We’re coming to the end of 2025, a square year! There’s not another square year for 91 years. To make the most of it while we still can, here are some square-themed puzzle resources for the classroom.
Inspired by the Numberphile videos linked below, these resources explore the Square-Sums Problem which says: ‘Order the whole numbers from 1 to 15 such that adjacent pairs of numbers sum to a square number‘.
RESOURCE DOCUMENTS BELOW:
TEACHER NOTES (read me first)
Numbers (cut-outs)
Square Sums 1-15 Sheet for Recording
Square Sums 1-15 With Help
Square Sums 1-23
Square Sums Solutions
Equipment needed
Pencil and Eraser and the task sheets.
Scissors if also using the cut out ‘Numbers’ sheet to help.
Curriculum Topics Covered
Problem solving task that uses knowledge of Square Numbers, Addition.
The task in the worksheet ‘Square Sums 1-23’ links to Graph Theory – students are effectively finding a Hamiltonian Path on a graph.
Videos
The tasks are based on these Numberphile videos.