Can you KenKen?

I recently found KenKen puzzles.  They have some similarities to Sudoku puzzles, but they include use of operations to complete the puzzle.  I think they would be a great problem-solving option during your math workshop.  It would be good practice for all kiddos, but it would really allow your kids who have their facts down to work on building that fluency that they need.

This site allows  you to customize your KenKen puzzles. (It also explains to you how they work.) You may have to do a few together as a class before you set the kids loose on them, but I think that students in Grades 1-5 could do these puzzles.  The site will allow you to differentiate the puzzles by operation and difficulty.

To try one online as a class, you can click here.  This one changes daily, and you will not be able to differentiate the problems here, so the day's puzzle might not work for students in Grades 1-2.

Problem-solving is such a key part to creating successful mathematicians, and I think KenKen puzzles provide an easy way for you to implement some good student involvement, math vocabulary, and problem solving!

Comment below if you have used these or if you know of another place to locate some KenKen puzzles.