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Number and algebra

  • The Number System and Place Value
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Probability and statistics

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Working mathematically

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Advanced mathematics

  • Decision Mathematics and Combinatorics
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For younger learners

  • Early Years Foundation Stage

What's Your Plan? - Upper Primary

Sometimes it's not easy to know how to start a problem. Try talking to friend about how to start, and what sort of plan you'll have to carry on.


Beads and Bags

Age 5 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow star

How could you put these three beads into bags? How many different ways can you do it? How could you record what you've done?

Coded Hundred Square

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow star

This 100 square jigsaw is written in code. It starts with 1 and ends with 100. Can you build it up?

Which Scripts?

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow star

There are six numbers written in five different scripts. Can you sort out which is which?

Bryony's Triangle

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow star

Watch the video to see how to fold a square of paper to create a flower. What fraction of the piece of paper is the small triangle?

Zios and Zepts

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow star

On the planet Vuv there are two sorts of creatures. The Zios have 3 legs and the Zepts have 7 legs. The great planetary explorer Nico counted 52 legs. How many Zios and how many Zepts were there?

Shape Times Shape

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow star

These eleven shapes each stand for a different number. Can you use the number sentences to work out what they are?

Escape from the Castle

Age 7 to 14
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star

Skippy and Anna are locked in a room in a large castle. The key to that room, and all the other rooms, is a number. The numbers are locked away in a problem. Can you help them to get out?

Amy's Dominoes

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star

Amy has a box containing domino pieces but she does not think it is a complete set. Which of her domino pieces are missing?

Money Bags

Age 5 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star

Ram divided 15 pennies among four small bags. He could then pay any sum of money from 1p to 15p without opening any bag. How many pennies did Ram put in each bag?

This Pied Piper of Hamelin

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star

Investigate the different numbers of people and rats there could have been if you know how many legs there are altogether!

Sticky Triangles

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow starYellow star

Can you continue this pattern of triangles and begin to predict how many sticks are used for each new "layer"?

Some Secret Codes

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow starYellow star

Can you follow the rule to decode the messages?

Tea Cups

Age 7 to 14
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow starYellow star

Place the 16 different combinations of cup/saucer in this 4 by 4 arrangement so that no row or column contains more than one cup or saucer of the same colour.

More of What's Your Plan?

Age 7 to 11
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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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