year 3 maths problem solving investigations

Popular searches in the last week:

ANY BOOKLISTS HERE ARE FOR THE OLDER WEEKLY PLANS – they are NOT for the new Flexible Blocks which have their own booklists accessible here: https://www.hamilton-trust.org.uk/blog/flexible-blocks-booklists/

• Extra support
• Problem solving
• National Curriculum
• Homework materials

More Resources

Quick Maths

Generic Maths Resources

Maths support blogs

Flexible Blocks

Maths: Hamilton's short maths blocks have all the benefits of our weekly plans. They also provide support and resources that were simply not possible when we produced the weekly plans.  Find out about  the advantages of short blocks . 

Problem-solving Investigations - Year 3

The problem-solving investigations below match Hamilton’s weekly maths plans. We now also provide Year 3 maths as  short blocks . We will eventually be phasing out the plans, as we believe our short blocks offer you all of the same advantages and more, including the integration of the problem-solving investigations into each unit of study. Find out more about the  advantages of Hamilton's short blocks .

Using exactly three coins, children work out how many amounts can be made between £1 and £2.

Children use reasoning skills to solve a number puzzle. They use numbers 0 to 7 to make a total of 10 on each side of a square.

Children subtract a number which is the reverse of another, e.g. 62 - 26.

Children play a game for two where strategy and identifying triangles are both crucial.

Children draw on their knowledge of multiples of 2 and 5 to create these using digit cards 0 - 9.

Children use their knowledge of counting in 10s to solve a problem involving money.

Children arrange the ‘nearly numbers’ in a square so that each row and column adds to Magic 147.

Following simple rules children find ways to make 100 based on four dice throws. They practise adding four numbers with a total around 100 and use this to find a solution.

Children practise reading times on a digital display and work systematically to find out which times won’t show correctly because of a faulty segment on the clock display.

Children use their knowledge of the 3, 4 and 5 times tables to work out mystery numbers using a series of logical clues.

Children use their knowledge of fractions and tables to solve logic puzzles and find mystery numbers.

This site uses cookies to give you the most relevant information. Learn more

Log in or sign up to get access to this resource

School subscription, reduce teacher workload.

From £155 (+ VAT) per year. Access to all key stages for multiple users.

Individual Subscription

For inspirational teaching.

Just £45 (£37.50 + VAT) per year to get access to all resources.

Early Career Teacher

Develop your teaching.

Just £33 (£27.50 + VAT) to get access to all resources for 2 years.

Taster Account

100s of resources.

Register to access all free resources.

Already subscribed?

Log in to get access.

Reasoning/Problem Solving Maths Worksheets for Year 3 (age 7-8)

Money problems and challenges.

A variety of problem solving activities involving money.

50p to spend, but can you make sure you get the correct change?

Watch out when writing pence as pounds and remember to always have two digits after the decimal point.

The hardest part of these money problems is to read the question and work out what to do.

Put three items in your basket that you would like to buy and then use the money cards to work out the sum.

Solve money problems using the information provided.

Solve money problems at the skating rink.

Plenty of monkey business here!

It's a trip to the zoo to find the very best value.

Some tricky money problems to solve.

More tricky money problems to solve.

Finding different amounts from a given set of coins.

Number and calculating problems

Solve number problems and calculating using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Find the 2-digit numbers that can be made using these digit cards.

Make 2-digit numbers and find the smallest and largest numbers.

More on finding 2-digit numbers from three digit cards.

Tricky little problems involving monsters' legs.

Use logic, addition and subtraction to find out how many strawberries are eaten.

Bar Model: addition and subtraction facts.

Use bar models to add and subtract.

Encourage children to make addition and subtraction come to life by writing short number stories.

What numbers can you make with digit cards?

What are the largest and smallest numbers that can be made with 3 cards?

More number stories to write: this time all about multiplication and division.

All the numbers are here, but the signs are missing! Can you work out what the signs should be?

Investigating odd and even numbers and what happens when you add them together.

Use knowledge of place value to find all possible answers.

Finding the numbers and missing digits to make number sentences correct.

Investigate statements involving odd and even numbers.

Investigate statements about multiplication and times tables.

I?m good at thinking of numbers, but can you work out what number I am thinking about ? I do give a clue!

Work out the missing value using division and addition.

Use reasoning to find the missing values.

More on finding the missing values - an early introduction to algebra.

Use division and addition to find the missing values.

