Teachers can also support families by passing along any math-related games they have played in class. While there are many math-related games families can enjoy together, I have compiled a list below of some of my favorite math-related games as a starting point which can be used both in the classroom and at home. Zeno Math also has a great list of games for early math learning, and check out Kent Haine's website Games for Young Minds with tons of math-related games (he even has a newsletter you can sign up for which delivers a new math game idea to your inbox each week).
Paper/Pencil Games
Four Strikes and You're Out - This Marilyn Burns game is a mathematical twist on hangman and can easily be adapted to use lesser or greater values. One person generates an addition/subtraction/multiplication/division equation and writes out blanks for each of the digits. For example, __ __ + __ __ = __ __. The other players get to guess digits, one at a time, and similar to hangman the blanks are filled in if the digit is a part of the equation. As the name of the game implies, the other players must use their understanding of computation and place value to strategically avoid getting four strikes.The Product Game - This game from NCTM is a combination of tic-tac-toe and multiplication. Players take turns selecting a factor from the digits 1 - 9, and then players color in the corresponding product for those factors on the game board. The player to get four products colored in a row/column/diagonally first is the winner. It can be played with paper and pencil by printing out this game sheet.
Strike It Out - This game from Nrich, a University of Cambridge resource, requires players to use their understanding of addition and subtraction to strategically stop their opponent from being able to take a turn. The first player selects two numbers to cross out and then circles the sum or difference of those two numbers. The next player must use the number just circled as a part of the next addition or subtraction problem and select one additional number to cross off before circling the sum or difference of these new numbers. Gameplay continues until one player stops the other from making a move.
Dice Games
Sum Dice - One of the most straightforward dice games, this is accessible to our early math learners who know how to add numbers through 12 and understand the concept of even and odd numbers. Two dice are rolled. If the sum is even player 1 gets the point, and if the sum is odd, player 2 gets the point. To adapt this game and increase the difficulty, roll more than two dice or use dice with 10, 12, or 20 sides. You can also find the difference or product instead (though this would change the name of the game...). Take it to the next level after gameplay by figuring out if Sum Dice is a fair game (see Kent Haine's post about this here).Race to 100 - This is a game that can be adapted depending on math readiness. Players roll two dice and then find the sum/difference/product/quotient of the two numbers rolled. The game piece is moved along the game board based on the answer to the rolled dice, and the first person to reach exactly 100 is the winner.
How Close to 100? - I love this YouCubed game because it couples computational fluency with conceptual understanding. Players roll two dice and shade in the corresponding array on the grid (i.e. a 6 and 4 are rolled, so a 6 by 4 rectangle is shaded in). The player also writes down the corresponding multiplication equation (6x4=24). Gameplay alternates between players, and the goal is to fill up as much of the grid as possible. The game ends when both players have rolled the dice and cannot fit any more arrays onto their grid. This can easily be adapted to use larger grids or dice with 10, 12, or 20 sides to increase the complexity.
Farkle - Roll six 6-sided dice, and use the scoring guide to determine how many points each player gets during each turn. The winner is the person who reaches 10,000 points first. The game can also be purchased here.
Card Games
War - This can be adapted for many different levels of math readiness. The typical War card game is perfect for younger learners who are comparing numbers, and the numeric cards even have the pictures that allow students to use 1-1 correspondence to count. As students grow older, this can become Addition/Subtraction/Multiplication War where each player lays down two cards, and the person with the greatest sum/difference/product of the cards gets to keep both pairs. This can be played by assigning additional numeric values to face cards (Jack=11, Queen=12, King=13, Ace=1), or the face cards can be removed. When students are ready to work with integers, Integer War can be played with red cards representing negative numbers and black cards representing positive numbers.
5x5 - This game shared by Sara Van Der Werf requires multiple players (ideally 4 or more). Each player has a 5x5 grid, which can easily be made by drawing it on a sheet of paper. One person draws cards from a deck (face cards removed), and the players have to put the number drawn in one of the spaces on the grid (no erasing to move numbers around or "saving" numbers to place later). After the 25 numbers have been drawn, each player calculates his/her score by adding any adjacent numbers that are the same in each row and column (i.e. if a 10 and a 10 are next to each other in the same row, the score for that row is 10+10=20). The total score is calculated from adding all the sums from each row and column, and the highest score wins.
Krypto - This game from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics can be played online or by dealing out five normal playing cards. Players must use all 5 numbers and any combination of addition/subtraction/multiplication/division to reach the target number as the final answer.
Other Math-Related Games
24 - Use each of the four numbers show on the card once with any operations to come to an answer of 24. This classic math game can also be played online at 4nums.com.
Battleship -Battleship is a great introduction to the coordinate plane. By understanding how to name a location based on its horizontal and vertical coordinates, students will be ready to transfer this to the x, y coordinate plane. For students in grades 5+, you can try playing Coordinate Graphing Battleship from MIT by printing out this template.
Mancala - This is a game of counting and strategy. A game of counting strategy, the goal is to capture more stones than your opponent into your mancala (area of your game board). This game also has a fascinating history if you care to read about it!
Quirkle - This game can be enjoyed by young and old math learners! Players build lines by matching either color or shape and score points based on these matches.
Shut the Box - Players roll two dice and put down the tiles that have the same value as the sum. For example, if a 5 and a 3 are rolled, the player can put down the 8 or the 5 and 3 or the 6 and 2 or the 7 and 1. This is a great game for practicing addition coupled with strategy. This game can also be played using dice and this paper game board.
Sumoku - This is a crossword-style game with numbers where players use repeated addition or multiples to determine the tiles laid down and then the corresponding score.
Yahtzee - This classic game has players striving to get the most points possible by rolling five dice each turn. Points are scored for rolling a straight, full house, and three/four/five of a kind. Probability and addition are ripe opportunities for math conversations with this game. (As long as you know how to score, you can also play Yahtzee without the formal game set as long as you have five dice.)
Scorekeeping
Any time there is any game that involves keeping score, a young mathematician in the group should serve as scorekeeper. At the most basic level, tally marks can be used to keep score for some games, and addition/subtraction of increasingly complex numbers will be relevant for other games. Scorekeeping is a great way to build fluency, and it can also be a valuable opportunity to talk about computational strategies. For example, if I am playing a game with a child, and a player has 18 points with 8 more to be added, I would ask the child how she would find the score. After the child shares her strategy (like using knowledge of doubles like 8 + 8 to do 18 + 8), I could share that I have another strategy (like adding 10 and then taking away 2).What are some of your favorite math-related gams? Please comment below so we can add to our list!
