Regardless of age, individuals of all ages like to play fun and exciting games. The games allow students to explore foundational concepts and generate interest. Introducing games into mathematics education provides a structure and process for children to solve problems to achieve a particular goal.
The achievement of this goal may be difficult, but the challenge makes the game fun.
Games in math learning can encourage students to explore these concepts, from number concepts, such as counting sequence, one-to-one correspondence, and computation strategies to number combinations, patterns, place value and other essential math concepts. They also offer students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of mathematics and reasoning. The teacher should provide repeated opportunities for students to play games and then allow mathematical ideas to emerge as students notice new models, relationships and strategies.
In addition to essential mathematical learning, children build confidence as problem solvers and practice important social and emotional skills. Games in the preschool classroom also allow teachers to better understand children's mathematical thinking.
We have enlisted some popular fun games for kids to learn math effortlessly.
Count Down!
Count Down is an extremely simple at-home version of the TV favourite game and can be played with any number of players.
To begin playing, take 4 'large number' cards with 25, 50, 75 and 100. Arrange a set of cards with the digits 1-10 of them, with at least two cards for each number.
Set out four large number cards (25, 50, 75 and 100), shuffle and place them facing down.
Next step, do the same with the 1–10 cards. Make sure you have at least 2 cards for each number.
Then, let the players take turns choosing one of the high number cards or one of the low number cards until there are 6 cards in total. Moving on, ask a player to generate a 3-digit number. This can be done by throwing dice or selecting cards from a pile of 0 to 9 cards.
Once the number is generated, turn over the six cards and let players try to achieve this using six digital cards and four operations.
Remember, each card can only be used once, and the winner is the first person to reach the total or the closest player after a set length of time.
The countdown game can be adapted for younger children by carefully choosing the numbers on the cards and aiming to reach a 2-digit number rather than a 3-digit number.
Salute
The salute game can be played in a small group of two kids. This simple game helps bring together verbalisation and maths. To play salute:
Make a group of two willing participants and cards numbered 1-10.
Let them both face each other and ask each to choose a numbered map and stick it on his forehead so that the other player can see.
Ask the leading player to give a statement, such as the sum of the three numbers, the difference between the three or the output of the three, etc.
Each participant must determine which number appears on their card, according to what is written on the other person's head and the established rule.
Multiplication Bingo
Enjoyed by players of all ages, Bingo is a perennially fun game, and the mathematical twist on this classic game is excellent at boosting multiplication skills.
Take a piece of paper and ask players to write down 5 numbers, multiples of a given times table. For example: if they were doing the 2 times table, they might write 4,8,10,12 and 14.
In the next step, ask the third player to lead the game and call out multiplication questions from the chosen times table, or write on cards, mixed up in a pile for players to take turns picking and reading.
If the player responds to the question on his bingo board, ask him to remove it. The first one who hits every number is the winner.
Maths Problem Scavenger Hunt
The children can enjoy the scavenger hunt game based on mathematical problems with just a little creativity. Start the game by giving children a grid with pre-set weights and lengths. It will then be a challenge for the players to find something in the garden, e.g., approximately 20cm long, or any home stuff weighing around 200gm.
Have your child collect all the items they think fit the weights and lengths on the map, and see how well they managed with kitchen scales and a tape measure!
The Yes/No Game
This is another simple maths game that children love in classrooms across the country! The yes or no game is also good at helping kids practice 2d shapes and 3d shapes.
All you need is a series of cards/some paper for this game. Have both players place a card on their heads. The cards can be of numbers, shapes or anything else. Let the first player ask a question that can only be answered with 'yes' or 'no'. E.g., 'Am I a kid?' 'Am I under 15?' 'Do I have 2 sides?' etc.
Continue to ask questions until you get the correct answer or run out of spins (you can set how many spins they get at the start of the game). Then, let another player take it a step further.
Bang Bang
Bang bang is an excellent game for practising quick recall facts. Have two willing mathematicians stand back-to-back, cowboy shootout style. Ask them to put the question like 'what is 7 x 6?' The first player to turn, confront his opponent, yell 'bang bang' and answer wins the turn.
Repeat it until several points decided at the beginning of the game are reached. That player who reaches the point first becomes the winner. One of the best hands-on maths activities is to capture kids' full attention when doing maths at home.
