All About Sudoku for Kids

September 9 is International Sudoku Day, but this fun number game is great to play — for kids and adults — any day of the year.

If you’ve never played it before, Sudoku is a logic-based number puzzle game. It is played on a 9×9 grid, with some of the cells already filled in with numbers. The objective of the game is to fill in the remaining cells with numbers 1-9 so that each row, column, and 3×3 subgrid contains all of the numbers from 1-9 exactly once.

The grids can vary in degree of difficulty based on how many grids are connected and how many numbers are shown to start with. Kids need a basic understanding of numbers, logic and patience to complete a Sudoku game, so it’s recommended for kids ages 7 and up.

For kids, you can start with specially designed, easier puzzles that have 4×4 grids or 6×6 grids instead of the usual 9×9 grid. It can also be helpful to have more of the grid filled in when they start so they can get the idea of how the puzzle is supposed to work better.

For instance Kids Math Games Online has printable Sudoku puzzles for all skill levels, starting with a 4×4 grid (which only uses the numbers 1-4) with as many as eight of the grid spaces filled out to make it easier for kids new to the game to solve it.

More good Sudoku games for kids can be found here:
Sudoku for Kids
Puzzles to Print
Math in English (also has puzzles with shapes or letters instead of numbers)
Cool 2B Kids
Science Kids (also has a blank template for devising your own games)

You can also try the online games at Sudoku Online. That page also has good tips about trying Sudoku with kids, probably the most important being to explain the rules very clearly, and to help them with their first few puzzles but let them make mistakes so they can figure out how to do it on their own. And of course there are apps you can use to play Sudoku at any skill level.

Do you play Sudoku or do your kids? I’d love to hear about it if you play together!

[Photo: Kids Math Games Online]

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each year (because it celebrates the time period when several countries gained their independence) and it’s a great time to bring in some Hispanic inspired crafts and foods. For an overview on the celebration, the difference between Hispanic and Latino and the importance of the holiday, as well as a look at Latino art and famous Latinos and Latinas, check out this post and related information from the National Museum of the American Latino.

Spanish Playground has a great collection of craft ideas that you can do in Spanish class or with kids in any class or at home. It includes things like weaving, making mola (folk art from Panama; learn more at Kid World Citizen), doing an artist study of a Hispanic artist and more.

Crafty Chica has a great collection of crafts, coloring pages and printables for celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with kids. I love this coloring page inspired by Amante bark painting, but there are also folk art stamps, corn husk dolls, tile painting ideas and more.

Papel picado is a classic folk art from Mexico that will feel familiar if you’ve ever made a paper snowflake. Learn how to make them from tissue paper with this video from Hispanic Society Museum and Library.

Learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month, get recipes and crafts from PBS Kids. I love this Peruvian siku flute, which can be made with old markers or paper straws.

While not exactly a craft, playing loteria (a Spanish language bingo game) is a fun thing to do with a group of kids. Free Kids Crafts has printable bingo cards with basic Spanish vocabulary and images for people who don’t already know these words.

And if you need a little snack when you’re done crafting, try these no bake mini tres leches cakes from Inspired by Family. They’re made with purchased pound cake so they’re pretty fast and easy.

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