by Rachel Wells
Classroom games boost engagement, and when children are given an opportunity to learn through play they not only have more fun, but are also able to retain more of what they learn.
Math games give children a chance to use their critical thinking skills to develop a deeper understanding of essential topics, and best of all they make it so kids don’t even realize they’re learning and cementing those important math skills in their brain!
Check out our list of 13 fun math games that require little to no prep work, and are perfect for elementary age students:
Mystery Number
Supplies Needed:
Paper and pencils
How To Play:
This is a two player game. The first player will need a paper with 20 numbers written on it. The numbers can be changed depending on what numbers you are currently working on. The second player will choose one of those numbers and write it down on their paper so their partner can’t see it. The first partner will try guess the number their partner wrote, or the ‘mystery number’, by guessing one number at a time. Each time they guess the number wrong they cross it off on their paper, and continue guessing until they figure out the number their partner wrote.
The Counting Game
Supplies Needed:
Small counters, dice, paper, pencil
How To Play:
Students will play with a partner. Player one will roll the dice and count out the same number of counters, making a pile in front of them. Player two will then do the same. Players go back and forth rolling the dice 10 times each, and adding counters each time to their individual piles. The player with the most counters at the end wins.
Odds And Evens
Supplies Needed:
A dice, and a piece of paper and pencil for each player
How To Play:
Each player draws a line down the middle of their paper to create 2 columns. The left side will be for odd numbers, and the right side for evens. Players take turns rolling the dice, and whatever number they roll they must put that many dots in the correct column on their paper. The first player to get 20 points in either column wins the game.
Recycle Ball
Supplies Needed:
Recycle bin, pencil, paper
How To Play:
Write sums on scraps of paper and scatter them on the carpet. You will tell your students math facts with the scrap paper sums as the answers. If a student knows the answer to your question, they will need to raise their hand, tell you the answer, and find the scrap of paper with that number on it before crumpling it up and shooting it like a basketball into the recycle bin. Continue until all the scraps have been used.
Fraction War
Supplies Needed:
Deck of cards for each group
How To Play:
This is a variation of the classic card game ‘War’ but will have students practicing fraction skills. Students will play with a partner and each person gets half of the deck of cards. Both students will flip their top 2 cards over and make a fraction assigning one card to be the numerator and the other to be the denominator. The person with the larger fraction gets to keep all 4 cards. Keep playing until one player has all the cards.
Crash
Supplies Needed:
Car shaped pieces of cardstock or paper, a bag
How To Play:
To prep this activity you will need to write numbers on each of the car shaped cards, and the word ‘crash’ on a few of them as well. Put all the car cards in a bag and have students sit in a circle. Start the game by handing the bag to one student. They will reach in the bag and pull out one card without looking. If they get a number card they will need to say the number out loud and place the card on the floor in front of them, but if they get a ‘crash’ card everyone that currently has a card out has to put it back in the bag. Students will continue playing by passing the bag around the circle one at a time. In order for the class to win the game everyone in the circle has to have at least one number card out in front of them with no crashes!
Action Addition
Supplies Needed:
2 dice, index cards, pencil
How To Play:
To prep this activity, you will need to write physical activities on each index card (jumping jacks, sit ups, hoping on one foot, etc.) Students will take turns rolling two dice and choosing a physical activity index card from a face down pile. The student rolling the dice will add up the two numbers and the whole class will need to do that many of the physical activity listed on the card.
Around The World
Supplies Needed:
Flashcards
How To Play:
Students will need to be seated in a circle. Have one student stand behind another and show them the same flashcard. Whichever person shouts out the correct answer first moves over and stands behind the next student in the circle. In order to go ‘around the world’ one student has to make it all the way around the circle and back to their original spot.
Stand Up, Sit Down
Supplies Needed:
Nothing
How To Play:
To play this game you will be reading math problems with answers out loud to the class. If you read a math problem with a correct answer students must stand up, but if you read them a math problem with an incorrect answer they must sit down. If the whole class is correct, they get a point, but if anyone gets it wrong the teacher gets a point. The tricky part is that they aren’t allowed to talk to each other!
Hot Potato
Supplies Needed:
A ball, tape, small pieces of paper, pencil
How To Play:
Before playing this game you will need to write math facts (without answers!) on small pieces of paper and tape them to your ball. This is played very much like regular hot potato where students will sit in a circle and pass the ball around while music plays, except for in this game when the music stops the person holding the ball has to take off one of the math facts, solve it and read it out loud. The game continues until all the papers have been taken off.
Math Facts Race
Supplies Needed:
Math grids of poster board, markers
How To Play:
Divide your class into two teams each lined up relay race style. At the front of the room write out math facts the teams will need to solve – you can use identical grids of multiplication or addition facts, or number sentences with missing addends. The first person on each team will run up to the front of the room with their marker and fill in one of the missing numbers, then run back to give the marker to the next person in line. Whichever team finishes their board first wins.
Jump On The Answer
Supplies Needed:
Sidewalk or blacktop, chalk
How To Play:
On the sidewalk or blacktop write out different answers (repeating them several times) using sidewalk chalk. When you’re ready to play you will read an equation and students will run and stand on the correct answer. (Remind students that more than one student can put their foot on an answer at a time)
101
Supplies Needed:
2 Dice, paper
How To Play:
This is a partner game. Player A rolls a dice, then decides whether they want it to be worth that number or that number times 10 (so if they roll a 5, they can choose to make it a 5 or a 50, a 6 rolled on the dice can be played as a 6 or 60, etc.) and records the number on their paper. Player B then does the same thing. Players keep going back and forth adding their numbers to their growing total. If a player goes over 101 points they have to start back over at 0 (so you do have to be careful which number you want to add!) The player with a total closest to 101 points without going over is the winner.
