MATHEMATICS

What If ...

Some Mathematical Challenges for Key Stage One

Clare Williams Deputy Head Four Dwellings Infant School

This is not an exhaustive list and you may wish to adapt them to suit your needs. They do not always require a written response, indeed it is important children feel they can use their own recording system. Some may seem " easier " but you never know where a budding mathematician will end up!

1. What if you started writing numbers at 1….. What is the biggest number you could get to ?

2. What if you started to add numbers. What is the biggest sum you could do?

3. What if you had pots of five multilink cubes. How many different five models could you make?

4. What if your teacher asked you how much squash your need every day?

5. What if you wanted to make a puppet to fit on your hand?

6. What if you made a maths game for your friends?

7. What if you needed to make a dice?

8. What if you wanted to find out how tall you were?

9. What if there were no jigsaw puzzles. Could you make one?

10. What if you found out how many cubes everyone in your class could hold in one hand?

11. What if the answer is 10? What are the questions?

12. What if you needed new furniture? How high do the tables need to be?

13. What if we ran out of biscuits? How many do we need in a week for our class? How many in a packet? How many packets do we need?

14. What if you only added neighbour numbers? ( eg. 1+2, 2+3, 3+4 etc.) What numbers can't you make?

15. What if you found out who is the tallest in the class?

16. What if 2+2 = 6, 3+3= 8, 4+4=10. What is 1+1 or 6+6 ?

17. What if you added only even numbers? odd numbers? even + odd numbers. What do you discover?

18. What if your grandma said " If you measure three times around your head you'll find out how tall you are". Is she right?

19. What if the caretaker bought toilet rolls for the toilets. How many would he need? If they cost 50p each, how much money would he need?

20. What if you counted to 100 in tens? Which numbers would you write?

21. What if aliens counted like this? Write some alien sums.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
¡	Ç	¥	¤	¢	Ø	¿	#	¶

22. What if you wanted to make a box for a present? Make one.

23. What if you needed a new carpet in your classroom. How big does it need to be?

24. What if Father Christmas asked you how many presents are needed at your school this Christmas?

25. What if you had a sheet of flags and three colours. How many different flags could you make?

26. What if the answer is 100 ? What are the sums?

27. What if every child in your class brings squash money. How much money will be in the pot?