Let the (Math) Games Begin!

It’s no secret that I love teaching math.  It’s also no secret that I believe kids learn best when they’re having fun.  That is exactly why I love math games. 

36 BINGO PEMDAS Math Practice Game


Consider the following:
  • It’s the beginning of the year and you want to see what the kids can do...
  • Your math lesson is just not working...
  • Kids' brains are fried from testingtestingtesting...
  • It’s right before a major holiday break or long weekend and it feels like you’re herding butterflies...
  • It’s right after a major holiday break or long weekend and if feels like you need to check for signs of life...
  • You’re planning for a sub for the umpteenth time this year and you don’t want to have them introduce a new lesson...
  • It’s another inside day because of weather, and no one is happy about it! ...
  • Your math lesson ended early... (does that really happen?)
  • You want to make homework meaningful...
  • Your kids need some practice and you just can’t bring yourself to run off another worksheet...
  • You’re exhausted, but the show must go on! ...
  • The kids have been working hard learning new concepts and it’s time for a break...
  • It’s the end of the year and you’re back to herding butterflies...
(It feels like I should now be saying, “Who ya gonna call?" "____________!”)

If you nodded your head even once, I’ve got the solution for you – Math Games, a classroom teacher’s best friend! They’re wonderful tools to give kids the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned, while having fun practicing a skill.  

And yes, I’ve had those times when (what I thought was) a GREAT! idea was met with a collective blank stare – lesson shelved and pull out the game. 

Subs like them because the kids are engaged and already know how to play.  I would often pull out a math game when we had the dreaded inside day, making it a win-win situation. They were occupied in a meaningful way while having fun, and, oh yeah, they were learning!

I made it a point, at the beginning of each new school year, to teach kids how to play different math games, so I could have them as a go-to resource whenever I needed them.  My favorite starter game was 36 BINGO- a Computation Game.  

36 BINGO teacher reviews
36 BINGO  was great because it could easily last an entire math period, I could leave it for subs, and kids could play it for homework with parents, friends, siblings, or even alone. 

It worked well as a go-to activity in my classroom.  It required little set up (I would have game boards on hand, but students could also draw their own) and every game was different. 

100s Chart Puzzler, 100s Chart Puzzle

After I retired, I started volunteering in my friend's primary classroom for math.  I wanted to give them critical thinking practice, so 100s Chart Puzzler was born. 

Each of the 16 color-coded puzzles has missing numbers and are unique because of the way they're cut, giving students a different look at the 100s Chart each time they play a different set.  

The challenge comes from figuring out +/– 10 or + /– 1 as they fit the pieces back together.  There's great math conversation, if done in partners, and works well as a center activity. The kids soon discovered it wasn't as easy as it looked!



"Play is the highest form of research." Albert Einstein