Hamilton’s In-Depth Problem-Solving Investigations provide school-wide solutions to the challenges of building investigative skills from Early Years to Year 6.
The skills of mathematical problem solving and investigation are fundamental to the maths curriculum for England and for developing sophisticated and modern mathematicians everywhere. However, these skills do not fall naturally out of the teaching of the maths curriculum itself. They require dedicated time, content and pedagogy. Most challengingly, they require teachers to present children with graded activities and problems that are relevant to the curriculum while at the same time develop skills in mathematical reasoning and logical thinking, and give children sufficient practice to feel confident in these.
Hamilton's Problem-Solving Investigations provide materials and advice for teaching these skills well, in a variety of ways and contexts, and with confidence.
Individually, investigations are incorporated into every unit in our maths blocks.
Y1 | Y1/2 | Y2 | Y3 | Y3/4 | Y4 | Y5 | Y5/6 | Y6
Or, you can find all of our investigations for a specific year group on our resources page.
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6
These open-ended investigations for Reception or Early Years settings are designed to take advantage of outdoor learning environments, but many of them can be adapted to run inside.
Reception Maths: Open-ended Investigations
See examples of worked investigations, with explanatory notes about the process.
Topics present abundant opportunities for contextual maths. Have fun with meaningful maths and explore a cross-curricular topic at the same time. Find hidden maths treasures.
For further maths problems and puzzles for your class, try these National Numeracy publications from 2000. They come with answers too!
From £155 (+ VAT) per year. Access to all key stages for multiple users.
Sign upJust £45 (£37.50 + VAT) per year to get access to all resources.
Sign upJust £33 (£27.50 + VAT) to get access to all resources for 2 years.
Sign up