Math Games

One way to send a message that math is fun is to play games that not only teach the math "facts" such as the addition and multiplication times tables, but teach kids to play with numbers, to take them apart and use the operations to reassemble them.

The following games were introduced to me by Ruth Parker, who mentioned that many of them come from Marily Burns's book About Teaching Mathematics. They are designed not only to be fun, but to be accessible to even beginning learners, yet also challenge advanced students, and even adults.

All of the following games involve more skills than listed. You can try them all a grade lower, but don't push if the child wants help or doesn't find it fun. Upper grades aren't listed if even a mathematician would be interested in playing one of its variations.

Links to PDFs of pages to print and/or copy are in the descriptions.

Circles and Stars- grades 3-6, multiplication.

BoxTimes- grades 4+: multiplication

Bowl-A-Fact- grades 4+: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, arithmetic facts.

Drill, Tac, Toe- factoring and multiplying

The Tax Man- a strategy game involving multiples and patterns.

Circles and Stars

Grades (2) 3 and up, for anyone who needs help understanding the concept of multiplication. Teaches that multiplication is the number of things in a group replicated a number of times. Practices multiplication and addition.

Requires: Paper and Pencils and a die.

Player #1 rolls a die and draws that number of fairly large circles.
Player #2 does the same.
Player #1 rolls a die and draws that number of stars in each circle.
Player #2 does the same.

Each player writes the number sentence that tells how many stars they have (e.g. 4 circles with 3 stars in each circle would be 4 x 3 = 12 stars). Play six rounds, changing who goes first, then determine how many stars each player has.

Variation: For each round, after the 3rd round, determine the probability that player #2 will end up with more stars than player #1.

Variation: Use dice with more sides.

BoxTimes

I created this name. It came from a problem called, "How many rows, how many in each row?"

Each team or player has 2 dice and a 10 x 10 grid. During the game, each team will draw boxes in a 10x10 square, with the width and height of each box determined by a roll of the dice.

For each turn, roll two dice to determine the width and height of the box. Outline it on the paper and label it with the number sentence telling how many unit squares it covers, such as 2 x 4 = 8. Keep taking turns until you can't fit a box on the page. At that point, add up how many squares you've covered, and how many are still uncovered and check that these two add up to 100. Your score is the number of squares your boxes covered.

One person/team can keep playing for high scores. Two teams can compete- add up scores to see who makes it to 500 first.

Advanced players can use any rectangle that has the same number of squares as the product of the two dice. Teaches factoring.

BoxTimes can also be played using a 10x10 geoboard (square board with nails in a 10x10 pattern where one makes boxes using rubber bands.) In this form, the player must write down the number sentence on a separate piece of paper.

Bowl a fact

Grades 4 and up. Great for team play.

Requires: paper and pencils. A Bowl-a-fact form is available.

Roll 3 dice (or one die 3 times). Your goal is to write number sentences with these 3 numbers to generate all the numbers 1 through 10. If you can get them all, you get a strike. If you can't, roll again and try for a spare. On a separate piece of paper, keep score. Play 10 times to generate your scores for a game and keep track of your best games. Use the operations add, subtract, multiply and divide, plus parentheses. Putting two numbers side by side is legal, as in:
      Roll 1, 2, 2       10 = 12 - 2

For advanced players, score like in bowling. A strike is 10 points plus however many you get on your next 2 rolls (so a strike is 20 if it's followed by a spare, or 30 if followed by 2 strikes. If you have a strike in the 10th frame, you get to roll twice more!). A spare is 10 plus the points on your next roll.

For advanced players, use lots more operations, anything you can write without writing another number (or e, pi, etc.) The only rule is that the player must understand the operation!

Advanced players can also use die with larger numbers, and try to knock down pins in a larger range, say, 1..20.

Teaches the math facts for 1..6, the operations, order of operations, and use of parentheses. Kids also practice working backwards and finding multiple solutions, plus persistence.

Here is another online write-up.

Drill, Tac, Toe

Grades (3) 4 and up. This is a tic-tac-toe game where the players are constantly multiplying and analyzing factors. Players do a lot of drilling on their multiplication facts.

Requires: A small playing board and some small post its (or two dimes or small squares of paper) and pencils, Or a large playing board and checker pieces (or 18 pennies and 18 dimes or nickels) and post-its or two more dimes.

The object is to get 4 in a row.

The first player chooses a number on which to put an X, and identifies two numbers between 1 and 10 that multiplied together produce it. The next player can change one of the factors to form a new product (if the square with that product is not already marked) and put her mark (O) on it. The players continue taking turns until one player wins with 4 in a row.

Many variations are possible. Different boards can be made, even with some numbers duplicated and/or a larger board.

Advanced players can "wrap around the sides." Thus 3 X's in a line ending on the right side, plus one on the same row on the left edge would be 4 in a row. Watch the diagonals, too!

The Tax Man