Find the missing values from the information given.

More on finding the value using reasoning.

Real life and word problems

A selection of real life problems and word problems.

Tricky word problems.

More tricky word problems.

Tricky questions, but you only have to carry out one maths step to answer them.

Even trickier questions, and you have to carry out at least two steps to work them out!

More word problems, from the library to shopping and on to flying around the world.

Here we have four pages of questions all on time, including a trip to Alicante!

Solving tricky fraction problems.

More challenges and activities

A great selection of activities requiring logical thinking.

Investigation looking at possibilities when adding the digits from 1 to 5.

This time you can decide the total for the sides of the triangle.

Can you put the numbers 1 to 9 in the diagram so that the difference between each pair of joined numbers is odd?

This challenge is to find as many ways as possible of making 12 using three number cards and the add, subtract and multiply signs.

A development of the 'Caterpillar investigation' but using multiples of 10. Great for practising addition.

3 dinosaurs laid some eggs. They laid 19 altogether. How many did they each lay?

How many ways can three runners cover a distance of 19 miles? They all have to run an odd number of miles.

A book challenge here. How accurately can you guess the number of pages in books?

2D card shapes and a 3 x 3 pinboard are useful for these shape activities.

A calculator is needed to find how many different answers can be made from the numbers given. Good for working in an organised, logical way.

A brief summary of some of the most important maths concepts to be taught in Year 3 by way of challenges and investigations.

Subscribe to our newsletter

The latest news, articles, and resources, sent to your inbox weekly.

© Copyright 2011 - 2023 Route One Network Ltd. - URBrainy.com 5.0

Investigations 3 – Inquiry-Based Math Curriculum  

Investigations 3 is a K-5 mathematics curriculum that supports students in making sense of mathematical ideas and supports teachers in making sense of both mathematics content and student thinking.

• Inquiry Based Instruction
• Hands On Opportunities
• Flexible Learning Procedures
• Digital Resources
• Spanish and English Available
• Teacher Support and Professional Development

Investigations 3 Inquiry-Based Student-Centered Math Curriculum for Grades K-5

Teachers create a student-centered environment that engages through active discovery to develop understanding and fluency.

Intrigue Students

Engage students in active thinking and problem solving. Games and manipulatives provide hands-on opportunities. Flexible learning procedures and classroom discussions encourage mathematical discourse.

Inspire Teachers

Improve teacher confidence and achievement. Digital teacher presentations engage learners and save time. Session-specific suggestions are provided for intervention, extension, and ELL.

Involve Families

Encourage family involvement to promote student confidence and understanding. Families can access assessment results, progress reports, virtual manipulatives, games, and assigned student tasks online.

Inquiry-Based Learning

Rich, engaging mathematical tasks allow for multiple entry points and varied solutions. Discussions let students share their work and thinking with classmates to deepen understanding and fluency.

Inquiry-Based K-5 Mathematics Teaching Solutions

• Inspiring Resources for Teachers
• Embedded Student Support
• Scout Progressing Monitoring
• Parent Engagement
• Game-Based Practice
• Professional Development Built-in professional development resources
• Classroom Presentations Access to presentations for projecting content such as Classroom Routines, Ten-Minute Math, Games and Activities
• Savvas Realize Savvas Realize provides a holistic approach to planning, teaching, and assessing
• A Blend of Print and Digital A perfect blend of print and digital resources with Spanish Companion available
• Differentiation Support Engaging differentiation opportunities are designed to support the range of learners, including ELL
• SuccessMaker Integration SuccessMaker Available for Tier 3 intervention
• Check Student Pacing Access curriculum assessment checklists, anecdotal notes, photos, videos of class discussions and individual student work
• Support Student Development Support ongoing student progress monitoring using the digital observation assessment tool
• Help Students Learn at Home Math Words and Ideas digital resource provides a clear, interactive review of concepts learned in class to reinforce learning at home
• Student Activity Book The Student Activity Book includes Daily Practice, Family Letters, and Homework pages available in print or online
• Improve Math Skills Develop concepts and fluency skills
• Mathematical Strategies Encourage strategic mathematical thinking
• Family Support Provide practice that engages students and families in mathematical thinking

Take a deeper look into Investigation 3’s features

Program overview.

Discover the methods Investigations 3 uses and how it can impact your classroom.

Discussions

Student-led Discussions help to consolidate student learning.

Activity introduces students to mathematical ideas and investigation to deepen understanding.

