Math games bring out kids’ natural love of numbers.

As students transition into the new school year,

help them sharpen their number skills with some of these fun and effective games.

5 Minutes

1. Simon Says, “Geometry!”

Ramp up this traditional game by having kids illustrate the following geometric terms using only their
arms: parallel and perpendicular lines; acute, right, and obtuse angles; and 0-, 90-, and 180-degree
angles.

Challenge: Increase the pace of the commands and see if your students can keep up!

2. ’Round the Block

Have students stand in a square. Give one of them a ball and a math challenge that requires a list of
responses, such as counting by twos or naming shapes that have right angles. Before the student
answers, he passes the ball to the person next to him. Children pass the ball around the square as
quickly as they can, and the student must give the answer before the ball comes back to him.

Challenge: When the correct answer is given, the child who has the ball must respond to the next
challenge, sending the ball back around the circle in the opposite direction.

3. Bouncing Sums

Cover a beach ball with numbers (use a permanent marker or sticky labels). Toss the ball to one student
and have her call out the number that her right thumb touches. She tosses it to the next student, who
does the same and then adds his number to the first. Continue for five minutes and record the sum.
Each time you play the game, add the sum to a graph. On which day did you reach the highest sum? The
lowest?

Challenge: Use fractions, decimals, or a mix of negative and positive integers.

4. Straw Poll

Ask a question and let students vote by placing a straw in one of several plastic cups, each labeled with a
different answer. Later, younger students can graph the results, while older kids calculate the ratio and
percentage for each response.

Challenge: If the entire school body was polled, and assuming each response got the same percentage of
votes, how many votes would there be in each cup? What if your town was polled? Your state? The
U.S.?

5. Shaving Equations

Place a dollop of shaving cream on each student’s desk, and them to solve equations by “writing” in the
cream.

Challenge: Ask students to set up a problem. On your signal, have them rotate to the desk adjacent to
theirs and solve that problem. Have kids check answers at their desks before starting a new round.

10 Minutes

Even 10 minutes of fun math games can jump-start learning.

6. Hopscotch Math

Set up a hopscotch grid with a calculator layout. With older kids, you can include the square root symbol
and negative integer sign. Students first hop on one number, then an operation, another number, the
equal sign, and finally the answer. For double-digit answers, students can split their last hop so that their
left foot lands on the digit in the 10s place and their right foot lands on the digit in the ones place.

Challenge: The student taking a turn tosses a stone onto a number and must avoid that number in the
equation.
7. Global Probability

Seventy percent of Earth is covered with water. Test this statistic by having students stand in a circle and
toss an inflatable globe to one another. When a student catches the globe, record whether the student’s
left thumb is touching land or water. That student tosses the ball to a classmate and then sits down.
Once everyone is seated, determine the ratio of the number of times students’ thumbs touched water
to the number of times they touched land. Record the ratio and repeat the activity on other days. (Over
time, the ratio should be fairly close to 7 to 3, or 70 percent.)

Challenge: Predict the probability that someone’s thumb will land on any of the continents based on the
ratio of the area of each continent’s landmass to that of the planet as a whole.

8. Sweet Math

Model this activity with one package of Skittles or M&Ms and a document camera, or let each student
have his or her own package. Younger students can graph the contents of their packages by color. Older
students can calculate the ratio of each color compared with the total number of pieces of candy in their
packages.

Challenge: Compile the class results into one graph, then have each student compare his or her ratio to
the ratio for the entire class.

9. It’s in the Cards

For a twist on the traditional card game War, assign values of 1 to the ace, 11 to the jack, 12 to the
queen, and 13 to the king, and face value for the cards two through 10 (for younger children, limit the
game to number cards only). Playing in pairs, each student lays two cards face up, then subtracts the
lower number from the higher. Whoever has the higher answer wins all four cards. If the totals are the
same, the players flip over two more cards and repeat until there is a winner.
Challenge: Use the two cards to form a fraction, and then compare to see who has the larger fraction. If
they are equivalent, repeat until someone wins the round.

