Board Games That Are Used to Teach Mathematics
Playing games and learning mathematics can go hand in hand. Some board games teach math skills and a variety of mathematical concepts, including counting numbers, spending money and identifying geometrical shapes and patterns. Chutes and Ladders, chess, Monopoly and Hungry Hungry Hippos are board games that children can play to help increase their math acumen.
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Chutes and Ladders
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Chutes and Ladders is a game that teaches counting. If a player lands his game piece on the square at the bottom of the ladder, representing a good deed, he moves up the ladder and forward on the board. If a player lands his game piece on a square at the top of a chute, representing a bad deed, the player moves down the chute and backward on the board.
Chess
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Chess is a board game that teaches geometrical shapes and patterns. It allows players to visualize patterns of movement while thinking about future moves. The game pieces move in a variety of directions. The bishop moves diagonally. The rook moves in a straight line. The knight moves in an "L" movement, or two spaces up or down and one over. The queen moves in any direction. The king moves one space at a time in any direction. The pawn can move two spaces initially but generally moves forward one space at a time, moving diagonally only when it takes an opponent's piece.
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Monopoly
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In Monopoly, players learn about money and business. Each player begins the game with $1,500 of play money. As a player moves his game piece around the board, the player lands on property that he can buy, sell or rent, requiring him to budget his money accordingly. At the end of the game, the player with the most money wins the game. The game also teaches probability as players imagine the best possible outcome of their monetary choices.
Hungry Hungry Hippos
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Hungry Hungry Hippos is a toy and a board game. It teaches smaller children to count. This is a two-to-four player game. Each player pushes their hippo's tail, which causes the hippo's head to move forward and grab marbles on the board. The player who grabs the most marbles wins the game.
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References
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