Math Workshop provides repetition and reinforces real-world connections for students.

Award-winning Online Platform for your K-5 Math Instruction

Savvas Realize® is our award-winning LMS. Access digital content, assessments, productivity tools, and data. 1EdTech certified for easy integrations.

A next-generation learning solution that provides an all-inclusive, one-year digital license to our most popular Math, Literacy, Science, and Social Studies national K–12 programs.

Discover how Investigations 3 Supports K-5 Math Instruction

• Documenting Student Learning
• Be Treated Like a Professional
• Explore and Discover
• See Investigations 3 ’s Impact

Scout Observational Tool

Scout provides a single, organized place for assessments, observations, and notes, as well as photos and videos. Teachers can capture students’ needs and learning progress.

Savvas How-To Workshops

Investigations 3 provides ongoing professional development in each Curriculum Unit. Savvas’ how-to workshops support teachers with effective strategies, techniques, and planning.

Manipulative Kits

Investigations 3 includes kits of tangible objects that can be incorporated into lessons so students can play with hands-on materials on their way to learning math.

Field Test Results

Over the 2017-2018 school year, we conducted a field test to see how a sample of first- and fourth-graders benefited from Investigations 3’s curriculum and collected the data in a useful infographic.

Testimonial

"I never heard past classes say math was fun, and now they love math. Kids who were struggling at the beginning of the year are asking if it’s math time yet."

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Investigations 3, and how is it different from the 2nd Edition? Investigations 3rd Edition content is based on Investigations 2nd Edition, along with content changes needed to fully address state and Common Core State Standards. Sessions from the Investigations and the Common Core Standards supplement have been integrated fully into the Curriculum Units. The session objectives have been expanded upon, while other sessions have been deleted or merged to streamline the curriculum and reduce the overall number of sessions.

The Student Activity Book is now in color and includes Family Letters. The new style is more engaging for students and means less copying for teachers. Having the Family Letters readily available will save teachers time and increase the home/school communication. Daily Practice, Homework, and Activity Pages are also included.

Grade K-5 teachers have 8 Curriculum Units that are teaching guides for the program.

• The online Curriculum Unit etext for teachers is easy and efficient for planning purposes.
• Session Presentation Activities are teacher presentations and tools found on Savvas Realize
• The Assessment Sourcebook includes quizzes and assessment tools and found on Savvas Realize.
• Investigations and the Common Core Content Guide contains a scope and sequence and correlations to the Common Core State Standards.

Spanish Companion provides the necessary academic language for instruction that is interactive, hands-on, collaborative, and meaningful for students. This resource contains the Classroom Teacher (Modeling) Script from the Curriculum Unit, available in both print and digital formats.

• The Student Activity Book for Grades K-5, containing pages for student work.
• Math Words and Ideas is an online resource for reviewing concepts learned in class.
• Virtual Math Tools to help students with problem solving, found on Savvas Realize.
• Online math games.

Investigaciones 3 is a perfect companion program for teaching mathematics in your bilingual classroom. A full array of student math resources in Spanish supports bilingual learners. The Spanish Companion for teachers presents vocabulary, sample dialogues, and instructions in Spanish.

• Cuaderno de actividades (Student Activity Book)
• Spanish Companion (Print and Digital)
• Cuaderno de evaluacion (Assessment Sourcebook)
• Juegos (games)
• Términos matemáticos e ideas (Math Words and Ideas)

Transform Learning Outcomes

The Savvas experts will guide you through our blended solutions, digital textbooks and printed materials. We'll also assist you throughout the entirety of the process.

Subscribe to Our Free Publications

• Share to twitter
• Share to facebook
• Share to pinterest
• Share to linkedin
• Share to email
• Request Info

Select an Option below:

• Elementary (K-5)

More Options:

Or search by topic

Number and algebra

• The Number System and Place Value
• Calculations and Numerical Methods
• Fractions, Decimals, Percentages, Ratio and Proportion
• Properties of Numbers
• Patterns, Sequences and Structure
• Algebraic expressions, equations and formulae
• Coordinates, Functions and Graphs

Geometry and measure

• Angles, Polygons, and Geometrical Proof
• 3D Geometry, Shape and Space
• Measuring and calculating with units
• Transformations and constructions
• Pythagoras and Trigonometry
• Vectors and Matrices

Probability and statistics

• Handling, Processing and Representing Data
• Probability

Working mathematically

• Thinking mathematically
• Developing positive attitudes
• Cross-curricular contexts
• Physical and digital manipulatives

Advanced mathematics

• Decision Mathematics and Combinatorics
• Advanced Probability and Statistics

For younger learners

• Early Years Foundation Stage

Resources tagged with: Exploring patterns and noticing structures

There are 83 NRICH Mathematical resources connected to Exploring patterns and noticing structures , you may find related items under Thinking mathematically .