10. Priceless Verse

Give each group of four or five students some play money — a one-dollar bill, two quarters, three dimes,
four nickels, and five pennies. Read the poem “Smart” by Shel Silverstein, and have students exchange
money according to each stanza. (“My dad gave me a one dollar bill/’Cause I’m his smartest son/And I
swapped it for two shiny quarters/’Cause two is more than one!”) Ask younger students if the person
who started with a dollar got a good deal or not. Older students can calculate how much the child in the
poem lost with each exchange.

Challenge: Use a calculator to determine the percentage lost with each exchange.

15 Minutes

Teach quick math concepts with fruit, dice, even Twister!

11. Weighing In

Line up a variety of fruits and veggies, such as oranges, bananas, cucumbers, kiwis, tomatoes, and bell
peppers. Ask students to predict the order of the foods from lightest to heaviest. Use a balance scale to
test their predictions, then rearrange the foods according to their actual weights.

Challenge: Slice each fruit in half. Invite students to analyze how the density of the fruit or vegetable
affects its weight.

12. String ’Em Up

Which is greater — arm span or height? Ask students to stand in groups according to their predictions:
those who think their arm span is greater than, less than, or equal to their height. Give pairs a piece of
string to test and measure, then regroup according to their results.

Challenge: Estimate the ratio of the length of an arm or leg to body height, then measure to check the
accuracy of the estimate.

13. Twister Math

Stick labels with numbers, shapes, or images of coins onto the circles of a Twister mat. Give each
student in turn an equation, a description of a shape, or an amount of money, then have the student
place his or her hand or foot on the answer.

Challenge: Label the mat with numbers ending in zero, then call out numbers and tell kids they must
round up or down to the nearest answer.

14. One-Meter Dash

Hand groups of students a meter stick, a pencil, and a sheet of paper each. Allow them a few minutes to
jot down three items in the room whose length they predict will add up to one meter. Then give them
five minutes to measure the items and record their lengths and add them together. Have groups report
their results. Which group came closest to one meter?

Challenge: Students measure to the nearest 1/8 inch, then convert their measurements to decimals.

15. Number Builders

Give each pair of students a die with six to nine sides. Have them set up blanks for the digits in a
number. (Their numbers should be the same length, from four to nine digits long.) Before playing,
decide if the highest or lowest number will win. Students take turns rolling the die and filling in blanks.
Once a number has been written, it cannot be changed. Roll until all blanks are filled, and then compare
the numbers. If time permits, have students subtract to find the difference between their numbers.

Challenge: Instead of building an integer, build a fraction or decimal.

Playing math games has emerged as a way to make class engaging, but you must ensure these activities
build skills and reinforce lesson content.

Around the Block

Play Around the Block as a minds-on activity, using only a ball to practice almost any math skill.

First, put together a list of questions related to a skill. Second, have students stand in a circle. Finally,
give one student the ball and read aloud a question from your list. Students must pass the ball clockwise
around the circle, and the one who started with it must answer the question before receiving it again.

If the student incorrectly answers, you can pass the ball to a classmate for the next question. If the
student correctly answers, he or she chooses the next contestant.

Age Range: 3rd – 8th Grades

3. Math Baseball

A teacher points to a student who has his hand raised, ready to answer a question.

Divide your class into two teams to play math baseball — another activity that gives you full control over
the questions that students answer.

One team will start at bat, scoring runs by choosing questions worth one, two or three bases. You’ll
“pitch” the questions, which range in difficulty depending on how many bases they’re worth. If the at-
bat team answers incorrectly, the defending team can respond correctly to earn an out. After three
outs, switch sides. Play until one team hits 10 runs.

Age Range: 3rd – 8th Grades

4. Bouncing Sums

Give students a chance to move around class by playing Bouncing Sums, building mental math muscles.

To prepare, use labels and a marker to put integers, decimals or fractions on a beach ball. Hand the ball
to one student, who will read aloud the label touching one of his or her thumbs. That student tosses the
ball to a classmate, and so on. Each student must read the number on his or her label, adding it to — or
multiplying it with — the sum or product which the previous student stated.

The challenge? Reach the highest number possible within a time limit.

Age Range: 3rd – 8th Grades

5. Math Facts Race

Keep combining math with physical activity in this fast-paced fact fluency drill.

