says, because it can be “parlayed into the other stuff that we do.”

We combed through dozens of math brain teasers to find 10 good ones—including several of Robinson’s tried-and-true favorites.  

Number Magic: I’ll Bet Your Number is… 427

• Start by having students pick any number between 1 and 100. 
• Add 28. 
• Multiply that number by 6. 
• Subtract 3. 
• Divide that number by 3. 
• Subtract 3 more than your original number. 
• Add 8. 
• Subtract 1 less than your original number. 
• Multiply that number by 7. 

And voilà, you’ll correctly identify each student’s final result as 427. Courtesy of: Lorenzo Robinson  

Can Your Shoe Size Tell Your Age? 

• Start with your shoe size. If you are a half size—for example, size 8.5—round up to 9.
• Multiply your shoe size by 5. 
• Add 50. 
• Multiply that number by 20. 
• Subtract the year you were born—for example, 1991. Add 1 if you already had your birthday this year. 

The first digit(s) are your shoe size, and the last two digits are your age.  Courtesy of: Lorenzo Robinson.  

Cutting Across a Cross

Ask students to draw a cross on a sheet of paper. Drawing one on the board as a point of reference is helpful. Next, ask students to draw two straight lines that will segment or cut the cross into pieces. The goal is to produce the most pieces.

The solution can be found here .  Sourced from: MathisFun.com .

Number Magic: I’ll Bet Your Final Number is… 5  

• Start with a positive number. Students shouldn’t say the number out loud.
• Square that number. 
• Add 10x the original number to what you have now. 
• Add 25 to the result of the previous step. 
• Now take the square root of that number, rounding to the nearest whole number. 
• Subtract your original number.
• Before students share their final figure, reveal that you guess their collective result is 5. 

Courtesy of: Lorenzo Robinson.

Birthday Math 

Have students work in pairs and share the following instructions with their partner:

• Start with the number 7.
• Multiply that by the month of your birth. For example, if you were born in September, you’d use the number 9 to represent your birth month. 
• Subtract 1. 
• Multiply that number by 13. 
• Add the day of your birth. 
• Add 3. 
• Multiply that number by 11. 
• Subtract the month of your birth. 
• Subtract the day of your birth. 
• Divide by 10.
• Add 11 to that number. 
• Divide by 100. 

The result on the calculator screen should be their partner’s birthday.  Sourced from: Dr. Mike’s Math Games for Kids .

Coin Conundrum

Ask students to imagine that they have two coins that total 30 cents in value. Have them try to figure out what the two coins are, only providing them with a singular piece of information: One of the coins is not a nickel. The answer: A quarter and a nickel. (Only one of the coins is not a nickel.)

Sourced from: WeAreTeachers .

The Phone Number Trick  

• Ignoring your area code, type the first three digits of your phone number into a calculator.
• Multiply that number by 80. 
• Add 1. 
• Multiply that number by 250. 
• Add the last four digits of your phone number. 
• Add the last four digits of your phone number again. 
• Subtract 250. 
• Divide this number by 2. Do you recognize your phone number?

Courtesy of: Lorenzo Robinson. 

A Number Challenge

For a slightly more independent teaser, challenge students to produce a math equation that works using these four numbers—2, 3, 4, and 5—as well as a plus (+) and equal sign (=). Students can work individually, in pairs, or in small groups as they try to create a valid equation. The answer: 2 + 5 = 3 + 4.

Sourced from: WeAreTeachers .  

Math Mind Reader 

Students can work in pairs with this teaser. One person will start off by holding the calculator so their partner cannot see it; the other person can read the steps aloud to the partner with the calculator. 

• The student with the calculator starts by choosing a whole number from 1 to 20 and writing it down on a piece of paper without letting their partner see it. 
• Next, the student with the calculator enters their secret number into the calculator. 
• Multiply that number by 3. 
• Add the secret number, then subtract 5. 
• Multiply by 3, then multiply by 3 again. 
• Add the secret number, then subtract the number of their favorite month (you don’t have to know what month it is). For example, 9 represents the ninth month of the year, September. 
• Multiply by 3, then multiply by 3 again, and then again a third time. 
• Add the secret number, then subtract their favorite day of the month (again, you don’t have to know what it is on your end). 
• Ask them to show the non-calculator partner the result. At this stage, the non-calculator partner can guess the original secret number, even though what appears on the screen may be a very large number. 

If the result is negative, their secret number is 1.

If the result has only three digits, their secret number is 2.

In all other cases, ignore the last three digits, and then add 2 to get the secret number! 

Sourced from: Dr. Mike’s Math Games for Kids .

What’s Unique About This Number?

After writing the number 8,549,176,320 on the board, ask students to observe the number and tell you everything they think is unique about the number.

Answer: It is the digits 0 to 9 in alphabetical order (eight, five, four, nine, one, seven, six, three, two, zero), but it’s surprising and fun to see what students come up with. This number can also be evenly divided by the digits 1 through 9 except for the number 7, for example. 

