The colour cube
The colour cube is a sliding puzzle for the interactive whiteboard or a tablet. A colour pattern appears at the top and the tiles sit below with one empty space: slide them until the board matches the pattern. Both teams start with the same board and the first to copy it wins.
What children practise
- Logical reasoning and step-by-step problem solving.
- Planning: deciding which tile to move first so as not to undo finished parts.
- Spatial awareness: comparing positions between the model and the board.
- Visual discrimination of colours and their place on a 3 x 3 or 4 x 4 grid.
- Comparing solutions: the move counter invites pupils to look for shorter routes.
Levels and settings
Easy
3 x 3 board and a nearby pattern, a few moves away (at most 3 in early years, 5 in Year 1 and 8 from Year 2).
Medium
3 x 3 board; the pattern is nearby up to Year 3 and any arrangement from Year 4.
Hard
4 x 4 board with 15 tiles; nearby pattern in early years and Year 1, any arrangement from Year 2.
How to play it in class
- Open the game and choose the year and difficulty: the board size and how far away the pattern is change with them.
- Name the two teams or choose On my own.
- Tap a tile next to the gap to slide it, or drag it into the gap. The dark square in the pattern shows where the gap must end up.
- The team that makes its board match the pattern wins. At the end you see how many moves it took.
Ways to play
In teams, at the same time
The screen splits in two and each team plays on its own half at the same time.
For one player
One child plays on the whole screen at their own pace: on the whiteboard, a computer or a tablet.
Frequently asked questions
Can early years children manage it?
Yes. There is nothing to read, and in early years the pattern is always only a few moves away. On Easy and Medium the grid is 3 x 3.
Can it always be solved?
Yes. The pattern is made by moving the gap around, so it can always be reached.
Are there other challenges?
Yes. In the settings you can switch to moving the yellow tile to the marked square or putting the whole board in order, with numbered or lettered tiles.
Is it free?
You can play 5 free games without signing up. After that, a one-off payment of €9.99 unlocks all 78 games for ever, on all your devices. There is no subscription.
Do I need to install anything?
No. It opens in the browser of the interactive whiteboard, panel, computer, tablet or iPad. Once loaded, it also works offline.
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