I am a colleague of Dustin Stevens and a math tutor. We have worked together for several years, attended some intensive online trainings together, and even referred students to each other. Dustin approached me with the idea of contributing to his Blog about giving parents ideas of math games you can do with your kids. Of course I happily agreed as making math fun and accessible is my passion, and I would love to throw some ideas out there for you guys.
Why do I love math games so much? Because students learn exponentially better when it’s in the form of a game. Thanks for letting the “math tutor” invade the “writing tutor’s” page and let me know if you find this helpful!
Math Games to Play at Home:
1. Shut the Box. This is a great little game that comes in a neat, old-fashioned wood box with number tiles you turn over. It teaches addition, fact families, as well as place value. Great for all ages! Here is a short video explaining how to Play: https://www.facebook.com/reel/471573084349802
2. Chocolate Fix by ThinkFun: If your kids like logic puzzles (or candy) then this is the game for them. Levels range from super easy to an expert level that would challenge even the most savvy adult.
3. War with Playing Cards: Using playing cards, you and your child can add, multiply, or subtract 2 cards at a time. Whoever has the biggest answer wins those cards. At the end, the player with the most cards is the winner. I like this because you can practice multiplication, addition, and subtraction with cards (which most people have at home). Enjoy!
4. Fraction Dice War: Here you roll 2 dice. Use the dice to make a fraction. Whoever has the bigger fraction wins. Play up to a certain point level. This is great for comparing fractions as well as learning to reduce. Again, it’s great because most people have dice at home.
5. Grocery Ads – Plan Dinner: This is not exactly a game, but I love to have my students look at their local grocery ad, plan dinner, and calculate the cost. You can make this activity more challenging by giving them a “spending limit”.
For example, can they plan dinner that costs less than 25 dollars? This obviously is great for so many things (your kid is planning dinner!!!!), but also doing decimals, estimation, adding etc.
Math Games to Play Online:
1. Website: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?Subject=1
Games on this website: “Hit the Button” Times Table Practice,
“Snork’s Long Division” Long Division Steps made easy.
2. Website: https://toytheater.com/ Games on this website: “Multiplication Wizard”, “Bingo”, “Skip Counting Superhero”
3. Website: https://www.multiplication.com/ Games on this website: “Baby Diaper Derby” hilarious and practices multiplication, division, subtraction, and addition.
I hope you have some great new math experiences with your kids. Can you let me or Dustin know which ones were your favorites? 😊
About Amy Bujarski
Amy is a Math tutor who is passionate about making Math fun, easy, and accessible for all kids. If you need math help and would like to know more, you can visit Amy's website at: