Slide Sort — Sliding-tile logic puzzle

Slide Sort

For parents

What this teaches

A classic 15-puzzle distilled for kids — start on a 3×3 board, graduate to 4×4 around L11. Each level shuffles further from solved than the last, so the early levels teach the slide mechanic in 4 moves and the later ones become full random scrambles. Past L30 the move budget tightens for an endless climb. Best score per level persists; total stars accumulate.

Age: Best for ages 5-8

How to play

Tap a tile next to the empty square.
Slide tiles until 1, 2, 3… are in order.
Use fewer moves to earn more stars.
Pass to unlock the next level.

What to watch for

If your child is stuck, suggest fixing the top row first, then the left column. That's the standard solve strategy and an easy mental model to teach.

Concepts covered

spatial planning
move-counting and efficiency
pattern recognition (rows then columns)
patience under constraint
endless levels: 3×3 fluency → 4×4 mastery