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NumPath

Grid-based Maths Strategy Game

MathematicsPrimary, Secondary, Sixth Form

A maths game shaped like a route puzzle: you move across a grid where each square applies an operation to your score, and you must reach the goals with the exact number. The twist is that each square burns out once used, so trial and error will not do: you have to plan the route before the first move. It is chained mental arithmetic with a layer of strategy on top — closer to a puzzle than to a worksheet.

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Mathematics · Primary, Secondary, Sixth Form

Play NumPath →

🧠 Pedagogical Benefits

Multi-step planning

Because squares get used up, you must picture the whole sequence before moving, as in chess. Anticipating consequences three or four steps ahead is exactly what later lets a student solve a long problem without getting lost.

Chained mental arithmetic

Every move operates on the previous result, so you hold a number in your head while evaluating the next options. That exercises working memory, the real bottleneck when a student gets stuck on a multi-step problem.

Backward reasoning

To hit a specific goal, students end up thinking backwards: "I need 25, and the last square doubles, so before it I needed 12.5 — no, that is not the route". That is the basis of algebra: the same as isolating an unknown.

💡 Practical Example

"The player starts at 10 and the goal asks for 25. They see +5 → ×2 → +5, which gives 35: too much. They mentally try +3 → ×2 → −1 and land exactly on 25. But the ×2 square can only be used once, so before moving they must check they do not need it for the second goal."

Try NumPath now →

📝 NumPath on paper

Prefer to learn without screens? Try this analogue version:

1
Draw a 5×5 grid and write random operations in each cell.
2
Mark 3 cells as "goal" and assign each a target number.
3
Start in the top-left corner with an initial number.
4
Move cell by cell and cross each one out after using it. Can you reach all 3 goals?

🎲 Similar activities you might enjoy

If you like NumPath, these activities work similar skills:

NumPath on paper

Draw a 5×5 grid, write an operation in each square and mark three goals with target numbers. Crossing out each square as it is used is what turns it into a real puzzle.

Number-path puzzles

Grids where you must find the route whose numbers add to a given total. There are whole books of these and they work well as a five-minute warm-up.

The broken calculator

Name a target number and ban some keys: you must reach it with what is left. Same muscle — finding a path with limited resources — and it needs no paper.

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