Island Hopping – Counting
Math Concepts
Counting, order- numbers 1 to 10
Materials
Paper, pencil
Players
1
Set up
These puzzles have numbered islands (circles) connected by bridges (lines). The range of numbers used is written at the top of the puzzle. If skip counting is used, indicate the skip count amount along with the first and last numbers– for example, a puzzle that skip counts from 5 to 17 by 2’s would be ‘2 5- 17.’
Challenge
Find a path that connects the islands in order. The easiest versions have numbers that go from 1 to the number of islands.
Example
The puzzle on the right requires some thought. The player cannot just start by placing 0– they must figure out where 3 must go, and then 5 and 6, before placing the 0.
Variations
To add challenge, leave out some numbers so your student figures out what is missing and where it belongs. Also, instead of starting at 1, design the puzzles to start at 0 or other numbers.
Make this into a physical puzzle by placing pieces of paper with the numbers from a puzzle on the floor. To add challenge, replace some of the numbered pieces with blank ones. Also, challenge your student to start at the largest number and go downward.
Instead of counting by 1’s, use skip counting by some number.
Instead of using the island arrangement, use a grid of squares or a honeycomb of hexagons. Hidato puzzles, which are easy to find online, have lots of examples using both of these arrangements.