Math Games to Teach Children to Improve Their Math Skills
Math can be difficult to teach. Since math can be especially difficult for students many of them shut themselves off from the lesson than try to learn. However, when incorporated into a fun or accessible activity, students become more engaged and interested in math, sometimes not even recognizing that they are learning it. These games work best for younger students, primarily those between kindergarten and second grade, while variations in difficulty can be adapted for students up to 4th and 5th grade.
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Counting by 2's, 5's, 10's
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Create a series of number strips, about 7 or 8 numbers long, which count numbers by 2's, 5's and 10's with blanks between various numbers (ie: 2, 4, 6, _, 10, _, _,16). Place these strips into an envelopes. Have students form teams and select strips from the envelope. The teams have 15 minutes to solve as many strips as possible. Once the time is done have the opposing team(s) correct the each others' work. This is best for young students in grades K through 2 who may still be learning their numbers. This difficulty of this can also be increased for higher grades using multiples of numbers.
Addition Bingo
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Create game boards with each sum up to 10 + 10 in a 4 x 5 grid. It may be best to scramble the number around the grid, and place numbers small squares of paper with the numbers 0 through 10 in a hat or envelope. Have the students draw only 2 squares for each round, add the two numbers, cross off sum from their game board and put the squares back. Students continue drawing squares until one player has completely crossed out one column of numbers. This is best for students who are still learning basic addition, such as those between kindergarten and 2nd grade.
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Three Card Draw
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Use a deck of cards and remove the face (jack, queen, king, ace) cards. Announce a specific number to the students and then flip over three different random cards. Have the students create an equation using the cards to come as close to the number as possible. Students can use addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Continue drawing cards until the deck is done. The student with the most correct equations wins. This is best for students who are familiar with a variety of math functions, such as students in 3rd and 4th grade.
Math Dice
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Beginning with two six-sided dice have each student roll the dice and add the two numbers together. After one round add a third dice, after another round add another, up to five dice. For additional variation include different types of dice (four-sided, eight-sided, twenty-sided, etc.) and different functions (subtraction, multiplication, division, or mixed: roll two dice and add together, then roll two more and add, and divide the second number by the first) and so on. Depending on the specific dice, amount and mathematical functions used, this can be used with students between 1st and 5th grades, with difficulty added for more advanced students.
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