Math Gameschooling

Math is probably the easiest skill to work on in gameschooling.  Almost every game has dice involved and you’re having to do simple addition in your head.  Because of that, I’m going to leave out obvious ones like Clue because it does not specifically work on a math skill.

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Addition/Subtraction or Multiplication/Division Math Games

Just a quick statement, but I had several games listed here for basic math facts, but sadly most of those games are out of print now, that is the hard part of bringing up unique games, some aren’t as popular and just go out of print.

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, pretty much any early game that has you rolling more than one die will practice addition.

• Role-Playing Games– This is one not all of you will be good with, but role-playing games have many benefits, not the least of which being by the time you’ve been playing for a couple of months you are very good at doing mental math for adding and subtracting a variety of numbers.
• Ocean Raiders addition math facts
• Holimaths– this is a Spanish company, but at one point they were trying to expand into America, so there are SOME copies in English, but you don’t necessarily need the instructions translated because the game is just math
• Totally Tut– for now, I am leaving this game here because you can still find copies on Amazon, but it looks to be out of print

Shopping/Money Math Games

• Pay Day– This was my favorite game as a kid.  I loved moving around the board and through the month earning money and spending it.  I don’t know why THIS particular game appealed to me so much, but I always wanted to play this game.
• Game of Life– This was another game I enjoyed as a kid, though mainly because I had fun mocking the scenarios presented and giving names to the kids I collected and being ridiculously silly.  My big caveat on this, the games can go quite long.
• Monopoly – The Classic Edition– I personally don’t like Monopoly (flashbacks to the horrible game throwing incident with my brother, shudder), my kids on the other hand adore the Toy Story Monopoly Junior I found at Half Price books.    It’s a great way to practice money skills and making change.  It also teaches about the value of making wise purchases.  It’s also horribly painful if you’re not going to win and you have to sit there for 2 hours watching the other person win as you slowly hemorrhage money.

**** A side note, both Monopoly and Game of Life have electronic boardgame versions that use credit cards, be careful with these because it will take away some of the math skills practiced****

Geometry/Spatial Reasoning Math Games

*side note, for whatever reason I don’t do well at these, so I don’t tend to like them as much*

• Blokus Classics Game– This is a great game for working out how to fit that piece in just right and takes some strategy to end up with the least amount of pieces left.  I always get messed up by not anticipating what the other players are going to do.  ARGH!
• Tetris Link– This is the one exception, I LOVE Tetris, I spent many an hour as a kid playing this.  This is the board game version where you draw pieces out and place them.  I excel at this. (I linked to a special edition that has a travel version).
• Battleship– this is a great way to learn coordinates for a graph.  It’s also one of those logic reasoning puzzles that can either be very fun to you or mind-numbingly frustrating.  I enjoyed the hunt and peck aspect of it as a kid………..
• Shapes Up and Quirkle– are both games I learned about from Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns (blog is now private) in her math games post a few months ago.  They’re both strong on geometry and spatial reasoning and both have points to add, so you get addition practice as well.

**I have several more geometry/spatial reasoning games that will be included in the history gameschooling.

Probability and Statistics Math Games

*techinically any game can teach you this if you count cards, or if you know the likelihood of rolling a certain number.

• Settlers of Catan– to my mind this is the quintessential probability game.  According to probability you have the winning strategy if you build on 6 or 8.  Of course then you get into the randomness and they’re just never rolled defying all probability.
• Yahtzee– It’s built into the rules, do you take the 2’s as a 3 of a kind or hope you can roll that again………  As you play it more you realize what is likely to happen again, and how much you’re playing the odds.  FYI, there is a Catan Dice Game that plays remarkably similar to Yahtzee.  Of course there’s also a Toy story version……
• I know there has to be others, what am I missing?

Homemade Math Games

• Race to 100– This is a simple grid game and can be changed to whatever number you want, but I loved playing this game when I was teaching 2nd grade, such a great way to work on addition skills.
• Train Dice Game– several variations listed, but roll the dice add the trains
• Rollercoaster Board Game– I want to make this game, it’s a great way to practice odd vs. even.  Seriously, I need to find an empty box and make it.
• Domino Addition– Not really a math game, but my kids love it and act like it’s a game.
• Turn Jenga into a math review game– Or in my case how to knock over the game super duper quick…….
• Beast Academy– this is a site with lots of printable or scratch paper games, check out my tips and favorites from that site

 

Here’s my overall plan for this series:

• Day 1:benefits of using games in school, and links of other reasons to play
• Day 2: Active Games/Outdoor Games
• Day 3: Preschool Games
• Day 4: Math Games (today)
• Day 5: Reading Games (switched days, wrote the wrong post for Thursday)
• Day 6: Geography Games
• Day 7: History Games
• Day 8: Science Games
• Day 9: Travel Games
• Day 10: Solo or Two-Player Games

Originally published April 18, 2013, but I republished it since I’m working on updating it so much