About this worksheet

This free Year 6 square numbers worksheet is written for the Western Australian curriculum and mapped to SCSA content description WA6MNAUN3. It focuses on one skill and is full of hands-on activities where children shade, draw, label and complete diagrams. By the end, students can say “I can make square numbers as square arrays, recognise them and explain the patterns they make.”

What’s inside

• Key idea box – a short explanation with a worked, visual example to read before starting.
• A · Warm up (16 questions) – quick draw, shade and write practice to build confidence.
• B · Practise (9 questions) – worded problems in everyday Australian contexts, most with a diagram to work on.
• C · Think it through (5 questions) – explain your thinking: spot the mistake, true or false, always–sometimes–never, odd one out.
• D · Challenge (3 questions) – harder multi-step and problem-solving questions for students ready to stretch.
• Separate marking key – every answer with working, the correct shading and drawings shown in colour, and marking criteria for reasoning questions.

Skills covered

• Making square numbers as square arrays
• Using squared notation, e.g. 9² = 81
• Recognising and continuing square number patterns

How to use this worksheet

Print the worksheet in black and white – all shading shows clearly in grey. Read the Key idea box together, then complete Section A. Most students should attempt Sections B and C; Section D suits students aiming high or preparing for extension and selective-entry maths. The worksheet is marked out of 55, and the score box on the last page shows which section needs more practice.

Common mistakes to watch for

• Working out 6 squared as 6 × 2 = 12 instead of 36
• Thinking any rectangular array shows a square number
• Calling 50 a square number because it is close to 49
• Mixing up 1² = 1 with 1 × 2 = 2

Where this fits in the WA Year 6 sequence

Square Numbers sits in the Understanding number sub-strand of Number and algebra. It is one of a set of short, single-skill EduLift worksheets that split each Year 6 content description into sub-skills. Use the previous and next links to work through the sequence in order.

Common errors we see in tutoring

• Working out 6 squared as 6 × 2 = 12 instead of 36
• Thinking any rectangular array shows a square number
• Calling 50 a square number because it is close to 49
• Mixing up 1² = 1 with 1 × 2 = 2