Have you ever considered using sudoku puzzles for kids in your classroom? What if I told you sudoku puzzles would boost your student’s reasoning and logic skills? What if I told you there were MANY benefits – Let me list a few. Sudoku will:
1. Teach students to think outside the box using logic and reason to solve puzzles
There is no “one-way” or “right way” to solve a sudoku puzzle. Students will find many different ways to reason and solve these puzzles that may be outside the box of your thinking! Having a “math talk” and solving a puzzle as a group allows other students to show their reasoning and thinking behind different moves they may make. Every student thinks differently and solves differently (much like a jigsaw puzzle can be solved a million different ways so can a sudoku puzzle) so math talks provide valuable insight into each other’s thinking.
2. Increase rationalizing skills
Students are tasked with solving a puzzle and thinking rationally about every move and decision they make. Will this work? Will this fit? Why or why not? If I put this piece here, how will it affect these other pieces?
3. Think critically, make decisions and solve problems using Sudoku puzzles for kids
When you place pieces in a sudoku puzzle, students can critically analyze why this piece of the puzzle will or will not work in a certain square. It helps them make decisions and solve problems while looking at future moves and determining if the piece they are placing in a square now will affect the outcome later.
4. Have students look for and recognize patterns
Like most puzzles, patterns CAN play a role. In some cases when you look at a sudoku puzzle you can see a pattern.
5. Make students pay attention to details
Students are tasked with paying attention to every detail because if you place a piece early in the game that is incorrect the puzzle will not be able to be solved in the end without a mistake or a double number/picture in a row, column or square.
6. Increase math vocabulary
While sudoku is NOT a math game it does boost math vocabulary. Listen to your students as they talk through solving their puzzles. You will be amazed at the vocabulary they use!
7. Improve memory skills
Sudoku requires you constantly memorizing pieces in the puzzle. You are memorizing what you have down and what you need to complete a row, column or square.
8. Exercise the brain
These puzzles are a brain workout! You are constantly focussing, calculating, concentrating and exercising your brain!
9. Build focus, concentration, and patience
Solving a sudoku puzzle can be a daunting task for kids! They will have to concentrate, focus, and practice patience to solve these! This activity requires many parts of the brain to focus/concentrate while using logic and reasoning to determine their next move! Patience will be key. Learn through mistakes – grown your brain! Trial and error is a great way to become better, persevere and become more proficient!
I LOVE using these puzzles in my classroom. In the beginning, I was skeptical. I wasn’t sure if my class could solve these or if they would like them. BUT THEN…I introduced these puzzles to my class. They looked at me like I was nuts! After teaching them How to Play and working with beginner 4×4 picture-based puzzles they request these daily! I have seen a noted improvement in my classes’ ability to think, focus and solve problems both in math but also in day to day dealings with common problems! I am SO GLAD I persevered and took the leap to teach this in my classroom.
These are my seasonal BEGINNER 4×4 (EASY TO SOLVE) Sudoku puzzles that I use for my Kindergarten/ Grade 1 classroom. These beginner puzzles are good to teach students in grade 2 & 3 as well if they are just beginning and once they get the hang of it they can progress into the harder 4×4 puzzles or onto the 6×6 or 9×9 grid sudoku puzzles. Click the pictures to see the resource in my TpT store.
In the end, sudoku has many benefits not the least of which is the sense of accomplishment they get when they solve a puzzle! Sudoku for kids is fun, educational and LOADED with brain benefits!
Click here to see the different ways I use sudoku puzzles for kids in my classroom.
Click the image below for a free sample of the sudoku 4×4 beginner picture puzzles to see if this is something your class would enjoy!