Divide students into teams at the back of the class, posting a grid sheet at the front for each group. One
student from each team will run to the sheet, writing an answer in the appropriate grid. To practice
multiplication, for example, a student would have to write 12 in the grid where the third row and fourth
column meet.

The student returns to his or her team after answering, allowing a group member to run to the sheet.
The group member can fill another grid or, if needed, correct a previous answer. This process repeats
itself until a team wins by correctly filling its sheet.

Age Range: 2nd – 5th Grades

6. Math Facts Bingo

A hand rotates a basket filled with bingo balls.

Make fact fluency drills engaging by playing this version of bingo.

First, create bingo cards that contain answers to different multiplication tables. Second, hand them out
to students and make sure they have a separate sheet for calculations. Finally, instead of calling
numbers, state equations such as 8 × 7. After determining the product is 56, they can check off the
number if it’s on their cards.

Age Range: 3rd – 6th Grades

7. Math Is Fun

Engage elementary school students by pointing them towards games and puzzles on the Math Is Fun
website.

Ideal as a learning station or for classes with one-to-one device use, the games range from challenging
math classics — such as Sudoku — to counting exercises for younger students. The latter category uses
concise sentences and cartoon characters, making content easier for these students to process.

Age Range: 1st – 5th Grades

8. 101 and Out

A set of dice rest on a table, so students can play math game called 101 and out

Play a few rounds of 101 and Out as a fun way to end math class.

As the name implies, the goal is to score as close to 101 points as possible without going over. You need
to divide your class in half, giving each group a die along with paper and a pencil. Groups take turns
rolling the die, strategizing to count the number at face value or multiply it by 10. For example, students
who roll a six can keep that number or turn it into 60. This game quickly grows competitive, boosting the
excitement level in your math class.

Age Range: 2nd – 6th Grades

9. One-Meter Dash

Run this quick game to improve perception and understanding of measurement.

Grouping students in small teams, give them metre sticks. They then look around the room for two to
four items they think add up to one metre long. In a few minutes, the groups measure the items and
record how close their estimations were. Want more of a challenge? Give them a centimetre-mark
instead of a metre, asking them to convert results to micrometres, millimetres and more.

Age Range: 3rd – 5th Grades

10. Back-to-Back

A teacher and student stand at a chalkboard, completing elementary math equations.

Bring out your class’s competitive side. Just be sure to group students at a similar skill level.

Back-to-Back involves a pair of classmates standing beside the blackboard with chalk in hand, facing
away from one another. A third student says “numbers up,” requiring each competitor to write a
number on the board within a specified range. The third student then says the sum or product of the
two numbers. Using this information, a competitor wins by stating the other’s number first.

Age Range: 2nd – 6th Grades

11. Math Tic-Tac-Toe

Two students use notebooks to play tic-tac-toe against one another.

Pair students to compete against one another while practicing different math skills in this take on tic-tac-
toe.

Prepare by dividing a sheet into squares — three vertical by three horizontal. Don’t leave them blank.
Instead, fill the boxes with questions that test different abilities. The first one to link three Xs or Os — by
correctly answering questions — wins. You can use this game as a learning station, refreshing
prerequisite skills in preparation for new content.

Age Range: 1st – 8th Grades

12. Get the Math

Visit Get the Math with your students to solve engaging challenges, each related to using math in
different careers and real-world situations.

The website contains videos with young professionals who explain how they use math in their fields,
such as fashion design and video game development. You can assign challenges to your class after
watching, which involve playing games. For example, one is based on using materials with different
price-points and measurements to design a shirt for less than $35.

Age Range: 6th Grade and Up

13. Simon Says: Geometry

Appeal to kinesthetic learners by playing this version of Simon Says and, in the process, improve their
understanding of basic geometry.

As Simon, all your commands should require students to illustrate angles and shapes by moving their
arms. For example, ask them to make angles of varying degrees as well as parallel and perpendicular
lines. Continuously speed up your commands — and change if they come from Simon or not — until only
one student remains and is the winner.

Age Range: 2nd – 3rd Grades

14. Math Goodies

A teacher sits at a table. She is holding a tablet, and is surrounded by onlooking elementary school kids.

