Cool Math for Kids Games

Card games can help your child learn math.

Math is used everywhere. However, many kids do not think that learning math is useful. Playing cool games with kids will help them to learn math without thinking about it. Parents can help their kids practice their math skills while having fun. Knowing what cool math games to play is important for parents.

Guess a Number

Have your child think of a number from 1 to 100. Ask him questions such as, "Is the number more than 50?," "Is the number a prime number?" or "Is the number divisible by three?" Ask as many questions as you need to figure out what number your child is thinking of. Once you have guessed the number, trade places, and think of a number yourself. Have your child then ask you questions about the number until he guesses it. This game will help your child to learn about the characteristics of numbers. It will also strengthen his critical thinking in a way that is fun and engaging.

What Is the Money?

Being able to count money is a critical skill for both kids and adults. Strengthen your child's math skills, as well as their understanding, with this cool math game. Provide your child with a number of various coins. Then ask your child questions such as, "I have three coins worth 7 cents. What are they?" Vary the amount of money from a few cents to a few dollars. As your child becomes more adept, ask her questions such as, "I have six coins, and they are worth 30 cents. What are they?" Questions like that have several possible answers, which makes the game more challenging.

War

Many card and board games require math skills. Playing War with cards is a great math game that kids will love without realizing that they are practicing addition and subtraction. In this game, each person receives a set amount of cards. During each turn, the players turn over the top card on their stack (without looking first). The person with the highest card wins. They collect all of the cards from the other players, and add them to the bottom of their stack. The person who collects all of the cards wins. Another card game is Go Fish, which requires players to collect pairs of cards. The player with the most pairs--which requires counting--wins the game.

References

• Math: Math for the Fun of It
• Math Worksheet Center: 5 Fun Math Games that You Can Play at Home