Five To One
The five to one game tests children's verbalisation and problem-solving skills and brings an element of competition into practising maths at home. In this game, you need to have cards with maths statements. The first player picks a card containing five statements. Each statement provides a clue to the final answer, starting with a vague clue for the first statement and an easy clue for the fifth statement.
In the next step, have player one pick a card and read out the first statement. E.g. 'This shape has four sides. The other player can choose to give an answer and score a maximum of five points, if they are correct, zero if wrong. Alternatively, they can choose to hear the four-point question. They continue until they make a mistake or decide to proceed to the next question until they get to the last question.
The 24 Game
The 24 game is the simplest and one of the best games to help your child practice arithmetic skills. A pack of number cards and a group of friends is all that this game requires.
Ask each player to pick 4 number cards randomly from the pile to begin playing. Then, find a way to manipulate the 4 digits using any of the 4 operations (+, -, x, ÷), so the result is 24. For instance, if they choose 4, 7, 8, 8, they might do so (7 – (8 8) x 4 = 24). If nobody reaches the outcome, i.e. 24, you can make it the closest win!
Life-Size Board Games
To help your child learn mathematics outside, you can easily make a full-size board game and become the characters in the game.
It would be best to have paper plates, large dice, and creativity to play this game. Use the paper plates as an easy way to make the board game squares.
The level of difficulty can vary according to your child's age. Plates may be numbered with younger children to encourage counting or to learn their number bonds, whereas older children might have timetables or other mathematical facts to answer as they go around the chart.
Multiplication Hopscotch
Hopscotch is a popular game, and by introducing maths into the mix, you can take this traditional playground game to the next level. To begin playing, take chalk, draw out hopscotch squares on the ground and in each square, write either multiple of a number or multiplication facts. Then, ask each player to hop, skip, and count simultaneously, which is an excellent way of helping those multiplication tables stick. The other best thing about this game is that it can be made with an individual, or if friends come to visit, everyone can join in and try their luck.
Telling The Time Activity
Learning to read time is what many children find tricky, but playing this game will help children learn to tackle this topic.
With the help of chalk, try drawing a clock on the ground. Then, get your kids to use their body parts to make the clock's hands. By laying hands straight, they can show the hour or minute or use their body to make the hour and the minute hands. By doing so, they can quickly learn to read time if they play this game, often.
Skunk
Skunk is one of the best games to teach your kid about probability, and while it sounds like it would be easy to win, your child will soon discover that this is not the case. Take two dice and a sheet of paper. On the paper, write the word skunk and separate each letter into a different column on a sheet of paper. Make sure each letter of the word represents a different round of the game.
Ask the first player to roll a pair of dice and work out the total of the two dice. Now, have the score written in a column, Say A.
If they throw a one, they strike zero. Once they have their first score under the letter 'A, they must decide whether to stop and take this score as their score for the game or roll back to score more and add to the first round score. If they roll one on the second turn, the game stops, and the player takes the score from the first turn as his total for the game. The risk that a player takes while moving and throwing again is that if two are thrown, all points for the game are erased, and the player scores zero.
The Pig Dice Game
Although similar to the skunk game, the pig dice game needs one player and one dice.
Ask the player to throw the dice and record the number they roll to play it. As long as a one is not thrown, the player can roll again and add the number to their total.
Post each throw; the player has to decide whether to throw again or keep the points they have scored. If one is thrown at any point, the player loses all the points scored so far.
One who scores 100 first wins the game.
First To 100
The first to 100 game is a simple and short math learning game.
Take a deck of cards, shuffle and place them facing down. Then, have each player take one card and turn it over in front of them. Record the number on the card. Have each player take a second card, add the number to the first number, and record it on the paper. Keep the game until the first player reaches 100, who would be the winner.
Wild Jack
Wild jack is a rapid mathematical card game for two or more players, where all eyes are on the Jacks in rhythm. Except for Jacks, remove all image cards in a game. Jacks are wild cards and can be used anytime to represent any number from 1 to 10.
Decide a target number. Next, toss the cards and flip the first two cards. If it is a 10 or a wild card, put them down. The 2 cards have been returned for the target number. For example, if you flip all 5 hearts, then both diamonds, your target number is 52. Each player is dealt 5 cards, which are put face up. Players can now add, subtract, multiply and divide to achieve the target number. If the target number is achieved using the 5 cards, 10 points are scored; if done using less than 5 cards, 8 points are scored.
Do you know more fun and exciting math learning games? If yes, do let us know.
