Sudoku for Kids
Shape and number puzzles with one answer each.
- Ages 4–8
- Logical thinking
- Shapes and numbers 1 to 6
Checkers
How to play checkers: move diagonally, jump over a piece to take it, and reach the far side to crown a king. Start on the mini 6×6 board, then try the classic. Free for ages 6 to 8.
Your turn. Tap one of your blue pieces.
How to play
Start on the mini 6×6 board, then try the classic. Free for ages 6 to 8.
- Choose a board: Mini is 6 × 6 with 6 pieces a side, Classic is 8 × 8 with 12 a side. Then choose to play Mathumo (Friendly, Thinking or Clever) or Two players.
- Blue goes first, from the bottom. Tap one of your pieces. Green dots show where it can go. Tap a dot to move there.
- Pieces move one square diagonally forward, on the dark squares. You can jump over a piece next to you if the square just past it is empty. The jumped piece is taken off the board.
- You have to jump when you can, and the pieces that can jump glow. If the same piece can jump again, keep going: tap the next dot. Tap the piece to take the jump back before you finish.
- Reach the far side and your piece becomes a king with a crown. Kings move and jump one square in any direction, forward or back. Becoming a king ends your turn.
- You win when the other player has no pieces or cannot move. The game is a draw if the same position happens three times, or if 40 turns pass with no jump and no new king. Undo against Mathumo takes back your move and the reply.
Tip: if you can jump, you have to. Look for the glowing pieces. Not sure what to do? Tap a piece and the green dots show every place it can go.
What children learn
- Strategy: protecting pieces, trading when it helps and heading for a king.
- Planning ahead: asking what the other player can jump after you move.
- Diagonal moves: moving and jumping along diagonals, and counting squares in two directions.
- Taking turns: following rules that include “you have to jump”, and playing fair with a friend.
How to play checkers: the rules
Checkers is a game for two players on the dark squares of a square board. Each turn you move one piece diagonally forward or jump over an opponent’s piece to take it. You win when the other player has no pieces left or cannot move. In the UK the game is called draughts.
Board and setup
On the classic 8×8 board each player has 12 pieces on the dark squares of their three nearest rows. The mini 6×6 board is a smaller version for learning: 6 pieces each, on the two nearest rows. The rows in the middle start empty, and the rules are the same on both boards.
Moving
A normal piece, called a man, moves one square diagonally forward onto an empty dark square. It never moves backward.
Jumping and multiple jumps
If an opponent’s piece is diagonally next to yours and the square just past it is empty, you can jump over it and take it off the board. Jumps are compulsory: if you can jump, you have to, and if you have a choice of jumps, you pick which one. If your piece can jump again from where it lands, it keeps going in the same turn, one jump at a time.
Kings
A piece that reaches the far row becomes a king and wears a crown. A king moves and jumps one square diagonally in any direction, forward or backward. Becoming a king ends your turn.
Winning and drawing
You win when the other player has no pieces, or has pieces but no legal move. The game is a draw if the same position happens three times, or if 40 turns pass with no jump and no new king.
More games
Numberlink
Join each pair of matching numbers with paths that never cross.
- Ages 5–8
- Path planning
- Spatial reasoning
Tangram Workshop
Fill each picture with shapes: turn them, flip them, make them fit.
- Ages 4–8
- Composing shapes
- Turning and flipping
Questions about Checkers
How do you play checkers?
Each player has pieces on the dark squares. Players take turns moving a piece one square diagonally forward. If a piece is next to an opponent’s piece with an empty square just past it, you can jump over it and take it, and you must jump when you can. A piece that reaches the far side becomes a king and can move backward too. You win by taking all the opponent’s pieces or leaving them with no move.
Do you have to jump in checkers?
Yes. In standard checkers a jump is compulsory: if you can jump, you must. If more than one jump is possible, you choose which one. This game highlights the pieces that can jump so children see why a move is not allowed.
What is the difference between the mini and classic boards?
The mini board is 6 by 6 with 6 pieces each, so games are shorter and there is less to keep track of. The classic board is the standard 8 by 8 with 12 pieces each. The rules are the same on both.
What age can children start playing checkers?
Many children can learn the moves at about age 6, and the mini board is a gentler start. Jumping and the “you have to jump” rule take practice, so playing against the Friendly setting first works well.
Which checkers rules does this game use?
English or American checkers: men move and jump forward only, kings move and jump one square in any direction, jumps are compulsory and a chain of jumps continues, and a piece that becomes a king ends its turn. There is no flying king. For this game, a draw is declared when the same position happens three times or after 40 turns with no jump or new king.