Math Games to Print
Math can be a fun subject to learn when incorporated with activities to supplement the textbook and proper instruction. Playing math games at home or in the classroom offers many benefits to students, such as improved student engagement, cooperative learning and reinforcing learned skills. There are many online resources that offer free printouts of math games to make math fun and interesting.
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Bingo
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Math bingo (see Resources) is one way to teach students math using a gaming concept with which they may already be familiar. To play the game, you will need to first print out the bingo cards and the call sheet. The call sheet has math equations that you will need to complete before cutting them into strips and placing them in a hat.
Distribute the bingo cards to the students to begin the game. Each card will have different equations, which you can alter to increase or decrease difficulty. The bingo caller grabs a strip from the hat and reads the answer. The students then proceed with going over the equations on their bingo cards until they find the equation that matches the answer. The first student to yell, "Bingo!" wins the game.
Mazes
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A subtraction maze (see Resources) requires the students to complete the maze by answering math questions. The only way to move forward in the game is to answer the questions correctly. This game is versatile because you can use the maze concept for a variety of math questions such as subtraction, addition, multiplication, division or a combination of all four. To add a bit of excitement to the game, you can match up the students in pairs or groups and have them race to the finish line.
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Tic-Tac-Toe
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Math tic-tac-toe (see Resources) is another game that incorporates math concepts into a widely played and well-known game. Teachers fill the spaces with a variety of math questions, depending on the students' abilities, and the only way students can place an "X" or an "O" in the space is to answer the question correctly. Students can play in pairs, with one using "X" and the other using "O" to mark their complete squares. The first to get three "X"s or three "O"s in a row wins the game.
Additional Resources
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Online resources for math game printouts include Dr. Mike's Math Games for Kids, Jefferson County Schools in Tennessee and Donna Young (see Resources). These sites focus on math board games that the students can play in small groups. Dr. Mike's Math Games for Kids offers four types of board games that cover concepts such as addition and times table. The site also offers many other resources that allow you to search for games based on the child's grade level or specific math concepts. JC Schools and Donna Young both give you blank templates either to print out or to complete via PowerPoint. You are given complete control as to the design of the board game, the rules of the game and the math concepts you wish to cover.
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References
Resources
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