Kids love to play games so why not turn learning a new math concept into a fun game! I found that my kids learned faster and new concepts "stuck" in their brains better if we played games centered around the new skill they were learning.
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As the saying says, "practice makes perfect" so when my kids were in their early elementary years learning how to add and subtract, I knew that in order for them to grasp a new math concept and learn their math facts they were going to need a lot of practice.
The practice part can get a little boring if they use the same method of practicing over and over and over....
Today I am going to share with you 5 fun games I played with my kids as a way to get them to practice their addition and subtraction facts! These games are so fun they won't even know they are learning and doing school work!
5 Fun Addition & Subtraction Games To Play With Your Kids
ADDITION & SUBTRACTION WAR Grab a full deck of cards to play this game! Prior to playing mark the following numbers in pen or marker on the face cards: Joker = 0, Ace = 1, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13.
Shuffle the deck then deal all the cards out alternating between you and your child until the whole deck has been dealt. Players should be sitting across from each other so that the space between them can be used as the game playing space. Each player should have a pile of cards (draw pile) in front of them placed face down.
Before the first turn, players should agree if they will be playing the addition version or the subtraction version of the game.
On the count of three (1...2...3) both players take their top card from their own draw pile and flip it over placing it face up in the middle of the playing space. The players add or subtract (depending on what was previously agreed to) the value of the two face up cards and shout out the answer. The player who shouts out the correct answer first wins and gets to collect both cards placing them next to their face down draw pile.
When a player runs out of cards from their draw pile they can flip over the cards they won during the round and use this as their new draw pile.
Play continues until one player wins all of the cards!
* Advanced version: If during a turn matching cards are played (for example two 4's are played) then each player on the count of three turns over an additional card from their draw pile. Players should add all four cards values together and shout out the answer. The player that gives the correct answer first wins all of the cards in play. (this may not work well for subtraction since the answer could result in a negative number - a concept young elementary students would not be introduced to yet!)
PIG DICE GAMEThis is a game our family loves to play when we have a few minutes to spare waiting for food at a restaurant or in a waiting room at an appointment. Because we like to play it so much I always carry a dice and a piece of paper and pencil around in my purse!
This is a fun addition game! Players take turns rolling a dice and adding the value of the dice after each roll until they choose to stop and pass the dice to the next player. The twist is that if a 1 is rolled at anytime during a player's turn, their cumulative score for that round goes to zero, their turn ends and they pass the dice to the next player. During a player's turn they can roll as many or as few times as they want as long as they don't roll a 1. Each player can choose to keep rolling, increasing their risk of losing all their accumulated points or stop rolling and keep their score for that round.
One person goes first and rolls the dice. The value of the dice is their current score for this round. The player can choose to keep their current score or roll again adding the value of the second roll to their current score. The risk of continuing to play is that if at anytime the player rolls a 1, their current score for that round goes to zero and their turn ends. The player whose turn it is can choose to continue rolling the dice, adding points to their score or they may stop rolling the dice and pass the dice to the next player. If a player stops rolling and hasn't gotten a 1 then their total score for the round is written down on a score sheet under their name. The cumulative score written on the score sheet cannot be wiped out in future rounds if a player rolls a 1. The first player to score 100 points as tallied on the score sheet wins the game!
HOPSCOTCH ADD/SUBTRACTBefore play begins ask your child to draw hopscotch boxes in chalk on your driveway or sidewalk. To start use boxes up to 10 but as they grow in their math skills add more boxes!
The purpose of the game is to teach/reinforce addition and subtraction facts to ten. Have your child stand behind the 1 box then you ask them math facts such as what is 1+3. They give their answer by jumping through the hopscotch boxes until they land on the correct answer (4). You then ask them a second math problem that includes the number they are currently standing on so for example you can ask what is 4+3. They should hopscotch hop to the number 7 box. At any time you can mix up the math problems and ask questions like what us 7 - 2. Now your child has to jump backwards to the 5. Keep asking math problems until they reach the 10. Once they reach the 10 they "won" and they can start over and play again.
* Indoor play - when I play this game with my children inside I use square sticky notes as the hopscotch grid, writing the numbers on the sticky notes and laying them out on the floor in the proper order. The child should jump from sticky note to sticky note just the same way as they would on an outdoor chalk hopscotch grid.
FLOWER POWER MATH FACTS
This game takes a little pre-game preparation but once you have it done you are all set to play! Here is what you need to prep before hand so you can play this game anytime with your children:
Supplies
Cut out circles from the red and yellow construction paper and glue the small yellow circle to the center of each larger red circle. Glue the craft stick to the back of the circle. Next glue two leaves to the back of each flower. Using your sharpie marker write simple addition or subtraction problems on the front and back of each wooden craft stick - do not include the answers!
I like to keep my math flowers in a small mason jar filled with dried beans or peas so that we can play while we are sitting at the table. The peas prevent the child from seeing the math problem until they pull the flower out of the jar. Encourage your child to "pick" a flower, read the math problem and say the answer. If they get it right let them keep the flower but if they get it wrong have the child return the flower to the jar. The person with the most flowers after the jar is empty wins.
Four In A Row
Looking for a game to boost your child's math skills and confidence as well as help them to think strategically? Four In A Row is a simple yet super fun addition and subtraction game that will help grow their math skills every time they play. Master each level and they can move on to a more challenging and difficult level!
This is a free printable game I created just for you! Play it as often as you like. I find that the Do-A-Dot markers work great for this game! Or laminate the pages and use dry-erase markers so you only have to print the game cards once.
Click HERE to download the printable.
*disclaimer - please do not distribute or sell this printable for profit or personal gain.
More fun learning ideas...
Check out some of these other great games and activities you can do with your child to teach them math at home:
