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For younger learners

  • Early Years Foundation Stage

Jumping Reindeer

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star
  • Game

This is a game for one player. You will need a game-board like the one shown below, so either print one off or draw one up yourself. (If you draw one, start by drawing the outside square, then the diagonals, then fill in the rest of the lines).

You will also need 12 counters (or coins, or buttons). Put a counter on every place that the lines cross, except the very centre.

The aim of the game is to remove all the counters except one. You remove a counter by jumping over it, along a line, and landing in a spare spot. This is the only way you can move a counter. So that means that your very first move will land in the centre spot, because that's the only spare spot to start with.

It's not as easy as it sounds to end up with just one counter. If you're not careful you'll be stuck with two or three counters and no way to move.

The real challenge is to end with the last counter in the centre spot.

The idea for this game came from the collection of John Cuthbert of Gillbrook Technology College, Middlesbrough.


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The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice.

NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.

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