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A small maths puzzle for your daily break
A cup of chai, a quiet moment before the school run or a break in the staffroom can be enough time for a small maths puzzle. You do not need to remember every school method. Start with what you notice, try a calculation and check whether it fits.
This is a break for you, not another test to give your child. There is no need to turn your score into a target for the family. You can enjoy a puzzle privately, discuss a solution with a colleague or invite someone to find a different method.
How the honeycomb works
Look at all the numbers in the honeycomb. Exactly one of them is made from two of the others, by adding them or by multiplying them. Find that number and the two cells that make it. You won't use every cell, and you can't use the same cell twice; the other numbers are there to make you look carefully.
In an addition puzzle, look for a relationship such as 37 + 18 = 55. In a multiplication puzzle, look for one such as 12 9 = 108. The aim isn't to pick the largest number: you need the number sentence that connects your three choices.
Before doing a long calculation, ask whether the answer is plausible. Two positive numbers add to more than either one; multiplication facts can also give you useful size clues.
A five-minute routine
- Notice. Read all the numbers. Look for doubles, round numbers or a familiar table fact.
- Choose. Pick a likely answer and two numbers that might produce it.
- Calculate. Use a method you can explain, with rough work if useful.
- Check. Reverse the calculation or use a second method.
- Stop or explore. Enjoy the solved puzzle, or look for another valid relationship.
If nothing stands out, work systematically. Test one pair at a time rather than repeating the same guesses. For addition, subtract one possible addend from a candidate total and see whether the difference is another cell.
Three puzzles, three useful methods
Bridge through a ten
The numbers are 37, 18, 55, 26 and 70. Try 37 + 18. Split 18 into 10 and 8: 37 + 10 = 47, then 47 + 8 = 55. The three cells are 37, 18 and 55.
A second route is 37 + 3 = 40, then add the remaining 15 to make 55. Check backwards: 55 18 = 37. Both routes establish the same relationship.
Use a nearby multiplication fact
The numbers are 12, 9, 108, 14 and 15. Ten groups of 12 make 120, so nine groups make one group of 12 less: 120 12 = 108. Therefore 12 9 = 108.
Check with division: 108 12 = 9. You can also split 12 into 10 and 2: 9 10 = 90 and 9 2 = 18, giving 90 + 18 = 108.
Make a friendly number
The numbers are 28, 19, 46, 35 and 63. Move 2 from the 35 to the 28: 28 + 35 becomes 30 + 33, which is 63. The total stays the same because one addend increases by 2 while the other decreases by 2.
Check by partitioning instead: 20 + 30 = 50 and 8 + 5 = 13, so the total is 63. Or subtract 35 from 63 to recover 28.
Choose the kind of break you want
In Beequation Pro, the Daily Pro gives you one new hive each day. When you want something different, try the 60-second blitz, the levels or Hard mode. These are choices, not a compulsory ladder. A more demanding mode is not automatically a better break. Read the game's instructions and choose what suits the time and attention you have.
At home, you might talk through a solution after finishing. Keep it conversational: “I used a nearby table fact” invites discussion more readily than “How quickly can you do this?” A child can listen without being expected to solve an adult puzzle.
Make a paper puzzle
Choose an equation first: 24 + 16 = 40. Put those three numbers in separate cells, then add two extra numbers that don't fit, such as 7 and 11. Shuffle the positions. Before sharing it, check the possible pairs: in this set, 24 and 16 give 40; none of the other pairs has its sum in another cell.
If you make a puzzle with several valid answers, say so. That can become an enjoyable search, but it is unfair to reject a correct equation because it isn't the one you intended. The printable puzzle pack gives you a ready-made alternative.
For more calculation ideas, visit mental maths strategies. Read how to play if you want to check the rules before opening a game.
Indie's challengeYou have found 12 9 = 108. How can you check it without repeating the same multiplication? Show the answer
Divide 108 by 12 to get 9, or divide it by 9 to get 12. Another independent route is 90 + 18 = 108, using 9 10 and 9 2.
Practise with Indie
Beequation Kids turns number facts into honeycomb puzzles, with Indie giving a hint when a child is stuck. No ads and no data collected.