These math games for kids will prove to students (and you) that math is fun! Besides, who really wants to grade a worksheet anyway?
Children of all ages are fascinated with numbers. Elementary math games for kids are quick and easy to use, plus they capture the inquisitive minds of students.
They always want to know how these really cool math games and tricks work!
| The Answer is Always 2 Think of any number. Multiply it by 3. Add 6. Divide by 3. Subtract it from the first number. |
| The Answer is Always 5 Think of any three digit number. Add 7. Multiply by 2. Subtract 4. Divide by 2. Subtract if from the first number. |
| I Can Read Your Mind Pick a number between 1 and 9. Multiply it by 3. Add 5. Double your answer. Subtract 4. Divide by 6. Add 3. Subtract your original number. Think of a country that begins with that letter of the alphabet (A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4, etc.). Think of an animal that starts with the second letter of that country name. Think of the most common color for that animal. Most common answer? A Gray Elephant from Denmark! |
| I Know How Old You Are! Tell the student to multiply the first number of his or her age by 5. Add 3. Double it. Now add the second number of his or her age to the figure and have him or her tell you the answer. Subtract 6 and that is the student’s age. |
| Calculator Birthday Add 18 to the month of your birthday. Multiply by 25. Subtract 333. Multiply by 8. Subtract 554. Divide by 2. Add your birth date. Multiply by 5. Add 692. Multiply by 20. Add only the last 2 digits of your birth year. Subtract 32940 to get your birthday! (Answer is month/day/year) |
| Pick Pocket Take a person’s age and multiply it by 2. Add 5. Multiply by 50. Subtract 365. Add the amount of loose pocket chug up to $1.00 (but not exactly or over!). Add 115. What happens? The first two digits are the person’s age and the last two are the amount of pocket change! |
| Magical Three Think of a number. Double it. Add 6. Divide your answer by two. Subtract the number you first thought of. What’s the answer? It’s always 3. |
Classroom Math Games for Kids
These are great classroom math games. You can use them whole group, small group, or students can play them with a partner.
These games make learning fun!
Place Value War
Materials: Playing Cards (Ace = 1 through 9), Game Mat
This is a great math card game. Players divide the deck of cards evenly amongst themselves. Each player takes two cards and places them, face down, on the game mat (one card in each column).
Each player turns over the two cards to make a 2 digit number. Both players call out their numbers while verbalizing it (i.e. Three tens and four ones equals 34). The player with the largest number takes all four cards.
If there is a draw (both players have the same number), war is declared. Each player takes two more cards, place them on the Game Mat, and adds that second number to the first number (the one they tied with). The player with the largest sum takes all 8 cards.
The game ends when one player has all of the cards.
Climb the Ladder
Materials: Playing Cards (Ace = 1 through 9), paper/pencil, 100s Board (optional)
Player 1 turns over a card and records the number on paper. Player 2 turns over a card and records the number on his or her paper. Play continues while adding the numbers (i.e. Player 1: Turns over a 5 on the first turn and a 2 on the second turn, thus writing 5 + 2 = 7). The fist player to reach 100 exactly is the winner. If a card is turned over that takes a player above 100, he or she must wait for the next turn to try and reach 100. Cards are shuffled and reused until the end of the game.
Differentiate by allowing younger players to use counters on a 100’s board to find the sums. To increase the level of difficulty, players can climb the ladder to 1000.
Crack the Numbers Grid
Materials: Number Grid
Arrange the numbers 1 – 8 in the grid. Rules: No consecutive numbers can be next to each other (vertically, horizontally or diagonally).
This game is best solved by students 8 and up. It is one of the more difficult math games for kids.