This addictive game will grow your brain!
If you aren't familiar with KenKen, you need to go to the official website or get the app and start playing now. KenKen can also be found in many newspapers, usually right alongside the crossword puzzles and Sudoku.
Don't get KenKen confused with Sudoku, though. They are kinda like cousins, but Sudoku is just about patterns. In KenKen, the numbers actually have functions.
Take a look at these KenKen puzzles:
These are 3x3 puzzles, which means that you only use the numbers 1-3. Each number can only be used once per row and once per column.
The dark borders are called cages. All of the numbers in the cage must equal the number in the corner using the operation next to it. So in the first puzzle in the upper left, the cages with 5+ mean that the two or three numbers in that cage must add up to 5. A cage that has a single box and no operation is basically a free spot, just write the number in the box.
The How to Play page on the website gives a more detailed explanation, but you can get the hang of it very quickly.
The easiest KenKen puzzles are 3x3 and they go all the way up to 9x9. If you sign up to receive emails, even more challenging puzzles will be sent to you, such a "no op" puzzles that do not tell you whether to add, subtract, multiply, or divide.
Take a look at this 6x6:
KenKen was created by a Japanese math instructor for use in his classes, so they are designed for building number sense and problem-solving skills. Teachers can sign up for the KenKen Classroom Program, free weekly emails that include six pages of puzzles of increasing levels of difficulty with instructions and answer sheets.
I've used KenKen puzzles for stations/centers, brainteasers, team-building, and fun filler activities, in all my classes, not just math. I get a huge kick out of watching my students as they struggle to learn something new, feel satisfaction at mastering it, and then be challenged as they move up levels. Of course, I always join in on the fun, too, and have been known to participate in timed races (with and without bets on the line).
For the super competitive kiddos, there are instructions for how to run a KenKen tournament. The ultimate competition, though, is the KenKen International Championship.
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