Ice Breakers and Conundrums for Number
Partner Sessions
Target Number
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Come up with a 3-digit target number. Select 4 numbers between 1-100 and
equation that gets as close to the target number as possible. You can use addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division for the equations.
Roll four dice. Use any calculation to create a new number, and mark it on the
hundred square. First person to have a vertical or horizontal line of three wins.
Mental Maths Games
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Number Bond ping pong to 10 – ‘I say 4 you say...’ (6), I say 8, you say... (2)
Number bond ping pong to 20 - ‘I say 14 you say...’ (6), I say 11, you say... (9)
I like Maths – twist on Fizz Buzz. Take it in turns to count in sequence from 1.
However, if your number is a multiple of 3 say ‘I’, a multiple of 5 say ‘like’, and say
‘maths’ for multiples of 7. Try with different times tables
Think of a Number - give facts about your number until the other player can guess
it, e.g. it is a prime number, it is thought to be ‘unlucky’, it is half of 26.
What Number Am I? – ask questions such as;
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Can you think of two numbers that add together to make an ‘unlucky’ number? (6+7 /
3+10 etc.)
How many minutes are there in 3 hours? (180)
If I double myself, then add 1, I am 19. (9)
Add the number of months in a year to the number of days in the week. (19)
I am the biggest number you can make from the digits 4, 6, and 9. (964)
Take the number of players on a football team, and add the number of days in the
week, then take away a dozen (6)
I am the number of hours in a day, added to the number of grams in a kilogram. (1024)
Paper and Pen Games
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Fractions
o Draw three pies where one has been half (1/2) eaten, one has been threequarters (3/4) eaten, and the last one one-third (1/3) eaten.
Draw the Mouse
o Take turns to roll a dice. For each number rolled, draw the part of mouse
listed below. The first person to draw a whole mouse first, wins!
o 6=body / 5=nose / 4=whisker / 3=eyes / 2=ears / 1= tail
o Rules: The body must be drawn before any other body parts are added to it,
so players must roll a 6 to start drawing. Other parts of the mouse can be
added in any order. A finished mouse must have 4 whiskers!
Arrange the numbers 1 – 9 in the circles so that each side of the square adds up to
12.
Name Games
Name Scrabble
Tongue Twisters
Give your partner post-it notes or paper
squares, and ask them to write one letter of
their first name on each one. Ask them to
jumble the letters to make as many words as
possible. Do the same for your name, and
when they have exhausted all possibilities,
combine the letters from both names, and see
which words they can make now.
Read your partner some tongue twisters and
have them make their own using their name.
Is Ruth’s tooth loose?
Brenda blew big blue bubbles
Trudy chewed two chewy cherries
Nat’s knapsack strap snapped
Belinda baked bread at the bakery
because her brother begged her
After a few minutes see if you can separate the
letters and spell each other’s names correctly!
Clapping our Names
Alliteration
Ask your partner to think of a word that
describes them that also starts with the same
letter of their name. Alternatively you could
think of an animal.
Using the total number of syllables in their first
and last names, children clap a rhythm to
accompany their names. Make a rhythm for
your name too, and once you have practised,
join up with another volunteer and their child
and teach each other your name claps.
Bossy Bob, Abdul Antelope, Mel Monkey, Silly Sadique
Group Games
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Always, Sometimes, Never
Here are some mathematical statements. See if you and your partner can come up
with some examples to prove that they are true.
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All prime numbers are odd.
If the digits of any number add up to a multiple of 3, then the number is divisible by 3.
Multiplying by any number always makes the result larger.
Adding something to a number always makes it larger.
Subtracting something from a number always makes it smaller.
Dividing a number by something always makes it smaller.
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The Time Challenge
Write out the following statements on post its or paper squares. Challenge your pupil
to put them in size order—there isn’t always a right or wrong so this can generate
some good debates!
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A minute
Time needed to soft boil an
egg
A million seconds
A year
Number of years since the
Victorians were around
The number of years since the
Romans came to Britain
Time for an oak tree to get to
30m high
Time for the earth to go round
the sun
The time the shutter is open
on a camera when you take a
photo in daylight.
Time for light to come from the
moon
A hundred months
Length of time since the last
ice age.
Number of months since you
were born
An hour
A thousand days
A month
A fortnight
Number of years since my
granny was born
A day
Time from sowing tomato seed
to eating the first tomato
Length of time to have a good
shower
The time for a game of football
without any extra time
Time needed for you to read
all the Harry Potter books
Time for the moon to go once
round the earth
Time to tidy your bedroom
Time to fly from London to
New York
Amount of time in a year spent
in my maths lessons.
Shopping Trip
Save up some receipts from your lunch or recent trips to the shops. Analyse
them with your partner.
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How much money have you spent in total?
Give yourself a budget for next week. What would your partner prioritise buying if
you couldn’t buy everything you bought this week?
What was the most expensive item?
How could you reduce your spending next week?
Your bank is offering to donate 10% of what you spend to charity—how much would
this be?
How much did you spend on your card and how much cash did you use?