Sudoku for Kids and Families: A Fun Way to Learn Logic

You can start as a early as 5 years old. I recently started doing 4x4 Sudoku puzzles with my kid. They have the same rules as a traditional Sudoku, but with fewer choices. I found them very entertaining and my child had no trouble understanding them. I just showed them the puzzle and let them work it out.

This activity will benefit your child for years to come. It will help him or her to develop logical thinking, the ability to persist in solving a puzzle and the realization that there can be more than one solution to a problem. We call the latter ability executive function, but here at The Puzzle Corner we like to call it solving a puzzle.

I think they are just starting to catch on to patterns, maybe? It's so fun to start to work together on things like this. I sat down with him at the table and we worked on this on a big piece of paper. We are taking turns and I'm asking him if he thinks he should put the next number. Alone on the screen is not near as fun as working on the paper. He is feeling so confident though in showing me any patterns they notice.

Later on you can always increase the level of difficulty. Try starting with a 4×4, then go to 6×6 or even an easy 9×9 Sudoku. If he is getting agitated then try going back to an easier level. There is no need to have a battle over the Sudoku. You just want the child to look forward to doing another one tomorrow.

It's fair to say screen time is one of the biggest concerns for parents, but there are actually some apps that are actually kind of educational. Like Coffee Sudoku, an app that allows kids to play a game of Sudoku without all the fuss of making mistakes. The app has an undo button, hints, and you can actually go back and change and correct mistakes without all the eraser dust that comes with trying and failing and failing and trying and... you get the point. Ah, stress free learning!