288 mind-stretchers results | sort by:
Can You Solve This Riddle? - Ted-Ed
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Students can use Google Forms, reviewed here to record their answers. Students can use Google Drawings, reviewed here to show their thinking in solving the riddle. Have students use Aha Slides, reviewed here to create their own riddles.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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7 Puzzles To Test Your Logic Skills - MindYourDecisions
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): critical thinking (191), logic (176), problem solving (287), puzzles (176)
In the Classroom
Have students pause before each solution, solve the puzzle independently, and write a short explanation defending the reasoning they used. Students can use Timeline Infographic Templates by Canva, reviewed here to create a step-by-step sequence on how to solve the puzzle. Have students create their own puzzle using Genially, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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30 Thought-Provoking Math Puzzles for Middle Schoolers - We Are Teachers
Grades
5 to 8This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
As students are completing the puzzles, they can write notes on Google Keep, reviewed here. Students can share their thinking on a virtual bulletin board such as Lino, reviewed here. Have students create their own puzzles using templates from Canva for Education, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Logic Grid Puzzles - Brainzilla
Grades
3 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Students can record themselves using Free Online Screen Recorder, reviewed here when they solve a puzzle. Students can create their own puzzles using Seesaw, reviewed here. Have students create their own puzzle using Baamboozle, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Khan Academy Puzzles - Khan Academy
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Have students create their own videos to solve the problems using FlexClip, reviewed here. Students can share how they solved the problem on a virtual bulletin board such as Stormboard, reviewed here. Invite students to use Google Slides, reviewed here to create their own puzzle.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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AnswerThePublic - NP Digital
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (348), Research (91), search engines (43), search strategies (20)
In the Classroom
Enter a unit topic, such as ecosystems, the American Revolution, or renewable energy, into AnswerThePublic. Students can review the suggested questions and sort them into categories such as questions we can answer with facts, questions that need more research, and questions that may be too broad or unclear. Give students a broad topic, such as volcanoes or civil rights. Students can use AnswerThePublic suggestions to turn the topic into a focused research question, then revise it to make it specific, answerable, and appropriate for the assignment. Before beginning an inquiry unit, create a teacher-selected list of questions generated by the tool. Have students choose one question that interests them, explain why they chose it, and identify two reliable sources they could use to investigate.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Digital Jigsaw Puzzles - Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): artists (105), enrichment (19), puzzles (176)
In the Classroom
After completing a puzzle, students use the See-Think-Wonder strategy to record observations, inferences, and questions about the image, helping build critical thinking and visual literacy skills. Have students analyze the completed puzzle image as a primary source by identifying details, context clues, and possible perspectives. Then have them write a short paragraph explaining what the image reveals about a specific time period or topic. Have students write a narrative, diary entry, or short story inspired by the completed puzzle image.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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JigZone.com - JigZone.com
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): art history (108), artists (105), puzzles (176)
In the Classroom
Students can play the various puzzles on the website. Students can use Google Keep, reviewed here to keep track of their scores. Students can learn about the different artwork and the artist of each puzzle using Kiddle, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Daily IQ - Infoplease
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): history day (38), news (223), trivia (18), vocabulary (255), weather (172)
In the Classroom
Students can create a virtual bulletin board using Lino, reviewed here to share sentences using the Word of the Day. Students can compare and contrast weather from this day in history to today using the Interactive 2 Circle Venn Diagram by Read Write Think, reviewed here. Students can create their own Analogy of the Day to post on Google Slides, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Puzzel - Daan Weustenraad
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): game based learning (323), logic (176), puzzles (176)
In the Classroom
Have students complete a teacher-created crossword or word search using current vocabulary. After finishing, students can explain the meaning of 3-5 words they found and use them in original sentences. Set up rotating stations with different puzzles (crossword, quiz, matching). Each station reviews a different concept from the unit. Students can work in small groups to solve each activity and track their progress. After a lesson, students can create puzzles that connect the topic to real-world applications or other subjects. For example, a reading puzzle could include examples of figurative language from songs or other media.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
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Superstructures - Teaching Lab Studios
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (348), collaboration (139), graphic organizers (60), mind map (31), teaching strategies (85)
In the Classroom
Start a new unit by launching a "See, Think, Wonder" Superstructure using an image, short video clip, or text excerpt. Have students post their observations and inferences live, then discuss patterns that emerge. Create a discussion Superstructure in which each student must respond to a prompt from a rotating viewpoint (e.g., character perspectives in a novel, perspectives on a historical issue). The AI assistant helps keep the debate balanced and on topic. Have students connect new vocabulary terms in a concept-mapping activity, using examples, synonyms, and visuals to deepen understanding.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Positive Behavior Strategies: A Guide for Teachers - Understood
