Math Problem Games for Kids

Mastering math skills does not have to be a chore. Sitting at a desk doing drills will help a student become proficient in math, but such tedious tasks will not instill a love of learning. Make math enjoyable by playing games to reinforce the lessons taught each week. Playing games will help students strengthen their math skills while showing them that learning can truly be fun.

Mother May I? Math Edition

Preschoolers love to play "Mother May I?" but the game can be altered for elementary students to enjoy. In the original form of the game, children ask "Mother, may I take three steps?" and the leader says "Yes, you may" or "No, you may not." If granted permission, the child takes three steps forward. The first person to reach the leader wins.

In the math edition, students simply ask, "Mother, how many steps may I take?" The teacher says, "You may take two plus three steps." The student then takes five steps. If the child does the math incorrectly, he or she must go back to the starting line. This can be altered for working on addition, subtraction, multiplication or division.

Around the World

Children sit at their own desks with desks arranged in a circle in the classroom for this game. Choose a child to begin the game. He stands up behind the student seated at the next desk. Hold a math flash card up, or say a math problem out loud. The standing student and the student sitting in front of him compete to be the first one to shout out the answer.

If the standing student gets the correct answer first, he moves on to the next desk and competes against that student with the next math problem. If the sitting student gets the correct answer first, she takes over as the standing student. The student who was standing sits down at whichever desk he was at when he lost.

Students continue to go around the circle, competing to be the quickest with the right answer to the math problems you offer. The first student to make it all the way around the circle back to his or her own desk is declared the winner.

Math Bingo

Make your own bingo cards using numbers that are likely to be the answer to math problems the children are working on. Normal bingo cards go from 1 to 75, but if your first graders are only learning addition up to 10 plus 10, you will need to modify the cards to suit their needs.

To play, write a math problem on the chalkboard. Call on one student to answer the math problem. If she is correct, she gets to put a bonus chip on any space on her board. Everyone else puts a bingo chip on any square with the answer to the math problem. You can play either until one student gets a straight line of bingo chips or until someone covers his entire board.

References

• Math Games for Classroom Fun

Resources

• Bingo Card Creator