Puzzle of the week · #1 · November 11, 2026
Who took the teacher’s pencil case?
This morning, the teacher’s pencil case disappeared during recess! Only one suspect was in the same area as the pencil case: that’s the culprit!
4×4 gridages 6-8About 5 minutesNo sign-up
Print the puzzle and its solutionA 2-page PDF: the puzzle, then the solution, to set aside for later. Played with a pencil, no screen needed.
1. Tap a token · 2. Tap a square
The detective’s rules
- 1Only one token per row and per column.Just like sudoku: never two tokens in the same row or in the same column.
- 2No tokens on big furniture.Here: table and bookshelf. An empty square is fine.
- 3You can also sit, play or stand on…a beanbag, a bench, a rug or a chair.
- 4“Right next to” = just above, below, left or right.Diagonal squares don’t count.
- 5The culprit is alone with the object.They are the only suspect in the same area as the teacher’s pencil case. The areas are separated by the thick walls.
The solution, step by stepFor parents… or for detectives in a hurry.
- 1There is only one beanbag: Max goes to D1!
- 2There is only one chair: Zoe goes to A3!
- 3Leo was right next to a table: A3, B1 or B2. A3 is already taken by Zoe, and B1 is in the same row as Max. Leo goes to B2!
- 4The pencil case was right next to a bookshelf. All possible squares are crossed out except C4: the pencil case goes to C4!
- 5The pencil case was on the playground. Who else was there? Only Leo: that’s the culprit!
In class or at home
- As a family: everyone suggests a square, and you check it together against the rules.
- In class: project the grid on the board and let the group search, one clue at a time.
This case comes from the book
Grid Mysteries – The Little Detectives
60 cases that get harder and harder (4×4, 5×5, then 6×6 grids), with cut-out tokens and step-by-step solutions. A new puzzle is published here every Wednesday.