Shape Products

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

Division Rules

This challenge encourages you to explore dividing a three-digit number by a single-digit number.

Seven Squares

Watch these videos to see how Phoebe, Alice and Luke chose to draw 7 squares. How would they draw 100?

Magic Letters

Charlie has made a Magic V. Can you use his example to make some more? And how about Magic Ls, Ns and Ws?

Steel Cables

Some students have been working out the number of strands needed for different sizes of cable. Can you make sense of their solutions?

Vector Journeys

Charlie likes to go for walks around a square park, while Alison likes to cut across diagonally. Can you find relationships between the vectors they walk along?

What Numbers Can We Make?

Imagine we have four bags containing a large number of 1s, 4s, 7s and 10s. What numbers can we make?

"Ip dip sky blue! Who's 'it'? It's you!" Where would you position yourself so that you are 'it' if there are two players? Three players ...?

Charlie's Delightful Machine

Here is a machine with four coloured lights. Can you develop a strategy to work out the rules controlling each light?

Shifting Times Tables

Can you find a way to identify times tables after they have been shifted up or down?

How Much Can We Spend?

A country has decided to have just two different coins, 3z and 5z coins. Which totals can be made? Is there a largest total that cannot be made? How do you know?

Cyclic Quadrilaterals

Draw some quadrilaterals on a 9-point circle and work out the angles. Is there a theorem?

Keep it Simple

Can all unit fractions be written as the sum of two unit fractions?

Interactive Spinners

This interactivity invites you to make conjectures and explore probabilities of outcomes related to two independent events.

Repeating Patterns

Try continuing these patterns made from triangles. Can you create your own repeating pattern?

Caterpillars

These caterpillars have 16 parts. What different shapes do they make if each part lies in the small squares of a 4 by 4 square?

Route to Infinity

Can you describe this route to infinity? Where will the arrows take you next?

Brush Loads

How can you arrange the 5 cubes so that you need the smallest number of Brush Loads of paint to cover them? Try with other numbers of cubes as well.

Odds and Evens

Are these games fair? How can you tell?

Arithmagons

Can you find the values at the vertices when you know the values on the edges?

Painted Cube

Imagine a large cube made from small red cubes being dropped into a pot of yellow paint. How many of the small cubes will have yellow paint on their faces?

Tilted Squares

It's easy to work out the areas of most squares that we meet, but what if they were tilted?

Number Pyramids

Try entering different sets of numbers in the number pyramids. How does the total at the top change?

Pair Products

Choose four consecutive whole numbers. Multiply the first and last numbers together. Multiply the middle pair together. What do you notice?

Pick's Theorem

Polygons drawn on square dotty paper have dots on their perimeter (p) and often internal (i) ones as well. Find a relationship between p, i and the area of the polygons.

These pictures show squares split into halves. Can you find other ways?

1 Step 2 Step

Liam's house has a staircase with 12 steps. He can go down the steps one at a time or two at time. In how many different ways can Liam go down the 12 steps?

Attractive Tablecloths

Charlie likes tablecloths that use as many colours as possible, but insists that his tablecloths have some symmetry. Can you work out how many colours he needs for different tablecloth designs?

Marbles in a Box

How many winning lines can you make in a three-dimensional version of noughts and crosses?

What's Possible?

Many numbers can be expressed as the difference of two perfect squares. What do you notice about the numbers you CANNOT make?

Summing Consecutive Numbers

15 = 7 + 8 and 10 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4. Can you say which numbers can be expressed as the sum of two or more consecutive integers?

Have You Got It?

Can you explain the strategy for winning this game with any target?

Let's Investigate Triangles

Vincent and Tara are making triangles with the class construction set. They have a pile of strips of different lengths. How many different triangles can they make?

Making Boxes

Cut differently-sized square corners from a square piece of paper to make boxes without lids. Do they all have the same volume?

Sticky Triangles

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

Round and Round the Circle

What happens if you join every second point on this circle? How about every third point? Try with different steps and see if you can predict what will happen.

