Free printable activity
Number & Pattern Puzzle Printable Pack
Ten number and pattern challenges, plus a separate worked answer sheet.
Instructions: Try all ten puzzles first. The answer key starts on a separate printed page.
Number & Pattern Puzzle Printable Pack
Write your answer beneath each question.
- Five consecutive numbers
Five consecutive whole numbers add up to 65. What are the numbers?
- Coins in a pocket
A pocket contains eight coins, each worth either 2p or 5p. Their total value is 28p. How many of each coin are there?
- Hands of the clock
What is the smaller angle between the hands of a clock at exactly 2:20?
- Two-digit mystery
A two-digit number has digits that add to 11. Its tens digit is three more than its units digit. What is it?
- Ages over time
A parent is three times as old as their child. In 12 years, the parent will be twice as old as the child then. How old are they now?
- Growing letter gaps
What comes next in this sequence of letters: A, C, F, J, O, …?
- Square within square
How many squares of all sizes appear in a 4 × 4 square grid?
- Perfect squares
Find the next number: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, …
- Staircase pattern
Find the next number: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, …
- Double and subtract
Find the next number: 5, 10, 8, 16, 14, 28, …
Answers and explanations
Keep this sheet separate until you have tried the puzzles.
- Five consecutive numbers: 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15
The average is 13; the two numbers before and after 13 are 11, 12, 14 and 15.
- Coins in a pocket: Four 2p coins and four 5p coins
Eight 2p coins would be 16p. The extra 12p means four coins must be 5p; the remaining four are 2p.
- Hands of the clock: 50 degrees
At 2:20, the minute hand is at 120° from twelve and the hour hand at 70° (60° + 10°). The difference is 50°.
- Two-digit mystery: 74
The units digit is 4, and the tens digit is 7, so the number is 74.
- Ages over time: Parent 36, child 12
Solving 3x + 12 = 2x + 24 gives x = 12 and the parent’s age = 36.
- Growing letter gaps: U
The next jump is six places: O → U.
- Square within square: 30 squares
There are 16 single-cell squares, 9 two-cell-wide squares, 4 three-cell-wide squares and 1 large square: 16 + 9 + 4 + 1 = 30.
- Perfect squares: 36
The next square number is 6² = 36.
- Staircase pattern: 42
The differences rise by two each time. Add 12 to 30 to get 42.
- Double and subtract: 26
The series alternates ×2, −2. After 28, subtract 2 to get 26.