Magic Squares

Click on the page at the bottom to print the activity.

Objectives

To complete a magic square using a given set of numbers.
To develop reasoning skills based on number bonds to 10 and 15.

Levels

Magic Squares is aimed Year 4 - 6. This activity can be tackled at a variety of levels. Year 4 children may need teacher support to get started.

Resources

One 0-9 set of small number cards

Print Number Cards

Description

Magic Squares is an activity designed to encourage reasoning about number, in the context of addition number bonds. The cards must be placed in the grey boxes so the each row and each column of the square has the same total. This 'magic total' is 15 with a 1 to 9 set of cards, and 12 with the extension activity, using the cards 0 to 8. In each case the median number goes in the middle.

Related Work

Magic Squares builds on the work of Magic Crosses.

Here is one solution to the magic square.
All the others are rotations or reflections of this one.