Investigate the different shaped bracelets you could make from 18 different spherical beads. How do they compare if you use 24 beads?

Roll These Dice

Roll two red dice and a green dice. Add the two numbers on the red dice and take away the number on the green. What are all the different possible answers?

Place four pebbles on the sand in the form of a square. Keep adding as few pebbles as necessary to double the area. How many extra pebbles are added each time?

How many faces can you see when you arrange these three cubes in different ways?

Consecutive Numbers

An investigation involving adding and subtracting sets of consecutive numbers. Lots to find out, lots to explore.

We need to wrap up this cube-shaped present, remembering that we can have no overlaps. What shapes can you find to use?

Sending Cards

This challenge asks you to investigate the total number of cards that would be sent if four children send one to all three others. How many would be sent if there were five children? Six?

My New Patio

What is the smallest number of tiles needed to tile this patio? Can you investigate patios of different sizes?

This challenge is to design different step arrangements, which must go along a distance of 6 on the steps and must end up at 6 high.

Let's suppose that you are going to have a magazine which has 16 pages of A5 size. Can you find some different ways to make these pages? Investigate the pattern for each if you number the pages.

Number Squares

Start with four numbers at the corners of a square and put the total of two corners in the middle of that side. Keep going... Can you estimate what the size of the last four numbers will be?

Six new homes are being built! They can be detached, semi-detached or terraced houses. How many different combinations of these can you find?

Tiles on a Patio

How many ways can you find of tiling the square patio, using square tiles of different sizes?

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.

Mr Barton Maths Podcast

Long-form conversations about teaching and learning with craig barton.

TES Maths Investigations Collection

Engaging investigation ideas to inspire creative thinking in your classroom

Since the abolition of maths coursework, there is no formal requirement to carry out investigations with your students. However, it is only through investigative work that students of all ages and abilities can start to appreciate the true beauty of the subject. They can hypothesise, be creative, challenge themselves, work with other students and potentially discover things that have never been discovered before.

At our school, we do an investigation with each year group every half term. They may last 20 minutes or five lessons. Here is a selection of the best investigations that the TES Maths community has to offer.

I really hope you and your students find them useful, enjoyable and stimulating.

Craig Barton, TES Maths adviser

• Creativity in maths This useful guide is worth reading before embarking upon any maths investigation. What does it mean to be creative and how can you provide opportunities for creativity in your classroom? It comes complete with five puzzles in a ready-to-print format.
• Maths investigations A collection of over 20 maths problems, puzzles, games and investigations that are designed for KS2, but which could easily be used to extend the learning and problem solving skills of younger KS3 students.
• More maths investigations This resource contains lots of ideas for real-life maths investigations, covering number, algebra, shape, space and measure. Again, while they are aimed at KS2 pupils, they could be adapted for use with KS3 students as well.
• Even more maths investigations! These starter sheets introduce a topic for investigation and come with levelled guidance to help students to self- and peer-assess as they progress through it. Although they are targeted at Year 7, these are suitable for year groups at both KS2 and KS3.
• Investigative lesson presentations A collection of classic maths investigations, including chessboards and tetrahedron towers, presented as PowerPoint presentations with learning objectives and level expectations.
• Challenging ideas for KS4 and Post-16 This was one of my TES Maths Resources of 2014 and it’s easy to see why. These investigations are ideal for gifted and talented GCSE and sixth form students and include everything from code-breaking and Goldbach’s conjecture to the Riemann hypothesis and game theory.
• Diagonals of rectangles This may be one of my own resources, but it is one of my all-time favourites as it’s so versatile. It can be accessed by Year 6 students, while still challenging the most able Year 11s. The concept is so simple, but the potential depth is great.
• Investigating circle theorems Some of the best investigations are topic-specific and this activity is no exception. It uses the free dynamic geometry package, GeoGebra, to help students derive, identify and better understand all of the key circle theorems.
• Prison cells investigation The famous investigation about the numbers on prison cell doors is well-presented, has a really clear structure and some fantastic ideas for differentiation.
• Pentominoes Pentominoes are a superb, versatile teaching resource that can be used for investigating many aspects of shape. This resource takes you through lots of ideas for making the most of them.
• Mathemagic These maths magic tricks are engaging way of presenting a problem to your KS3 pupils, before challenging them to investigate how and why they work. Better still, can they go on to design their own?
• Noughts and crosses investigation Who would have thought you could get so much maths goodness from a game of noughts and crosses?  This game will appeal to secondary students of all ages.

