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Picross 4 Kids

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This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

You may be a fan of the other grid-type puzzles out there. Like me, you may have tried to introduce your children to them (or your children may have begged to try after watching you puzzle over them each day).

Enpromo-cover.jpgter Picross 4 Kids.

Picross For Kids is an illustrated logic puzzle book written by Matt Needham and Brandon Wood, a math major and father of 3. It sets out to make a unique kind of picture logic puzzle accessible and fun to kids starting as young as 5 or 6.

The book is 52 pages long (formatted sort of like a comic book), and features general instructions, practice puzzles, and many puzzles to solve from beginning to much more advanced. You can purchase a book or a printable ebook.

I will admit that it took Amanda (age 9) and I a little while to get the hang of it. Each puzzle features clues about which squares should be filled in. For example, in the puzzle below the numbers down the side signify the number of squares that should be filled in the row. The numbers directly above the columns show what should be filled in there. Where it gets tricky is the numbers that appear above those. The 1 in the first column means that after filling in two squares, you fill in one more square, but what makes it a puzzle is that you aren’t directed specifically where to put it. The end result is a picture, so you have to make guesses on where it will fit to complete the picture.

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Does this sound like something you and your kids would enjoy solving together? This site has some samples and a full description if you’d like to buy it now or find out more.

This contest is open to everyone, in all geographic regions! We will award one print copy (to ship to U.S. or Canada only) and three downloadable and printable ebooks.

Leave a comment if you’d like to win. We’ll post the winners on March 9.

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223 Comments

  49. would love for summer to try these!! puzzles are very good learning exxcercises without them knowing they are learning!!!

    Reply

  55. These would be great for the boys, they love puzzles and math games.
    Thank you and Good Luck everyone,
    kelly

    Reply

  60. I’ve been buying logic puzzle books for myself all my life. I didn’t know they made them for younger people. This is awesome!

    Reply

  71. my kids would love this! they always see me doing the big ones in Games Magazine and wish they had some of their own to do!

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  86. My kids would love this. They are always wanting to do puzzles (crossword, word find, etc). What a perfect idea.

    Reply

  101. I loved logic puzzles when I was a kid. Never thought about starting kids as young as 5 on them. Great idea!

    Reply

  113. I have a picross game on the Nintendo DS and it’s so much fun. I have a friend who’s daughter would love this, mine arn’t old enough to do it yet.

    Reply

  146. I have a 7 year old and a 13 year old and both are boys. Maybe this will give them something to do on those days when it is rainy/cold/hot.

    Reply

  158. We’re always up for a challenge. Coming from a family of engineers and mathematicians… this looks like a great way to have some fun and learn some problem solving skill sets too.
    Thanks a bunch!
    Marissa 🙂

    Reply

  165. This would be great to do with my grandaughter, I’m wondering if my mom, who is in the early stages of alzheimers might enjoy it as well. Thanks 🙂

    Reply

  173. Hi, I would love to win this kind of puzzle! How fun
    this is! Please enter me in your drawing. Thanks,Cindi

    Reply

  175. This sounds like a great activity for when my kids need to sit and wait quietly somewhere. I would love to be entered.

    Reply

  179. What a great giveaway. My sons would love a puzzle book like this. Please enter me and thanks for the giveaway.

    Reply

  207. What a great idea! I have been a huge fan of “picross” or paint-by-number puzzles (as they’re known in Games Magazine) for years. I’d love the chance to introduce them to my 5 1/2 year old son. Thanks for the contest!

    Reply

  210. My girls BEG me to let them try my sudoku puzzle books. I always give in and end up with pages and pages of numbers all over. Even the simple ones are too hard for my kiddos. I’d love to get this for them. Consider me entered!

    Reply

  221. Sounds like it would be perfect for my DD who’s always trying to figure out simple sudoku’s ….and she’s only 4!

    Reply