Learning math can be as fun as playing any game. Creative and effective teachers incorporate games into their curricula to keep students engaged and to encourage learning. All of the games in this series hone students' addition, subtraction, or multiplication skills.
Playing With Dominoes Develops Math Skills
Dominoes are wonderful for Preschool and Kindergarten matching skills practice. Happily, they do not lose their value in the classroom as students get older.
The simplest domino elementary math game is played by placing dominoes in a hat or bag. For practice and review of addition:
- Students sit in a circle with the hat or bag in the middle.
- Students take turns placing their hands into the bag and pulling out one domino.
- Student must add the two values on the domino.
To practice subtraction:
- Repeat above, except students must subtract the smaller value from the larger.
To practice multiplication:
- This time, of course, students must multiply the two values.
When ready to work with larger values, instruct students to remove two dominoes from the hat. For example, a student pulls out one domino with a 5 and a 6, and another with a 2 and a 3.
She first must add 5 + 6 = 11, and 2 + 3 = 5. She must now either add, subtract, or multiply 11 and 5.
Playing Cards and Card Games Make Learning Math Fun
Any deck of playing cards will do. Remove the Ace and Jack, Queen and King cards from the deck.
This is a game of speed similar to the card game "War."
For addition practice:
- The deck is split between two players.
- One player chants, "1, 2, 3, flip!" and each player places a card face up on the table. For example, they flip over a 4 and a 10.
- The first person to call out, "4 + 10 = 14!" gathers the two cards, and they go again.
To work on subtraction skill:
- The first person to call out, "10 - 4 = 6!" gathers the cards, and they go again.
And to help memorize multiplication:
- The first person to call out, "10 x 4 = 40!" gathers the cards, and they go again.
Play Dice Bingo to Practice Math Skills
Teachers make dice bingo cards with card stock or construction paper glued onto cardboard. Each square on the bingo board will have a numerical value (number).
Students will also need chips for their bingo boards, and dice to share.
To gain addition skills:
- Students take turns throwing the two dice.
- At each turn, student adds the two values thrown. For example, if he rolls a 5 and a 2, he must say, "5 + 2 = 7."
- He looks for a 7 on his game board, and if he finds it he covers it with a chip.
For practice in subtraction:
- If playing Subtraction Bingo, student says, "5 - 2 = 3".
- He covers a 3 with his chip.
And to use multiplication:
- He says, "5 x 2 = 10" and covers a 10 on his game board with a chip.
Play Advanced Dice Bingo
To play Advanced Dice Bingo, allow the players to decide whether they want to add, subtract, or multiply the values they roll on the dice. This causes them to think more. For example, the student who rolled a 5 and a 2 may not have a 3 or a 7 on his game board. However, he sees he has a 10, and chooses to multiply.
Playing games with educational themes helps students learn. Effective teachers engage their students in enjoyable activities; the lessons learned come naturally through the course of the activity or game. Many common objects, toys, and games are easily converted for educational purposes, and a little creativity while teaching goes a long way to nurture the intake of knowledge.
