River crossing ferry puzzle: rules and printable materials

Ferry a fox, hen and grain across without leaving an unsafe pair unattended.

Suggested group

1–8

Plan for

10–18 minutes

Bring

Bank mat, four tokens and move log

Set the story and pieces

Place the ferryman, fox, hen and grain on the left bank. The boat always contains the ferryman and can carry at most one other piece. It can also cross with only the ferryman. Nobody swims or throws an item. The goal is to place all four pieces on the right bank. This is a paper logic story, not advice for handling real animals or using boats.

Define safe banks

Without the ferryman on a bank, fox with hen is unsafe and hen with grain is unsafe. Fox with grain is safe. When the ferryman is present, any combination on that bank is safe. Check both banks after every crossing; a move is legal only if both banks are safe. Moving a printed token across the central river counts as one crossing. A return trip counts too.

Plan, then execute

For two to eight guests, agree on a proposed next passenger before moving anything. One player moves the boat, another checks the two banks, and another records the move; combine roles for a smaller group. Record “alone” when the ferryman carries nobody. If the team proposes an unsafe state, leave the pieces where they were, explain which pair would be unattended, and choose again.

Worked first move and trap

Taking the fox first leaves the hen with grain on the left, so that move is illegal. Taking the hen first leaves fox and grain together, which is safe. After the hen reaches the right bank, the ferryman can return alone. Notice that carrying a piece back is allowed; insisting every piece only move forward makes the puzzle impossible under these rules.

Hints, answer and finish

Offer a hint about returning a passenger before showing the whole route. One seven-crossing solution is: hen right, ferryman left alone, fox right, hen left, grain right, ferryman left alone, hen right. The host sheet records both banks at every step for checking. Other routes count if every state is safe and all pieces finish right; fewer crossings is an optional comparison after everyone solves, not a reason to reject a safe longer route. Stop after fifteen minutes and walk through the solution if requested.

Printable materials

Preview before printing at 100% scale; turn off browser headers and footers. Keep host answers separate. This is a manual tabletop kit, not computer opposition or an automatic judge.