Counting Pairs · The Handshake Puzzle
Three friends at the park, and high fives go all round.
About the Puzzle
Three friends at the park, and high fives go all round.
20 Puzzles
High Fives
The Hug Circle
Class Photo
The Football League
Room for Six Photos
The Handshake Argument
Ten Handshakes
The Chess Club
Ten Games or More
The Bigger Group
Dance Partners
Two Party Rooms
Clinking Glasses
Home and Away Games
Two More Walk In
Two Members Away
Two Leagues
The Handshake Rule
Whose Rule Is Right?
Out of Stickers
Frequently asked questions
Counting Pairs is tagged for Grades K-12. Puzzles within it get harder as your child improves.
20 Counting Pairs puzzles, each a fresh layout of the same rules.
No: Counting Pairs plays directly in the browser, right on this page. No login, no download.
Present a real-world scenario and a question that can't be solved by direct calculation: the child has to find the underlying structure or trick (e.g. realizing every handshake gets counted twice). Builds mathematical insight, seeing why something must be true, rather than computation speed.