Sudoku Math Pattern Worksheets
Sudoku is a traditional logic-based math puzzle game. Although there are some different versions the classic game is played in 9 x 9 grids which forms into rows and columns. The object is to place the numbers 1-9 individually in each row without repeating them. These types of activities really help activate students higher level thinking skills and helps them learn to solve more complex forms of math in other arenas. This is really a great activity to couple in with learning patterns or statistics as there are many more crossover skills that are introduced here. I find that once students solve their first sudoku puzzle, they get hooked and want to continue on. These worksheets will introduce students to the math concepts that are exhibited by sudoku.
Aligned Standard: 5.OA.B.3
- Empty Cell Sudoku Strategy Lesson- This strategy does take sometime to get the hang of.
- Empty Cell Sudoku Strategy Lesson Part 2 - This concludes the entire strategy.
- The Best Neighbor Sudoku Strategy Lesson - This is a really long strategy and my strategy of choice.
- Sudoku Letter Patterns #1 Worksheet - Numbers can be boring sometimes.
- Sudoku Shape Patterns Practice 1 - These are a bit funky, but also fun.
- Answer Keys - These are for all the unlocked materials above.
Sudoku Number Patterns Sheets
Numbers are sometimes a bit boring for my tastes. I like to work with letters a little more.
- Sheet 1 - Fill in each box with a number so that each number appears only once in each row, column, and box.
- Sheet 2 - Sudoku puzzles are simple logic puzzles where all the elements have to differ in each row, column, and box.
- Sheet 3 - An easy approach to take with these puzzles is to draw up all the possible numbers that could appear in each box.
Letter Patterns Practice Worksheets
Remember these are focused around specific words. They can help establish a theme for you.
- Practice 2 - Bonus: Color each row or column yellow if the word is spelled correctly.
- Practice 3 - You can do this by looking in each row and column.
Sudoku Shape Patterns
At first these are a tad awkward for kids, but after they become comfortable with it, logic is just around the corner.
- Sheet 2 - Fill in each box with a shape so that each shape appears only once in each row, column, and box.
- Sheet 3 - The first task when using this strategy is to spot boxes that can only possible have one number.
- Sheet 4 - The Best Neighbor strategy has you look at each individual cell of the puzzle and determine which number would best fit in that cell.
What is Sudoku?
Puzzles are so much fun! You use your mind and fix pieces together, which in the end, make such a beautiful picture! Just like that, there are mathematical puzzles as well. These puzzles seem difficult, but as a matter of fact, they use logic and concentration. Practicing the act of solving these types of puzzles will not only sharpen your mind, but amp up your problem-solving skills. Researchers have been able to link people that spend more time solving puzzles tend to be in higher paying careers.
Sudoku is a puzzle game that is designed for single players. Just like crossword puzzles, the puzzle has grids of little boxes, which are known as cells. These cells are stacked nine high and nine wide, which makes a total of 81 cells. These crosswords, instead of letters, consist of numbers. Just like when we play hangman and it already has some letters filled, Sudoku has a few numbers already filled. In fact, the name Sudoku is short for the Japanese term: Su-ji wa dokushin ni kagiru. This translates to “the digits must be single”. The goal of the game is to fill the numbers from one to nine, such that the number is not repeated in any column and row. However, repetition is an exception diagonally.
There are many different ways in which these games can be presented, but they normally begin with at least seventeen given numbers in the Sudoku matrix. It can have up to thirty starting digits. The way in which these values are orientated indicate the degree of difficulty of each puzzle. The easier puzzles tend to have obvious missing digits that are clumped in a single area.
Sudoku is really fun to play! Just like mathematics, it just needs a little concentration for the prediction of numbers in the cells. Just be careful, patient, and focused, and you can easily solve any Sudoku puzzle! The best way to approach solving these puzzles is to work on the most defined columns and work through a process of elimination to locate the missing values.