Leave a Reply

Teaching support from the UK’s largest provider of in-school maths tuition

resources downloaded

one to one lessons

schools supported

Built by teachers for teachers

In-school online one to one maths tuition developed by maths teachers and pedagogy experts

Hundreds of FREE online maths resources!

Daily activities, ready-to-go lesson slides, SATs revision packs, video CPD and more!

Fun Maths Activities and Investigations for KS1 and KS2 in Primary School

Anantha anilkumar.

Over the years, we’ve created lots of different fun maths activities and investigations to add to primary teachers’ toolboxes. Some of these maths activities mirror our online one to one maths tutoring programme, while others are more suitable for whole class teaching. We share here as part of our continual support for KS1 and KS2 teachers working in UK classrooms.

The purpose of these numeracy activities, especially the event-based ones, is three-fold:

1. To support you, the teacher, with problem solving and reasoning questions (with answers) and save you writing your own. 

2. To give learners the opportunity to see more everyday maths in context, and experiences of how maths reasoning really matters in the real world. 3. To add some variety and relevance to the maths lesson slides, questions and worksheets you may be doing with your class every day. We love what the White Rose maths hub resources provide in terms of weekly planning, but sometimes we may be looking for some more exciting, hands-on and fun maths activities, whether for Year 1 or Year 6.

Topical Maths Activities For The Term

Maths investigations linked to key calendar dates this term, designed to develop reasoning and problem solving in your pupils

Some of you may question the place that fun has in a child’s education , and whether fun maths lessons will achieve the long term goal of retention and retrieval. While we’ve all had a class which requires an upbeat tempo of fun games as part of their learning process, many children will experience cognitive overload if important new maths concepts are introduced through a game. You will know your pupils best in this context. 

The majority of maths activities and investigations shared below use a fun concept or relevant idea to develop children’s number sense, fluency, reasoning and problem solving skills in the pursuit of learning maths.

Follow the links below to find out more about the kind of maths activities and maths investigations we’ve got available to you.

Fun maths activities KS2 (with some KS1 in there too)

Fun outdoor maths activities 13 flexible and fun activities to do outside, many of which can be adapted for early years to Year 6; most of these involve some kind of physical activity and fine motor skill development, as well as treasure hunts for angles, ways to incorporate data handling, graphs and measurement into the school fair, and using mathematical skills to make mathematical connections to nature. 

Fun back to school maths activities teaching ideas to help you get back in the groove of maths lessons after a long summer break. These are summer maths activities the whole class can get involved in, some practising quick mental maths skills, others involving more complex reasoning, plus the odd card game maths activity as well.  

Fun end of term maths activities : We all know that by the end of the summer term the atmosphere in class tends to get a bit overexcitable. Here are some ideas to harness that excitement into some fun and lively maths investigations that recap children’s knowledge from across their year’s work from 2d shapes to averages and algebra.

Fun maths games for kids at home : This might almost be our favourite collection – one to hand out to parents for homework and homeschool; it includes home-made board games, fun ways to practise times tables and lost of fun games that help children with their maths skills and require only a pencil, a piece of paper and a pack of playing cards to get going. Essential for anyone undertaking any kind of home learning with their children. 

We’ve also now extended our maths games collections to include KS1 maths games , KS2 maths games , and even KS3 maths games .

Fun maths lessons for KS2 : a collection of our favourite fun maths lessons, suitable for Year 3 to Year 6 (ideal for after SATs) which include human bar charts, sharing 3D shapes, and planning the teacher’s next holiday! 

Fun maths starters KS2 : 15 of the best maths starters to help you introduce a new topic, consolidate previous work, or just to use as part of a maths meeting with your class, improving their mental maths – includes a printable version to use in school. 

Fun SATs revision games : Even 11-year-olds need a break sometimes, so we asked some fantastic teachers on Twitter what their favourite top tips for keeping SATs revision fun were, and here’s your answer – loads of great ideas in here for anyone teaching Year 6 .  Fun maths club activities : Provided you’re armed with some creative, open ended, and ideally practical maths club activities to give children, maths clubs are not nearly as hard to set up and run as you might first imagine. The benefits are manifold; this article has all you need to get started including several really fun group games specially designed for primary school maths clubs.