Try Math Goodies for engaging, interactive tasks and lessons online.

The free website appeals to diverse learners by featuring puzzles, articles and word problems. Playing
through the site’s content, students can — for instance — read an example-filled walkthrough about
how to order decimals. They can then test their skills by completing exercises and challenges.

You can use the website to create custom worksheets, too. Fun for the class, useful for the teacher.

Age Range: 4th – 8th Grades

15. Initials

Add a game-like spin to content reviews by playing Initials.

Hand out a unique sheet to each student with problems aligned to a common skill or topic. Instead of
focusing on their own sheets, students walk around the room to solve questions on their classmates’.
But there’s catch. A student can only complete one question per sheet, signing his or her initials beside
the answer.

Working together to reach an individual yet joint goal, students should build trust and teamwork.
Age Range: 3rd – 8th Grades

16. Stand Up, Sit Down

A student completes math equations using a pen and graph paper.

Play Stand Up, Sit Down as a minds-on activity, adjusting the difficulty according to student age and skill
level.

The principle of the game is straightforward: You pick a number, and students must stand if the answer
to an equation you read aloud matches that number. If it isn’t, they remain seated in a circle. You can
modify requirements for standing as needed. For example, you can tell students to stand if the answer
is:

Greater than 10

An even number

A multiple of three

You can also alternate from addition to subtraction, and from multiplication to division.

Age Range: 1st – 5th Grades

17. 100s

Gather your class in a circle to play 100s as a quick warm up before your lesson.

You’ll give students a set of numbers to choose from — such as multiples of five to a maximum of 20 —
as they take turns adding out loud in a clockwise direction. The student who says or passes 100 is out.
You’ll start again, until only one participant is left.
Although the game is simple, you can change how it’s played to suit the skills of your students. For
example, they may have to multiply by fours instead of adding by fives.

Age Range: 2nd – 8th Grades

18. War

A students holds a deck of red playing cards, face down.

Give students a mathematical twist on a traditional card game by playing this version of War.

To start, pair students together and give them each a deck of cards. Then, assign the following values:

Ace — 1

Two to 10 — Face value

Jack — 11

Queen — 12

King — 13

The rules of the game will depend on the grade you teach and the skills you’re building. For example,
students in lower grades will play two cards, subtracting the lower number from the higher. Students in
higher grades can multiply the numbers, designating a certain suit as having negative integers. Whoever
has the highest hand wins all four cards.

Age Range: 2nd – 8th Grades

19. National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

Students sit a table, each holding a tablet computer.

Have students visit the online National Library of Virtual Manipulatives to access activities that involve
digital objects such as coins and blocks.

Created by Utah State University, the online library’s goal is to engage students. It does so by giving
teachers activities to provide, as there are manipulation tasks targeted to students at every grade level.
For example, a 6th grade geometry activity involves using geoboards to illustrate area, perimeter and
rational number concepts. Ideal for classes with one-to-one device use, you can also use the website as
its own learning station.

Age Range: 1st Grade and Up

20. Jeopardy

Transform this famous game show to focus on your latest skill or unit, preparing students for a quiz or
test.

Setup involves attaching pockets to a bristol board, dividing them into columns and rows. Each column
should focus on a specific topic, whereas each row should have a point value — 200, 400, 600, 800 and
1,000. A team can ask for a question from any pocket, but other teams can answer first by solving the
problem and raising their hands. Once the class answers all questions, the team with highest point total
claims the prize you provide.

But each student wins in terms of engagement and practicing peer support.

Age Range: 3rd to 8th Grades

Infographic

Here’s an infographic with 10 ideas from this article, provided by Educational Technology and Mobile
Learning — an online resource for teaching tools and ideas:

An infographic displaying 10 classroom math games for kids in 1st o 8th grades.
Click to expand.

Final Thoughts About these 20 Classroom Math Games for Kids

These math games for kids will not only engage students, but help you develop their skills and fact
fluency while supplementing lessons.

Although the recommended age ranges fall between grades 1 and 8, you can certainly modify the
content for different skill levels and use them for struggling students in higher grades.

And, if you’re unsure about the benefits, try a few games to see the results yourself.