4×4 Sudoku for Kids

What is a 4×4 sudoku?

A 4×4 sudoku has just 16 squares and four different symbols. The grid is split into four boxes of 2×2 squares, marked by thick lines. Each symbol must appear exactly once in every row, every column and every box.

Because it is so small, the 4×4 is the ideal first sudoku for preschoolers. With animals or fruit instead of numbers, children don’t need to count or read – they simply spot which picture is still missing. More on that: picture sudoku for kids.

Tips for getting started

• Start on “Easy”: 8 to 10 of the 16 squares are already filled in, so often only one or two pictures are missing per row.
• Think out loud: “This row already has the dog, the cat and the bunny – who’s missing?”
• Rows first, boxes later: once rows feel easy, start paying attention to the 2×2 boxes as well.
• Step it up: when “Easy” goes smoothly, switch to “Medium” and “Hard” – fewer pictures are given there.

Pictures, numbers, letters or colors

The ready-made 4×4 worksheets below come in several versions: animals and fruit for the youngest, numbers 1–4 for kids who know their digits, letters A–D and color circles to color in. The cut-out sheet comes with a page of the missing pictures for each puzzle, so children can lay them on the grid and glue them down once they fit.

What comes next?

What the first steps look like at each age is covered in sudoku for 4-year-olds and sudoku for 5-year-olds. Once your child solves 4×4 puzzles confidently, move on to the 6×6 sudoku. In level mode this happens automatically: the first 50 levels are 4×4 and get gradually harder, then the 6×6 world begins.