5 Fun Math Games That You Can Play At Home


Article Summary: There are many math games you can play at home with children and five games will be discussed as starting points for having fun with math. Of course the key point is for children to have fun and learn at the same time.

There are many math games you can play at home with children and five games will be discussed as starting points for having fun with math. Of course the key point is for children to have fun and learn at the same time. These two can go hand in hand as long as they are done correctly. Let's take a look at a few games children will have fun playing and learn in the process.

The first fun way is through the use of an online computer program using virtual manipulatives by Utah State University. Their website is designed to engage student critical thinking skills as they apply math concepts. They have interactive games for all math concept areas to allow students to apply critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Children love to play anything on the computer and it can become as family event as teams work together attempting to solve some of the more challenging problems. The key for this website is every activity and game is completely interactive, challenging children to think and solve problems. Children will get so wrapped up in the process they will forget the fact they are actually learning math.

Another fun activity is playing board games with children. Yes, this is using math skills along with having fun. Children have to apply problem solving skills, basic arithmetic computations, reasoning, and probability to determine what their next step will be no matter the simplicity or complexity of the board game. Good board games to play are Yahtzee and Monopoly.

The third fun math game you can play at home with children evolves eating food. Combining the use of food in math problems is another strategy for learning basic math skills. Skittles are always good because they come in a variety of colors, so do M&Ms. Another consideration is to use healthy foods such as apples, grapes, orange slices, crackers, different types of cheeses, etc. These foods can be used as manipulatives to replace numbers in a math problem. As children practice their math skills, they get to eat their math. Problems are associated with buying foods and other products, so children can use their problem solving skills and make connections to real world situations.

A fourth fun game to play with children to help them learn math is playing War with cards. This is where each person gets a specific number of cards. Every player turns their top card over at the same time. The player with the highest card wins and collects the other cards. This continues until one player has all cards. Children are using their mental math skills, along with adding and subtracting numbers to see who wins.

A fifth fun game to play with children at home is Concentration. To play this game, matching cards are placed randomly face down on the table. Then each player takes turns turning over two cards at a time. The goal of each player is to find the matching cards and the player with the most matching pairs wins the game. This involves the use of mental math and recognition skills, logical and reasoning, and problem solving skills to complete the game.

Also, do not tell your children this important information while they are having fun. You do not want to spoil any of these games. These were just intended to be an introduction to fun games you can play with your children at home and they learn math in the process. Learning can be fun, as long as it is used the correct way and children are not forced to play games to learn math. They need to play games and learn math in the process.