Brain games and puzzles
Maze Maker
Design your own maze on squared paper with one true path and lots of dead ends, then swap with a friend.
Thinking sheet · Brain games and puzzles
Spinning Picture Trick
Draw a bird on one side and a cage on the other, spin it on a string and watch the bird appear inside.
- Grades
- 1–5
- Time
- about 25 minutes
- Kids practice
- optical illusions, following steps, planning
What kids do
“Two pictures become one when you spin them fast!”
- Front: a bird
- Back: a cage (draw it upside down)
- How to make it:
- Make your own pair: front
- Back
How to run it
- This toy is called a thaumatrope; it’s nearly 200 years old.
- Bold, dark lines show up best when spinning.
- Other pairs: fish and bowl, flower and vase, face and hat.
Talk about it
- Why do the pictures blend?
- How is this like a cartoon?
- Which pair worked best?
Take it further
Try a pair that makes a face change expression.
Pairs well with
Free for home and classroom use. Print as many copies as you need.
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Tic-tac-toe with doodles instead of X and O. Each player picks a tiny picture as their mark.
Brain games and puzzles
Dots and Boxes
The classic pencil game: take turns joining dots, close a box to claim it and draw a tiny face inside.
Free for teachers
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12 printable pages: six step-by-step lessons, a grid activity, draw-and-write sheets and teacher notes, sent with your welcome email. After that, new classroom printables by email.