Fun maths investigations for topical events

KS2 maths investigations : For many years now, Third Space has been creating maths investigations for Year 6. We’ve now adapted them to be suitable across KS2. In the main, these tend to be open ended maths investigations, focused around key events in the primary school calendar. Some of these are also slightly shorter activities but they all require pupils to do extensive problem solving and reasoning based around events in everyday life. Here are some favourite KS2 maths problems solving investigations from each term:

Here’s our complete list of topical maths investigations for year 5 and year 6.

Autumn Term maths investigations year 6 and year 5

• Autumn maths activities
• Halloween maths activities
• Bonfire Night maths activities
• Christmas maths activities and Christmas maths quiz

Spring Term maths investigations year 6 and year 5

• Heart Month Months activities
• Shrove Tuesday Maths activities
• Pancake Day Maths activities
• World Book Day Maths activities
• International Women’s Day Maths activities
• British Science Week Maths activities
• Holi Maths activities
• Easter/Lent Maths activities

Summer term maths investigations year 6 and year 5

• Share-a-Story Month activities
• FA Cup Maths activities
• Walk to School Week activities
• Ramadan Maths activities
• Child Safety Week activities

And if that’s not enough we’ve even got  maths activities  for Year 5 and Year 6 for events you’re likely to celebrate in primary school but don’t come round every year… 

• Red Nose Day Maths activities
• World Cup Maths activities
• Election Maths
• Jubilee Maths activities

Mixed ability maths investigations

We know most of you now teach mixed ability maths classes so something we’re often asked for is year 6 maths activities with a low threshold high ceiling . Take a look at these open ended maths investigations for Year 6 and the rest of Key Stage 2. You’ll also be able to download one of our favourite free teaching resources – 8 low threshold high ceiling activities including the famous fox chicken grain puzzle. 

We’ve also collected the best KS2 maths challenges here for any of your pupils who are working at greater depth in KS2 maths and need further extension in your maths lessons.

Holiday maths activities

We all know about the summer brain drain and how easily children forget what we’ve taught them but it can be difficult to know what to do about it. These summer holiday maths activities were created with parents in mind, you can also use these KS1 and KS2 holiday maths activities to give your pupils lots of fun maths challenges to do over the holidays. 

• Year 3 holiday homework: Don’t Forget Your Maths Pack Year 2 to Year 3
• Year 4 holiday homework: Don’t Forget Your Maths Pack Year 3 to Year 4
• Year 5 holiday homework: Don’t Forget Your Maths Pack Year 4  to Year 5
• Year 6 holiday homework: Don’t Forget Your Maths Pack Year 5 to Year 6

National curriculum maths activities for KS1 and KS2

The final way we’ve organised our KS2 maths activities for you is by national curriculum topic. We’ll continue to add to this section so bookmark this page and check back if it’s useful. Get started:

• 35 times tables games
• KS1 and KS2 place value games and activities  
• 3 minute number facts activity  

Do you have pupils who need extra support in maths? Every week Third Space Learning’s maths specialist tutors support thousands of pupils across hundreds of schools with weekly online 1-to-1 lessons and maths interventions designed to plug gaps and boost progress. Since 2013 we’ve helped over 150,000 primary and secondary school pupils become more confident, able mathematicians. Learn more or request a personalised quote for your school to speak to us about your school’s needs and how we can help.

Primary school tuition targeted to the needs of each child and closely following the National Curriculum.

Related Articles

FREE 12 Maths Club Activities for Primary Schools (Years 1 to 6)

A collection of games and activities to make maths enjoyable in a primary school maths club!

Minimal resources are needed for each activity.

Privacy Overview

Cookie Consent

We use cookies to help provide a better website experience for you, and help us to understand how people use our website. Our partners will also collect data and use cookies for ad personalisation and measurement.

Clicking "Accept" will allow us and our partners to use cookies, learn more in our cookie policy or to change your cookie preferences, click "Manage".

To find out more about cookies and the types of cookies we are setting please visit our cookie policy .

If you'd prefer that certain types of cookie are not saved on your browser when visiting our website, use the toggles below to adjust those preferences and click "Save choices".

Strictly Necessary

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and without them you would not be able to reliably use the website. For example, logging into your account or completing forms.

Analytics Cookies

A series of cookies that collect anonymised data on how users interact with our website. This anonymous data helps us improve the website with a focus on its users, for example, ensuring the most popular content is easier to access.