Grades
K to 12tag(s): behavior (48), classroom management (147), teaching strategies (85)
In the Classroom
Students can begin to monitor their moods by posting their feelings on a Padlet, reviewed here feelings board. Students can use brain breaks featured on GoNoodle, reviewed here. Students can use Canva for Education, reviewed here to create posters for nonverbal cues.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Neal.fun - Neal Agarwal
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): critical thinking (191), financial literacy (92), logic (176), maps (220), puzzles (176), timelines (60)
In the Classroom
Include activities in your station rotation. For example, ask students to complete the Paper activity, observe the height after 3, 5, and 10 folds, and then predict the height at 15 and 20 folds before moving on. Challenge students to play The Password Game to see how far they can get in creating a password that meets the ever-changing requirements. Include "Who Was Alive" as part of social studies lessons to identify well-known figures who were alive on a specific date, helping students develop context within time periods of significant events. Dark Patterns is an excellent resource for internet safety lessons, teaching students about the tricks websites use to deceive them into doing what they want. If students enjoy this site and interactive games, share Drench, reviewed here as an alternative easy-to-play, yet challenging and engaging game.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Logic and Puzzles - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use these resources to cultivate high-level reasoning. Consider implementing "Puzzle Stations" using Sudoku or logic grids as brain-teasing challenges for early finishers, turning spare classroom moments into targeted cognitive workouts. By integrating these riddles and pattern-recognition games into the start of a lesson, you can help students practice the perseverance and deductive thinking needed to "crack the code" of complex academic concepts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Responding with Wonderment and Awe (Habit of the Mind) - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): thinking skills (137), visual thinking (16)
In the Classroom
Help your students learn and practice the habits of responding with wonderment and awe. This list includes resources for all grades. Read each resource's Classroom Use section to learn ways to incorporate the information in your lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mystery Breakout - Genially
Grades
4 to 10tag(s): collaboration (139), critical thinking (191), digital escapes (29), game based learning (323), gamification (89), problem solving (287), puzzles (176), Teacher Utilities (223)
In the Classroom
Plan a whole class period where students rotate through different breakout challenges related to various subjects--math, ELA, science, and social studies--solving clues to "escape" each topic station. After the breakout, facilitate a class discussion or journal prompt in which students reflect on the strategies they used, the challenges they faced, and how they worked as a team. Have students design their own breakout rooms using Genially, incorporating subject content, puzzles, and story elements.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Escape from Pixel Castle - Genially
Grades
4 to 8tag(s): collaboration (139), critical thinking (191), digital escapes (29), game based learning (323), puzzles (176)
In the Classroom
Customize the escape room puzzles to review key concepts (e.g., fractions, grammar, ecosystems), then let students work in small groups to foster collaboration and critical thinking. Before starting the full escape room, give students mini "quests" (short riddles, vocabulary clues, or number puzzles) to build excitement and prep background knowledge. Have students create their own escape room using Genially or another tool, tied to a unit they just studied (e.g., Ancient Egypt, figurative language).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Branching Scenario - Genially
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): digital storytelling (181), graphic organizers (60), Teacher Utilities (223)
In the Classroom
Let students explore key character choices from a novel or short story. Each decision in the branching scenario leads to different consequences, helping students analyze character motivation and plot development. Develop a branching timeline and assign students to explore alternate historical outcomes (e.g., "What if the colonies didn't declare independence?"). For SEL or health education, create branching stories about peer interactions, bullying, or decision-making under peer pressure. Students can see the impact of different choices in a safe, guided format.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Animal Race - Genially
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): game based learning (323), gamification (89), Teacher Utilities (223)
In the Classroom
In ELA, assign students animals as characters and have them create short stories based on their progress in the game. Each move on the board can introduce a new plot twist, setting, or problem. Mix content from multiple subjects -- math, reading, science, and social studies -- into the game. Integrate science content by creating questions about animal habitats, adaptations, and classifications. As students race, they learn interesting facts about real animals tied to their game characters.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Jumanlly - Genially
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): collaboration (139), critical thinking (191), game based learning (323), gamification (89)
In the Classroom
Customize the Jumanlly template to align with your current unit (e.g., grammar, fractions, ecosystems). As students move through the game board, they answer questions or solve puzzles that are directly tied to the content. Divide the class into small teams, each choosing an avatar to navigate the board. Students work together to make decisions and complete tasks, encouraging communication, teamwork, and cooperative learning. Invite students to design their own version of the Jumanlly game based on a unit they've studied. They write the rules, create questions, and incorporate subject-relevant multimedia.Edge Features:
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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