Number Island

About Number Island

The trend of daily puzzle games inspired by Wordle has been great for those that like playing with letters and words. But those that like numbers have had less choice. Number Island helps put that right with a deceptively simple puzzle that challenges you, and your math.

The concept is simple, find groups of numbers that total your set of targets, but it might not be as easy as it sounds. Whether you’re trying to strengthen your number skills, a parent or teacher helping a child get better at math, or just like a challenge, Number Island has the right puzzles for you.

How to play

Each board, whatever difficulty, has the same goal: you need to make number islands that match total the targets you have.

Beside the main board is a list of ‘islands’ you must make. Starting with three on the easy mode, you can have as many as fifteen target islands on the hardest ‘Omniscient’ level.

The main board features the numbers you much use. Between nine and eighty-one squares which contain numbers from which you must make the islands.

As you click cells on the main board, they are highlighted in grey. As you click more, you can create islands of numbers that are joined horizontally and vertically.

When the total of your island matches a target, both the island and target are highlighted blue.

Keep going until you have created an island for each of your target numbers.

Tips

If you are struggling with Number Island, here are a few tips to help you on the way.

Practice on the easier levels first

If you are finding Number Island difficult, then try an easier level. The concepts are the same for each level; nothing changes except the size. However, with fewer numbers it becomes easier to spot the solutions, and as you improve, you will find it easier to step up to the harder puzzles.

Look for ready-made islands

The crosses cannot be used for islands, and that means they sometimes create islands for you. If you can see a number on its own on the main board, it may well be a ready-made island. Small groups of ‘trapped’ numbers and even those not fully surrounded, can help by reducing options.

Trying making islands with them and see if you can complete some of your targets.

Start with small numbers

Working your way up the list of target numbers helps you to minimize the options when it comes to the larger numbers.

This works because you there are fewer ways to make up a small number. With targets of ‘5’ and below, the maximum number of permutations is seven, which isn’t too difficult to manage. Indeed, if you are lucky enough to get a target of ‘1’, there is only one way you can get that, with a single cell island.

But by the time you get to a target of twenty, you have to think about 488 possible permutations!

Benefits

Number Island helps build several skills, some of them quite advanced.

Better addition fluency

Working with small groups of numbers to find targets improves fluency. Arithmetic is the foundation of math, and later success is hard to attain without basic addition skills.

By practicing spotting number combinations, fluency with numbers rapidly improves.

Improve number flexibility

Identifying the different ways sums can be made (9 can be 8+1, 7+2, 6+3, or 5+4, and that’s just with two numbers), builds comfort and confidence with breaking numbers down. This can help with more complex mathematical operations.

Get better at problem-solving

Finding all the islands, especially on the harder levels, might not be easy, but as well as gaining fluency with numbers, identifying the solution, especially after finding a wrong answer, helps build problem-solving skills.

Build tenacity

We don’t always get it right first time, and you certainly won’t with Number Island. Sometimes, the only way to solve it means you have to test an island out and get it wrong to help identify the right answer.

Number Island helps build resilience, especially in younger players, by making it easy to test ideas and learn from mistakes.

Improves working memory

The need to hold multiple numbers in mind while working on answers, testing different combinations, helps to improve working memory.

Strengthen your logical thinking

Formal logic’s roots are in mathematics. And there is logic in Number Islands puzzles, too. Often, solving just a small part logically leads to the solution of the rest. And those logic skills can benefit much more than just math learning.

Tips for teachers and parents

Treat it like a fun game

This is an easy tip because it is a fun game! Start children on the easy setting, and use it to warm up for a lesson, or just for a bit of fun. The buzz of successfully completing a puzzle will soon lead to them wanting more.

Encourage collaboration

Children often learn as much from each other as they do from a teacher. Encourage classmates or siblings to play together, talking through what they are doing and suggesting ideas to each other. It will help them develop important soft skills like teamwork and communication while they are improving their math.

Make it competitive

Because there is a timer, you can make Number Island into a competition. Done in a healthy way, you can help your children accelerate their math, and their confidence, and move away from mental addition for simple numbers.

Encourage estimation

For older children, encourage them to use estimates to quickly identify candidate islands. Spotting two numbers that add to ten can be instant, but spotting five that add to 21 takes time. Encourage them to develop their feel for numbers so they can quickly spot candidate groups.

Encourage progression

Set rules on moving up levels to keep Number Island challenging. Children will not improve if they remain on easy, but will become discouraged if the levels are too hard. Find appropriate ways to measure progress and move children up and down to make sure they are stretched enough that they keep improving.

Add up the fun now

Nothing could be easier than 1+1, but Number Island makes simple sums into a challenge. Try it now, and you’ll soon find out why math is fun.