Sourced from: MathisFun.com . 

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These FREE brain teaser tasks are perfect to have at the ready for instant fun and critical thinking. If your grades 5-8 students are getting restless and need a change of pace or brain break, or finish early, bring out these cards! They will create smiles, while also stretching growing brains. There are 3 pages of questions, and 3 pages of answers, taken from 3 brain teaser resources. Get 3 for the price of 2 brain teaser collections! 180 MINI MYSTERIES and BRAIN TEASER PUZZLES How to set up the activity

If you intend to get the students to ask each other the brain teasers, photocopy enough question and answer cards for the number of groups you wish to have.

You can leave the cards in sheets (6 to a page) or cut them into individual cards and double back the answers- whatever you prefer! Photocopy them onto card stock or laminate them and they will continue to delight many future classes.

If your students enjoyed the brain teaser stories, try:

Mini Mysteries grades 5-8 and this long, single mystery : Brain teaser mystery fun inferential skills practice. 15 further mysteries can be found at BRAINTEASERS MYSTERY STORIES VOL. 2

For a daily brainteaser to add zing! to the start of a class: BRAINTEASER BELL RINGERS: MYSTERY STORIES, RIDDLES AND PUZZLES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL If you want a mystery resource that demands more writing from your students, try Reading Comprehension Mysteries & Questions

Do your students enjoy being detectives? There's lots to keep them busy and engaged in MYSTERY UNIT DETECTIVE SKILLS & ACTIVITIES There are 5 more mysteries in ELA Games Grades 5-8 Or go for the -20% off bundle: Brain Teaser Bundle grades 5-8

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about this product - or any other product in my store - please write to me at [email protected]. I would love to hear from you!

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Logical Thinking worksheets activities are an essential tool in the educational landscape, offering a myriad of benefits to students across various age groups. By engaging in these thoughtfully designed exercises, learners can significantly enhance their reasoning abilities, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving capacities. Here's why Logical Thinking worksheets activities are so beneficial:

Enhances Problem-Solving Skills : Logical Thinking worksheets challenge students to navigate through complex scenarios, often requiring them to identify patterns, deduce conclusions, and apply learned concepts in novel ways. This practice is invaluable in honing their ability to tackle real-world problems efficiently and creatively.

Boosts Critical Thinking : Critical thinking is the cornerstone of intellectual growth, and Logical Thinking worksheets are instrumental in its development. These activities encourage learners to question assumptions, evaluate arguments, and distinguish between facts and opinions—skills that are crucial both inside and outside the classroom.

Improves Decision Making : Through the consistent practice of Logical Thinking worksheets, students learn to make reasoned decisions based on evidence and logical reasoning rather than impulse. This skill is particularly important in today's information-rich world, where the ability to sift through data and make informed decisions is invaluable.

Encourages Independent Learning : Logical Thinking worksheets activities often require students to work through problems independently, fostering a sense of autonomy and confidence. This self-directed approach to learning not only enhances their logical thinking skills but also prepares them for lifelong learning.

Supports Academic Success : The skills developed through Logical Thinking worksheets have a direct impact on academic performance. Logical reasoning is fundamental to mathematics, science, reading comprehension, and virtually all academic disciplines. By strengthening these skills, students are better equipped to understand complex concepts and excel academically.

In conclusion, Logical Thinking worksheets activities are a potent tool in the development of essential cognitive skills. They not only prepare students for academic success but also equip them with the critical thinking and problem-solving abilities needed to navigate the challenges of everyday life.

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Critical thinking definition

Critical thinking, as described by Oxford Languages, is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement.

Active and skillful approach, evaluation, assessment, synthesis, and/or evaluation of information obtained from, or made by, observation, knowledge, reflection, acumen or conversation, as a guide to belief and action, requires the critical thinking process, which is why it's often used in education and academics.

Some even may view it as a backbone of modern thought.

However, it's a skill, and skills must be trained and encouraged to be used at its full potential.

People turn up to various approaches in improving their critical thinking, like:

• Developing technical and problem-solving skills
• Engaging in more active listening
• Actively questioning their assumptions and beliefs
• Seeking out more diversity of thought
• Opening up their curiosity in an intellectual way etc.

Is critical thinking useful in writing?

Critical thinking can help in planning your paper and making it more concise, but it's not obvious at first. We carefully pinpointed some the questions you should ask yourself when boosting critical thinking in writing:

• What information should be included?
• Which information resources should the author look to?
• What degree of technical knowledge should the report assume its audience has?
• What is the most effective way to show information?
• How should the report be organized?
• How should it be designed?
• What tone and level of language difficulty should the document have?

Usage of critical thinking comes down not only to the outline of your paper, it also begs the question: How can we use critical thinking solving problems in our writing's topic?

Let's say, you have a Powerpoint on how critical thinking can reduce poverty in the United States. You'll primarily have to define critical thinking for the viewers, as well as use a lot of critical thinking questions and synonyms to get them to be familiar with your methods and start the thinking process behind it.

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