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Puzzles and Brain Teasers Images for Children

child craft puzzles

These pages contain a selection of great, timeless and historic puzzles that have educated and entertained children for centuries and continue to challenge and trigger interest with children. Many of these puzzles are based upon puzzlers designed several hundred years old.

Puzzles help children develop their logical, analytical and reasoning or critical thinking skills and abilities.

Brain Teasers and Puzzles

#001
Pardoner's Puzzle #001

"Pardoner's Puzzle" puzzle game.

Solve this puzzle by tracing 15 straight lines, starting from the black square and visiting all the other squares once, and once only. You may end where ever you like. Note the omission of one square at the bottom is intentional.

This puzzle is based upon a historic Canterbury Puzzle. Why is this puzzle named Pardoner's Puzzle?

Game 1 Solution


#002The Puzzle of the Prioress #002

"The Puzzle of the Prioress" puzzle game

Cut this odd-shaped cross into four pieces to make it form into a perfect square.

This puzzle is based upon a historic Canterbury Puzzle. Why is this puzzle named The Puzzle of the Prioress

Game 2 Solution


#003The Underground Maze #003

"The Underground Maze" puzzle game

Navigate this maze to connect A to B. It's easy once you discover the secret, just look to your left or your right hand for help.

This puzzle is based upon a historic Canterbury Puzzle. Why is this puzzle named The Underground Maze?

Game 3 Solution 1 , Game 3 Solution 2


#004Weaver's Puzzle #004

"The Weaver's Puzzle" puzzle game

Starting with the dot at the end of the V shape, draw 4 lines to separate the hens and eggs on this page into 4 sections each section containing only one hen and one egg. Each line must start at the red dot. No line may pass through any part of a hen or chicken or cross over another line.

This puzzle is based upon a historic Canterbury Puzzle. Why is this puzzle named The Weaver's Puzzle?

Game 4 Solution


#005Dissected Circle #005

"Dissected Circle" puzzle game

See if you can trace this entire design using as few strokes of the pen or pencil as possible. A stroke is the length of time the pencil connects with the paper. How few strokes will it take for you take to completely re-draw the design? You may go over the lines more than once but try to complete the puzzle in as few strokes as possible.

This Dissected Circle puzzle is based upon a historic puzzle published in Project Gutenberg's Amusements in Mathematics.

Game 5 Solution


#006Ploughman's Puzzle #006

"The Ploughman's Puzzle" puzzle game

Sixteen (16) trees are planted in a triangle shape of twelve (12) rows with four (4) trees in every row. How can the 16 trees be replanted to make 15 straight rows, with 4 trees in every row?

Note: There can be several solutions to this puzzle.

This puzzle is based upon a historic Canterbury Puzzle. Why is this puzzle named The Ploughman's Puzzle?

Game 6 Solution


#007The Eight Sticks #007

"The Eight Sticks" puzzle game

Print the puzzle page below and cut out the strips of paper. There are enough strips for 3 puzzles (or 3 children).

Place 4 long strips and 4 short strips on a table and create:

  1. three connecting squares all the same size.
  2. Three connecting diamond shapes all the same size.

This The Eight Sticks puzzle is based upon a historic puzzle published in Project Gutenberg's Amusements in Mathematics.

Game 7 Solution


#008Ten Little Piggies #008

"Ten Little Piggies" puzzle game

The point of this puzzle is to draw three circles inside the large circle, so that every piggy has its own fenced-in space and cannot reach another piggy without crossing over a fence.

This Ten Little Piggies puzzle is based upon a historic puzzle named "The Wizard's Cats" which was published in Project Gutenberg's Amusements in Mathematics.

Game Solution


#009The Screaming Skull #009

"The Screaming Skull" puzzle game if you dare!

Start at the "X" that rests just above the skull's left eye. Navigate through the skull to the "X" below the skull's right eye.

This puzzle is based upon a historic Canterbury Puzzle named The Noble Demoiselle?

Game 8 Solution


#010Five Pointed Star #010

"Betsy Ross" puzzle game

This puzzle project demonstrates how to fold and cut a perfect five-pointed star out of a circle shape.

Print the circle on regular or light-weight paper. Cut out the circle, then fold the in half along the dotted line. Fold the helf-circle into five equal parts along the dotted lines.

To cut out the star, start from the upper left point of the folded wedge and cut diagonally toward the middle or lower part of the opposite side.

This Betsy Ross puzzle is based upon a historic puzzle published in Project Gutenberg's Amusements in Mathematics.


#011Romeo and Juliet #011

"Romeo and Juliet" puzzle game

The chessboard represents a village and every square represents a house. Juliet is on her balcony, waiting the arrival of her love.

Help guide Romeo to Juliet with the fewest possible turns. Romeo must visit every house on the chessboard on his way to meet Juliet. He can move up, down, and across the board and through the diagonals.

This Romeo and Juliet puzzle is based upon a historic puzzle published in Project Gutenberg's Amusements in Mathematics.

Game 11 Solution


#012A Tangram Paradox #012

"A Tangram Paradox" or chinese puzzle game.

The word tangram in Chinese means "seven boards of skill." Tangram cutting dissection puzzles are believed to have originated in China several hundred years ago, but no one really knows for sure.

The objective of the tangram puzzle game is to piece together seven geometric polygon (or tans ) to form a silhouette shapes. The rules are pretty simple: All seven pieces must be used, all seven pieces must lie flat, and they all have to touch. The pieces may be rotated, flipped over, etc, but may not overlap.

This puzzle example below is only one possibility of 7 cuts to one square shape as the possible combinations are as infinite as ones imagination.

Tangrams are popular games that challenge children and exercise spatial coordination and develop pattern recognition skills:

This A Tangram Paradox puzzle is based upon a historic puzzle published in Project Gutenberg's Amusements in Mathematics.

Game 12 Solution


#013Make a Box #013

"Make A Box" puzzle game

Pring this box pattern on regular or card stock paper. It might be easier to color and decorate the box with crayons or markers while it is flat and unfolded.

Cut out along all solid lines with scissors or X-acto knife.

Fold the pattern along the dotted lines. For heavy-duty it might be easier to lightly score the folds first or use a flat edged ruler to ensure straight folds.

Trial and error will help solve this puzzle. You will know you've succeeded when the result is one cute little box :-)

This Make A Box puzzle is based upon a historic puzzle published in Project Gutenberg's Amusements in Mathematics.


#014Nine Dots puzzle #014

"Nine Dots Puzzle" puzzle game, also known as the "Thinking Outside the Box" puzzle.

This Nine Dots Puzzle puzzle is based upon a historic puzzle published in Sam Loyd's 1914 Cyclopedia of Puzzles.

There are several different solutions to this puzzle, but you must truely think outside the box to easily solve this puzzle.

Game 14 Solution


A Tangram Paradox