Move over Sudoku, here come Balance Benders™! You can use these activities as quick, fun logic problems or as stepping stones to success in algebra. Students develop problem-solving skills and pre-algebra skills as they solve balance puzzles that are more fun and addictive than Sudoku puzzles! Students must analyze each balance to identify the clues, and then synthesize the information to solve the puzzle. Try one—and then try to stop!

Balance Benders™ puzzles spiral—gradually introducing more challenging concepts to give students the confidence and ability to master algebra word problems. These concepts include:

• Deductive Thinking
• Pre-Algebra
• Analysis
• Commutative Property
• Distributive Property
• Associative Property
• Substitution Property of Equality and Inequality
• Addition Property of Equality and Inequality
• Subtraction Property of Equality and Inequality
• Multiplication Property of Equality and Inequality
• Division Property of Equality and Inequality