Learning math through games
I always made time in the week to play math games with my students. Not only did it make math learning fun, little did they know they were also practicing their multiplication facts, geometry knowledge, problem-solving skills, and more!
There are many different kinds of math games, from traditional, commercial games you can purchase to more simple dice or card games you can make. I had a variety of both types of games in my math center. I pre-made the dice and card games and the beginning of the school year and organized them in labeled ziploc bags. Every few months, I had my students help clean up the math center and make sure each ziploc bag had the correct number of game pieces. Some of the games became classroom favorites that my students would play during free time or recess!
Last week we talked about why we should use games in the classroom. In this post, I will describe a number of wonderful games that can be used as part of your math instruction. While I believe that games can be a fun, motivational tool to improve learning, they shouldn’t replace more formal classroom instruction. Rather, they should be used to stimulate and reinforce learning alongside other worthwhile teaching activities.
Commercial Math Games
Chutes and Ladders
Connect 4
Checkers
Battleship
Rummikub
Monopoly/Monopoly Jr.
Noncommercial Math Games
Many of these games can be played with dice or cards.
Egg-Acts Sum
Beat That!
The Greatest
Combine 4 Numbers
The Math Factors Game
Compare Fractions
What games have you used to reinforce math concepts in your classroom? Share in the comments below!
