Matchstick Moves: Shift One Stick to Make the Equation True
During continuous practice, draw from an expanded matchstick-equation set and move exactly one match to make a true equation.
Exactly One Match, and the Whole Equation Must Be True
During continuous practice, draw from an expanded matchstick-equation set and move exactly one match to make a true equation. Questions do not repeat until the bank is exhausted; every valid one-match solution is accepted.
From Guesswork to Structured Casework (Grades 3–7)
Best suited to grades 3–7, this puzzle builds on the equal-sign reasoning of 3.OA.D.8—knowing both sides of an equation must match—and pushes toward 6.EE.B.5, where solving means finding the values that make a statement true. Along the way it strengthens the systematic counting, casework, and structural thinking (MP.7) that Olympiad and pre-algebra work depend on.
Learning Points
- spatial transformation
- multi-step planning
- working memory
- strategy review
Steps and completion rules
- Read the equation and predict which digit or symbol one moved match could change.
- Select a lit source segment and an empty destination segment.
- Select an empty destination segment. The game immediately checks that exactly one match moved and the complete equation is true.
Teacher / Parent Note
Ask for evidence of both requirements: exactly one match moved, and a true resulting equation.