This iPad, Android,and IWB teaching resource is another puzzle for encouraging children not to give up on problems and to develop problem solving skills. To solve the puzzle all of the stars must be grouped together and so must the pentagons. The two empty spaces can be left at either end of the row. Each move must be of two shapes together and they cannot be switched in their relative positions. This resource won’t allow any of the puzzle’s rules to be broken but as it is a puzzle that is easy to replicate with counters it is important to be aware of the rules.
The top blue button is for moving to select the two shapes you want to move. The bottom blue button will move the two selected shapes. If you attempt a move that is not allowed it will all jump back to the previous position. The puzzle can be solved in just 5 moves. Try to solve it first and then try to pare down the number of moves.
Go to learning resource.
A nice variation on this problem is available on the Flip Over Resource.
Modern browsers and up to date browsers are required on all platforms.