View associated providers +

Marketing Cookies

These cookies track your online activity to help advertisers deliver more relevant and personalised advertising or to limit how many times you see an ad. These cookies can share that information with other organisations or advertisers.

• International
• Schools directory
• Resources Jobs Schools directory News Search

Problem-Solving Investigation: Using number facts to add/subtract (Year 3 Addition and Subtraction)

Subject: Mathematics

Age range: 5-7

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

9 August 2019

• Share through email
• Share through twitter
• Share through linkedin
• Share through facebook
• Share through pinterest

Year 3 Addition and Subtraction: Using number facts to add/subtract.

This in-depth Maths Investigation will develop maths meta-skills, and enable children to learn to think mathematically and articulate mathematical ideas.

In-depth Investigation: Puzzling Squares Children use reasoning skills to solve a number puzzle. They use numbers 0 to 7 to make a total of 10 on each side of a square.

This problem-solving investigation is part of our Year 3 Addition and Subtraction block. Each Hamilton maths block contains a complete set of planning and resources to teach a terms worth of objectives for one of the National Curriculum for England’s maths areas.

Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?

Get this resource as part of a bundle and save up to 25%

A bundle is a package of resources grouped together to teach a particular topic, or a series of lessons, in one place.

Problem-Solving Investigations for Year 3 Addition and Subtraction

These in-depth Year 3 Addition and Subtraction problem-solving investigations will develop maths meta-skills, and enable children to learn to think mathematically and articulate mathematical ideas. These open-ended mathematical activities cover the following objectives: * Using number facts to add/subtract * Add/subtract: efficient mental strategies * Using place value to add/subtract * Mental calculation – complements to 100 * Use different strategies to subtract two numbers * Add 3-digit numbers using expanded addition * Subtract 2-digit numbers from numbers over 100 using counting up **In-depth Investigation: Puzzling Squares** Children use reasoning skills to solve a number puzzle. They use numbers 0 to 7 to make a total of 10 on each side of a square. **In-depth Investigation: Twisted Subtractions** Children subtract a number which is the reverse of another, e.g. 62 - 26. **In-depth Investigation: Magic 147** Children arrange the ‘nearly numbers’ in a square so that each row and column adds to Magic 147. **In-depth Investigation: Closest to 100** Following simple rules children find ways to make 100 based on four dice throws. They practise adding four numbers with a total around 100 and use this to find a solution. **In-depth Investigation: Magic Square Differences** Children use the magic square to generate two-digit numbers and explore difference patterns. **In-depth Investigation: Expanded Elevens** Children use base 10 equipment to create 3-digit numbers to add using expanded column addition. **In-depth Investigation: Pattern Subtractions** Children subtract two-digit from three-digit numbers, by counting up, and look out for patterns in the numbers. **In-depth Investigation: Next Door Additions** Children add pairs of three-digit numbers and look for patterns in the digital roots of the answers. These problem-solving investigations are part of our [Year 3 Addition and Subtraction](https://www.hamilton-trust.org.uk/maths/year-3-maths/addition-and-subtraction/) block. Each Hamilton maths block contains a complete set of planning and resources to teach a terms worth of objectives for one of the National Curriculum for England’s maths areas.

Using number facts to add/subtract (Year 3 Addition and Subtraction)

This presentation provides three days of teaching that covers the objective: * Using number facts to add/subtract **Teaching Presentation** The teaching presentation includes starter activities, whole class teaching, group activities, practice sheets and mastery questions. It can be used on a variety of interactive whiteboards. **Practice Worksheets** The procedural fluency practice worksheets are differentiated for children working towards Age Related Expectations (ARE), at ARE and at greater depth. **Problem-Solving Investigation** This in-depth maths investigation will develop maths meta-skills, and enable children to learn to think mathematically and articulate mathematical ideas. This teaching is part of Hamilton’s Year 3 [Addition and Subtraction](https://www.hamilton-trust.org.uk/maths/year-3-maths/addition-and-subtraction/) block. Each Hamilton maths block contains a complete set of planning and resources to teach a term’s worth of objectives for one of the National Curriculum for England’s maths areas.

Your rating is required to reflect your happiness.

It's good to leave some feedback.

Something went wrong, please try again later.

This resource hasn't been reviewed yet

To ensure quality for our reviews, only customers who have purchased this resource can review it

Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.

Not quite what you were looking for? Search by keyword to find the right resource: