Sudoku for Kids — Free Printable PDF (4×4 and 6×6)
Nineteen sudoku puzzles built for kids: four shape grids for pre-readers, eight 4×4 number grids for first-time solvers, and seven 6×6 grids for kids who've cracked the basics. Two per page, so it doesn't eat your printer paper.
17 pages · Shapes 4–6 · 4×4 ages 5–7 · 6×6 ages 7–10 · PDF, US Letter · no email required
Ready for more? 100 sudoku per book
Sudoku for Kids comes in Easy (4×4, 6×6 and first 9×9), Medium and Hard — 100 puzzles in each, every one with exactly one answer.
In a rush? Download the PDF now and print it at home.
See inside before you print
Tap a page to see it full size. Only need one? Print just that page.
- Cover
- Page 2Print this page
- Page 5Print this page
- Page 8Print this page
- Page 11Print this page
- Page 14Print this page
What's inside the PDF
- A one-page "how to play" with a worked example — read it together first.
- Four 4×4 shape sudoku (circle, square, triangle, star) for kids who aren't reading numbers yet.
- Eight 4×4 number grids: three starter, three medium, two tricky.
- Seven 6×6 grids, graded easy to hard.
- Every answer at the back, six to a page. Every puzzle has exactly one solution.
Sudoku for kids by age
Sudoku for 5 and 6 year olds: 4×4 grids
Four rows, four columns, four boxes. Start with the intro grids (lots of numbers already filled in) or the shape grids for kids who aren't reading numbers fluently yet. A 5-year-old usually needs one worked example, then goes alone.
Sudoku for 7 and 8 year olds: 6×6 grids
Six rows, six columns, 2×3 boxes. Solving time jumps from a few minutes to 10–15, which is exactly what you want on a flight. Sudoku for Kids: Easy steps from 4×4 and 6×6 up to the first full 9×9 grids.
Printed book at this level: Sudoku for Kids: Easy — 100 puzzles, one per page — 4x4 · 6x6 · 9x9 grids
Sudoku for 9 year olds and up: 9×9 grids
Once 6×6 feels easy, go straight to full-size 9×9. Sudoku for Kids: Medium is 100 kid-friendly 9×9 puzzles — the same grid adults solve, with more numbers given.
Printed book at this level: Sudoku for Kids: Medium — 100 puzzles, one per page — full-size 9x9 grids
How to use them
Print the intro page first if your kid hasn't done sudoku before — the rules are short and there's a worked example. Start with the 4×4 shape grids for a 5-year-old, the 4×4 number grids for a 6- or 7-year-old, and the 6×6 grids for ages 7+. The puzzles get harder within each tier so kids can self-pace. Great for: car rides, restaurant waits, classroom centers, and quiet-time alternatives to screens.
What this builds
Sudoku trains the same skills you'd expect — logical reasoning, process-of-elimination, sustained attention — but the bigger benefit at this age is independence. Once your kid learns the rules, they can solve puzzles without help. That's rare in a kid activity. For older kids the 6×6 grids are a real cognitive workout that scales into adult-level 9×9 puzzles by middle school.
The printed version, and the rest of the set
Sudoku for Kids comes in Easy (4×4, 6×6 and first 9×9), Medium and Hard — 100 puzzles in each, every one with exactly one answer.
Sudoku for Kids: Easy
Kids · Easy · 114 pages
$10.99
Sudoku for Kids: Medium
Kids · Medium · 114 pages
$10.99
Sudoku for Kids: Easy, Medium & Hard
Kids · Easy, Medium & Hard · 117 pages
$10.99
Puzzle Book for Kids: Easy
Kids · Easy · 118 pages
$10.99
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Frequently asked questions
- Is this sudoku for kids printable really free?
- Yes — free PDF, no email or sign-up. Print it at home: two puzzles per page, or print just the page you want from the preview above.
- What age can start sudoku?
- Most kids can solve 4×4 shape sudoku at age 5 once they understand "one of each shape per row and column." Number 4×4 grids are reliable starting at age 6. 6×6 grids land around age 7 or 8.
- What's the difference between 4×4 and 6×6 sudoku?
- 4×4 has four rows, four columns, and four 2×2 boxes — much faster to solve and easier to teach. 6×6 has six rows, six columns, and six 2×3 boxes. Solving time goes from a couple of minutes to ten or fifteen.
- Are these number sudokus or shape sudokus?
- Both. The PDF has number grids and shape grids so pre-readers can play too.
- Is there a difficulty progression?
- Yes — each tier (4×4, 6×6) starts easy and ramps up. The intro grids have many given values; the hardest grids in each tier have the minimum.
- Can I print these for my classroom?
- Yes — single classroom or home daycare. Don't redistribute the PDF online.
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