· 2 min read · Ages 6–11 · Grade 1–5
A word search made of math facts, for kids who like to hunt
7 + 5 = 12 hides in the grid as 7 5 1 2. You have to know the fact to see it.
A word search is an excellent way to burn ten minutes and learn nothing. A number search uses the same hunting instinct, but the thing you are hunting is 7 + 5 = 12, hidden as the run 7 5 1 2, and you have to know the fact to spot it.
What the sheet looks like
The number search generator prints a grid of digits with math facts hidden in it, across, down and optionally on the diagonal, and a list of facts to find below. The signs are stripped out of the grid. Children find the run, circle it and write the + and = back in. Facts can be addition within 10 or 20, subtraction within 20, multiplication to 12 × 12, division, or mixed. Grids are 10×10, 12×12 or 14×14, with 8 to 15 facts hidden.
The clue style is the real lever. "Show answers" lists 7 + 5 = 12 and the child hunts for 7512. "Solve first" lists 7 + 5 = __ and the child has to work the answer out before the hunt can begin.
Why it works
- With solve first, a wrong answer means an unfindable run. The grid itself tells the child to check, which is better feedback than a red pen.
- Scanning rows for 7 5 1 2 is repeated exposure to the fact. By the time they find it, they have read it a dozen times.
- It is a puzzle, so it gets done in the car and at the restaurant, where a drill sheet would not.
Who it suits
Grades 1 to 5. Addition within 10 on a 10×10 grid with answers shown suits a six-year-old. Multiplication and division on 12×12 or 14×14 with solve first keeps a fourth grader busy. Division runs are long (72 ÷ 8 = 9 is 7289), so start those on the smaller grid. The fact family sheet is the step before this one.
Sharpen the pencil first. Circling tiny digits with a stub is miserable.