Problems of the Week
New questions every Monday. Solve them together — math is playful and social!
Embedded Files
This week's problem ↓
This week's problem ↓
✅ fingers, blocks, calculators welcome
⛔️ search engines, ai spoil the fun.
🧠 We're collecting your thinking
Recommended Problem Solving Process
Recommended Problem Solving Process
When you meet a new problem, the first move is your own thinking — not asking or looking up the answer. Getting stuck is normal. It's actually where a lot of the learning happens.
How long to work on your own before reaching for help:
Grades 3–5: about 5–10 minutes
Grades 6–8: about 10–15 minutes (a hard problem can take longer)
These are guides, not timers. If you're still making progress, keep going. If you've been stuck in the same spot with no new ideas, move to the next step.
Give it an honest try first
Give it an honest try first
When you meet a new problem, the first move is your own thinking — not asking or looking up the answer. Getting stuck is normal. It's actually where a lot of the learning happens.
How long to work on your own before reaching for help:
Grades 3–5: about 5–10 minutes
Grades 6–8: about 10–15 minutes (a hard problem can take longer)
These are guides, not timers. If you're still making progress, keep going. If you've been stuck in the same spot with no new ideas, move to the next step.
When to look for help — and where to look
When to look for help — and where to look
Ask yourself: Can I point to the exact spot I'm stuck? Once you can name what's confusing — not just "I don't get it" — you're ready, and you'll get better help.
Other good signs it's time: you've tried a couple of strategies, you're feeling frustrated instead of curious, or you've simply stopped making progress.
Then try these in order:
Reread the problem slowly. The answer is often hiding in a word you skipped.
Check your resources — your notes, a worked example, or a tool like a number line, chart, or manipulatives.
Ask a partner and explain where you're stuck. Often you'll figure it out just by explaining it out loud.
Ask your teacher or an adult Tell them the exact step you're stuck on, not just "I'm stuck."
Getting help isn't giving up. The goal is to understand, so once you're unstuck, finish the last steps yourself to make sure you've really got it!
What "trying on your own" looks like
What "trying on your own" looks like
It's more than staring at the page. Work through these:
Read it twice. Once to see what it's about, once to find exactly what it's asking.
Say it in your own words. What do you know? What are you trying to find?
Make it visible. Draw a picture, build it with objects, make a table, or write the numbers and an equation.
Guess the ballpark. What would a reasonable answer be? This helps you catch big mistakes later.
Try a strategy. Break it into smaller parts, look for a pattern, work backwards, or solve an easier version of the same problem first.
Check. Does your answer make sense? Does it match your ballpark guess? Did you answer the actual question?
Report abuse