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If your kids love logic puzzles, this river crossing riddle is a classic. Can you believe it’s been told for over 1000 years? Today I’m sharing a FREE printable hands-on version featuring a farmer with a job to do, a hungry fox, a chicken and some tasty corn! It’s a fantastic low-prep, inexpensive activity that encourages logical thinking, reasoning and problem solving.
The Problem and Rules
A farmer needs to get his fox, chicken and corn across a river to his farm. He has a rowboat, but there are some rules.
- The boat can only carry the farmer and one animal at a time.
- The fox will eat the chicken if left alone with it.
- The chicken will eat the corn if left alone with it.
How can the farmer get the fox, chicken and corn across the river?
FREE Activity Sheet
Make the problem easier to work through with my free worksheet. Cut out the farmer, chicken, corn and boat and move them across the river and back until you solve the problem.
Print out both sheets and cut out the farmer, fox, chicken, corn and boat.
Place all four characters and the boat on one side of the river.
Move the boat, the farmer, and one of the fox, chicken, or corn across the river until you’ve found a way to transport all three without anything being eaten.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the solution.
Extra challenges
Use small toys instead of the activity sheet.
Create your own version of the puzzle.
Solution
- The farmer takes the chicken across the river, leaving the fox with the corn.
- The farmer rows back alone.
- The farmer takes the fox across the river. He can’t then leave the chicken and the fox, so he takes the chicken back to the other side.
- The farmer then leaves the chicken behind and takes the corn.
- He then leaves the fox and the corn together and rows back alone.
- Finally, the farmer picks up the chicken and rows to the other side!
Last Updated on September 15, 2026 by Emma Vanstone
The post Farmer, Fox, Chicken and Corn Puzzle appeared first on Science Experiments for Kids.
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