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Brain Builder

MatchPuzzlesPuzzles

Compiled and Illustrated by Russell Erskine

Copyright 2010, Russell Erskine, all rights reserved

Here is a collection of some of my favorite Classic manipulative puzzles... match puzzles!These are great “hands on” puzzles that give your students an opportunity to do some

creative problem solving. Have fun... and do your best to solve them before looking at the solutions, which can be found on the last pages of this ebook.

Don't want to use matches? No problem!

You can use toothpicks, craft sticks, crayons, or even paper cut outs to do these puzzles too!

Copyright 2010, Russell Erskine * HomeschoolFreebieOfTheDay.com Reproduction for the original purchaser's personal use is allowed, but any redistribution of this PDF file is prohibited.

Puzzle 1

Remove five matches from the arrangement below, leaving three complete squares.

Puzzle 2

Arrange twelve matches as in the diagram below.Move four of the matches and rearrange them so you only have three squares

instead of four.


Puzzle 3

Rearrange the matches shown in the four squares belowso as to make five squares.

Puzzle 4

Using nine matches, try to make FIVE triangles.

Hint: The triangles are connected!

Puzzle 5:

Using four whole matches and three half matches, try to makeTHREE squares.


Puzzle 6:

Arrange twenty-four matches as in the diagram below.Now - can you remove four squares by removing only four matches?

Puzzle 7:

Again arrange twenty-four matches as in the diagram below.This time, can you remove eight matches, leaving just TWO squares?


Puzzle 8:

Rearrange the matches in the diagram below to make FIVE squares.

Puzzle 9:

Using fifteen matches, try to make SIX squares.

Puzzle 10:

Using five matches, try to make two triangles.


Puzzle 11:

Can you arrange six matches to form EIGHT triangles?

Puzzle 12:

Arrange sixteen matches as shown below, so they form five squares.Now – can you move just TWO of these matches into a different

position to form FOUR squares?


Puzzle 13:

Here's a different kind of match puzzle for you:

Set four small drinking glasses on a table along with four matches. The challenge is to use the matches to build a bridge between the

drinking glasses which can support a fifth glass.The bridge should be built by placing the matches on the glasses,

but only ONE end of each match is allowed to rest on a glass.

Puzzle 14:

Put four matches on the table. Take two more matches and break them in half. This will give you four full-length matches and four half-sized pieces.

The puzzle is to place these eight pieces on the table so they will form 3 equal sized squares.


Puzzle 15:

Arrange twelve matches to form four squares as shown in the drawing below. Now – remove two matches and leave only TWO squares.

Puzzle 16:

Arrange seventeen matches into six squares as shown in the drawing below. Now – try to remove six of the matches, leaving just TWO

squares.


Puzzle 17:

This is a tricky one. Place five matches on the table, and next to them place six more matches. The puzzle is to add the five matches to the six matches to end

up with NINE.

Puzzle 18:

This last one is a very hard puzzle, and will probably take a lot ofexperimenting and patience on your part to come up with the solution.

Put eight matches on the table, and see if you can arrange themso they form TWO squares and FOUR triangles.

The solutions to all these puzzles are onthe next pages. Try your best to solve them

before peeking!


Solutions Begin on the Next Page

There are 2 – 3 solutions per page, so if you don't want to spoilany puzzles, you may want to get someone else to show you the

answers one at a time.


Match Puzzle AnswersMatch Puzzle Answers

Both Puzzles 1 & 2 have the same answer!

12.

Starting with the 16 matches forming five squares... Move matches “A” and “B”...

… to here, forming four squares!

13.

14.

15.

16.

18.

T h e E n d !

match puzzles - amazon web servicesbrainbuilders.s3.amazonaws.com/brainbuildermatchpuzzles.pdf ·...

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