Puzzles for Five Squares

How many shapes can your children make with five squares? Make puzzles for five squares, and try to see if they can create all 12 shapes.

What You'll Need:

  • Construction paper
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Tape

puzzles for five squares
©2007 Publications International, Ltd.
Make puzzles for five squares, and see if your kids can figure out all 12 shapes you can make.

How to Make Puzzles for Five Squares:

Step 1: To try these puzzles, have your children measure and cut out five 2x2-inch squares. Arrange the squares into a larger shape so all the squares are touching. The squares must be arranged so that squares with sides touching are lined up corner to corner.

Step 2: There are 12 different ways the five squares can be arranged. Have your children find all 12 ways, and record them with pencil and paper by tracing the 12 different shapes onto construction paper. (Trace around the whole shape and also outline each square within the bigger shape.)

Step 3: Ask your children to cut out the 12 different shapes. Eight of the shapes can be folded into boxes that can hold paper clips, buttons, or other small objects.

Step 4: They should experiment to figure out which can be turned into boxes. Designate and mark the square that might be the bottom of the box. Then have them cut along the squares in order to fold and create square boxes.

For another thinking game, keep reading to learn how your kids can make a square using the smallest number of toothpicks.

For more great math exercises and math instruction, check out: