Math game activity

35 Active Math Games and Activities for Kids Who Love To Move

Tired of hearing groans when you announce it’s time for math? These active math games and activities will spice up your learning game. They get kids up and moving, using their whole bodies to learn facts and skills. Lots of these ideas can be adapted to suit a variety of math concepts, so choose a few to try out with your own math students.

1. Throw snowballs inside or out

Clip flash cards to plastic tubs, then challenge kids to throw the correct number of large white pom-poms (“snowballs”) in from a distance. If there’s snow on the ground, bundle up and take this one outside to use real snowballs!

Learn more: Frugal Fun 4 Boys and Girls

2. Stack sticks to practice tally marks

Small sticks are perfect for practicing tally marks. Kids will have fun checking the ground under trees for twigs, then breaking them into pieces and creating tally piles.

Learn more: @amysam623

3.

It’s so easy to make your own magnet fishing pole. Float some numbered foam fish with paper clips attached, then try to catch the numbers in the right order! (Don’t want to get wet? Just lay the fish on the ground instead.)

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Learn more: Buggy and Buddy/Fishing Math

4. Draw and measure shapes on the sidewalk

First, give kids some sidewalk chalk and let them draw a variety of shapes, as big or small as they like. Then, arm them with measuring tapes and have them practice taking measurements.

Learn more: @playexploregrow

5. Stomp and smash on a number line

Grab some paper bags and number them, then shake them out and lay them in a number line. Now, call out an addition or subtraction problem, like 3 + 2. Have a student stomp on the bag labeled three, then on the next two to arrive at an answer of five. (Feeling brave? Try this one with balloons!)

Learn more: Schooltime Snippets

6.

Pick up colorful fall leaves and write math facts on them. Gather them around a numbered rock to make pretty flowers.

Learn more: @discoverwildlearning

7. Toss beanbags to learn place value

Label bins with place values like ones, tens, and hundreds. Kids toss beanbags into the bins, then count them and see what number they’ve created.

Learn more: Saddle Up for Second Grade/Place Value Toss

8. Form paper-plate number bonds

Pass out numbered paper plates, then have students mix and mingle to see how many number bonds they can form.

Learn more: The Schroeder Page

9. Create a life-size number line

Number lines are wonderful for all sorts of math games and activities. Make one big enough for kids to stand and jump around on using sidewalk chalk (or painter’s tape indoors). You’ll use it over and over again.

Learn more: Childhood Beckons

10. Hit the target and graph

You can teach graphing in lots of ways, so why not make it active? Students throw balls onto a target, graphing and analyzing their throws as they go.

Learn more: Amy Lemons

11. Head out on a plot graph scavenger hunt

Create a map of your school, playground, or other area using graph paper (or even better, have kids help you do it). Then choose plot points for them to visit to find notes or small prizes. They’ll feel like real treasure hunters!

Learn more: Edventures With Kids

12. Roll the dice to count and move

Get practice with low-number counting and addition using action dice. Write activities like “jump,” “clap,” or “stomp” on a small wooden block, then roll it along with a pair of dice. Kids add them up (or subtract if you prefer) and complete the activity the number of times shown.

Learn more: Buggy and Buddy/Math Dice

13. Whack a ball to subtract

You know your elementary math students are going to love this! Build your own whack-a-mole 10-frame with a shoebox and Ping-Pong balls. Then, have kids whack the balls to practice their subtraction facts. So fun!

Learn more: Planning Playtime

14. Make a splash with water balloons

You’re going to need to be willing to get a little wet for this one, but kids simply adore math games (or any games!) with water balloons. Fill and label balloons numbered 1 through 20 (or whatever numbers you’re working on). Draw the numbers in a big circle on the playground. Then, have a student choose a balloon, find the matching number, and head off to make a splash!

Learn more: Little Bins for Little Hands

15. Tell time on a giant clock

Draw a giant clock face with hours and minutes on the playground with sidewalk chalk. Choose two students to be the hour and minute hands, then call out a time and send them out to become the clock. Add more complicated elements by having them add to or subtract from the initial time too. (“Now it’s 23 minutes later!”)

Learn more: Creative Family Fun/Sidewalk Chalk Clock

16. Measure your frog jumps

Have your students hop like frogs, leap like gazelles, or jump like kangaroos. Then, pull out the ruler or measuring tape so they can measure the distances they’ve covered.

Learn more: Coffee Cups and Crayons

17. Jump to math facts practice

Lay out a grid like the one shown that has the answers to whatever set of math flash cards you’re currently working with. (This teacher used masking tape; you could also do sidewalk chalk on the playground.) Two players face off, one on each side of the board. Show the flash card, and kids race to be the first to jump to the correct square with both feet inside the lines. Get all the rules at the link below.

Learn more: Teaching and Tapas

18. Run a flash-card race

Tape a series of flash cards to the floor and challenge kids to see who can correctly make their way from start to finish the fastest. They can call out the answers or write them down, but they have to get it right before they move on. Kids can race side by side or work independently to beat their own best time.

Learn more: There’s Just One Mommy

19.

Beach balls are so much fun in the classroom. Scribble numbers all over one with a Sharpie, then toss it to a student. Wherever their thumbs land, they add (or subtract or multiply) those two numbers together before tossing the ball to the next student.

Learn more: Saddle Up for Second Grade/Beach Ball Math

20. Do a number dance

Kids who love “Dance Dance Revolution” will get into this one. Make a number mat for each student like the ones shown. Flash an equation with an answer between 10 and 99 on the screen. Kids figure out the answer and jump to put their left foot on the correct tens place, right foot on the ones. They’ll be dancing and spinning as they learn!

Learn more: Number Loving

21. Groove with angles

Teach kids about transversals and the angles they create with some fun dance moves! Get the details for “Dance Dance Transversal” at the link below.

Learn more: Communicating Mathematically

22.

We’re not sure why, but kids simply love stacking cups. Label yours with math problems and answers, then have kids build pyramids and towers galore!

Learn more: The Kindergarten Smorgasboard

23. Measure the height of a tree (no ladder needed)

Kids will be amazed to learn they can measure the tallest tree while keeping their feet on the ground. The link below walks you through the steps with a free printable.

Learn more: From ABCs to ACTs

24. Count and learn on a nature walk

Take an outdoor stroll and practice basic math along the way. This works indoors too—walk the school hallways (quietly) and count doors, windows, posters, and more.

Learn more: Creative Family Fun/Math Walk

25. Hunt for shapes in the world around you

Looking for super-simple and fun active math games? Give students a sheet with shapes to find as you walk around the school or playground. Each time they find the shape, have them trace it on their worksheet and then make a mark to keep track of how many times they’ve seen it.

Learn more: Hands-On Teaching Ideas

26. Steal the balls with addition robbery

Kids compete to see whose basket of balls will add up to the highest amount. The trick? They don’t know at the beginning which balls are worth the most. Learn how to play at the link below.

Learn more: That After School Life

27. Puddle-jump from number to number

Lay out a series of construction paper puddles labeled with numbers. You can call out numbers and have kids jump to the correct one, or have them jump from one to the next in order forward or backward, or even try some skip counting.

Learn more: NurtureStore

28. Paint and hide number rocks

Painted rocks are always a big hit! Have your class help you make these, then hide them around the playground and send kids off to find and answer equations.

Learn more: The OT Toolbox

29. Skip-count along a hopscotch board

A hopscotch board can be used for a lot of fun and active math games. Try it for skip counting: Kids hop along counting by 2s, 5s, 10s, or whatever you’re currently working on. Learn more at the link below.

Learn more: Math Geek Mama/Skip-Counting Hopscotch

30. Aim and throw to practice math skills

Pick up a set of Sticky Darts and draw two dartboards side by side. You can label the rings with any numbers you like. Kids throw the darts and then add, subtract, multiply, or divide the numbers—your choice!

Learn more: Inspiration Labs

31. Design an outdoor board game

Draw a winding path and fill the spaces with math equations. Kids roll the dice and move from space to space (have them jump, skip, or twirl to mix things up). If they get the answer right, they move to the new space. If not, their turn is over. Customizable math games like this can be used at any level.

Learn more: Look! We’re Learning!

32. Turn UNO into an active math game

Grab your UNO deck and get ready to move! Assign each color a movement (hop, touch toes, etc.). As kids draw the cards, everyone completes the movement the correct number of times. Skip and Reverse work as usual, but anyone who gets Draw Two has to draw two more cards and complete the actions on their own while others cheer them on. See more at the link below.

Learn more: Still Playing School

33. Bowl them over while learning math facts

Active math games using recycled materials are economical and good for the environment. Set up empty plastic bottles labeled 1 through 10, then roll the ball to see how many you can knock down. Add up the numbers of the knocked-over bottles to get your score.

Learn more: Learn With Play at Home

34. Compete to win at putt-putt math

Pick up a few dollar-store supplies and make your own putt-putt course. This can be a simple game where kids simply shoot for the highest (or lowest) number. But you can also drive up the complexity by putting equations on the cups that kids have to solve first to determine which is the best cup to aim for.

Learn more: My Catch a Star Classroom!

35. Give a classic game a math twist

Create active math games that give new life to existing resources. For example, add numbers to Twister! For more advanced players, instead of saying “Right hand 5,” try saying “Right hand 14 – 9” to make them think.

Learn more: Math Geek Mama/Twister Math

If you like these active math games and are looking for more ways to move in the classroom, try these 21 Kinesthetic Reading Activities for your most active learners.

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25 Fun Math Activities for Middle & High School Students

By: Virginia | Feb 19, 2021 12:15 PM

If math is your student’s least favorite subject, everything from classes to homework to studying for quizzes and tests can be like pulling teeth.  

But with an extra dose of creativity and fun, dread can turn to delight!

Like any challenging (and important) skill, mastering key math concepts takes practice; unfortunately, that can often look like a worksheet or some other list of tasks that feels more like a mental laundry list than a puzzle kids would be eager to solve.

This genre of practice can be necessary, don’t get me wrong, but if you could use a little help in giving math practice a makeover, we’ll need to step outside that box. The good news is: making math fun to learn for kids isn’t a mystery, and these ideas are simple to implement at home with elementary, middle, or high school students.

Here are 25 fun activities that will spice up your child’s learning routine and can help build community in the classroom, plus students will reap the benefits of “gamified” learning: increased motivation, engagement, and pure enjoyment of learning just for the sake of it. 

More good news: reluctant and enthusiastic mathematicians alike will get a kick out of gamified learning. Take a look with your student, and pick out a few to try this week at home, in math club, and among friends. 

Fun Math Activities for Elementary and Middle School Students

This handy resource adapts the classic Tic-Tac-Toe game for a range of skills and grade levels. Best for elementary and middle school students, this activity can be a quick brain break or an all-out challenge with a prize at stake.

As the website cleverly describes this game, it "raises math fun to a higher power”! Kids will enjoy playing against parents, siblings, or friends, and they’ll have an extra incentive to master the exponents they’ll need for science and math class. 

Yes, you read that correctly! Minecraft has an incredible math educator’s guide that’s guaranteed to intrigue young gamers who could use an extra incentive to bolster their math skills. Learn more about the incredible educational applications of Minecraft. 

Though football season may be over, this activity is a creative one to stash away for the next draft. Algebraic equations can be challenging for many middle school students, and this sporting twist will not only make the practice more bearable, kids will get to see the (sometimes elusive) real-world application of what they’re learning. 

And here is an expert tutorial if your student could use some extra help solving for x.

This foundational skill becomes a lot more enjoyable in game form, and students will strengthen their mental math muscles as they play. 

Ideal for lunch time, kids will be extra-motivated to master proportions and fractions. Converting fractions into decimals, or vice versa? These tutorials will help your student convert the numbers in a trice.  

From averages to exponents to algebra, these pre-designed Jeopardy games will elevate study time and make review something to look forward to. Kids can compete with siblings or virtually with friends!

To crack the safe in this online game, students must correctly use the order of operations. Kids will need to know this to solve math problems, but as they master the skill, a reward like pulling off a heist is a useful motivator.

If you’re looking to revamp your family’s board game collection, why not infuse some fun with math? Proof!, Prime Climb, and Real World Math were each created by teachers and boast hundreds of rave reviews from parents. 

Discounts, fractions, budgeting—there are so many mathematical applications when it comes to shopping for kids’ favorite foods. This activity can easily be done virtually through grocery delivery services or online shopping. 

The game that has entertained kids for countless hours gets mathematical in this rapid fire edition of “War”. 

Learning to add and subtract negative numbers can be tricky. So, to stave off student frustration, this game is a fun way to practice. Plus, this platform offers quick tutorial videos as well, just in case your student could use a refresher. 

Who doesn’t love a great scavenger hunt? Not only would this make a great at-home (and outdoor) activity, kids will practice graphing coordinates and slopes in a hands-on way. 

A sweet introduction to algebraic thinking, this is one of many colorful games Math Playground offers. Players solve for the value of each candy in this online “sweet shop.”

Kinesthetic learning, or learning through movement, is a creative way to increase students’ engagement (and energy levels). If your student is learning to memorize multiplication tables and could use a break from paper and pencil, take a break outdoors with some chalk, and get moving!

Young learners mastering place value will benefit from the visual and kinesthetic aspects of exploring the concept with LEGO. This activity will work with just about any LEGO set you have on hand.

Fun Math Activities for High School Students

STEM worlds collide in NASA’s math series! This website offers activities for algebra, geometry, and pre-calculus paired with the innermost workings of space exploration. 

This probably sounds familiar: when will I need to know this in real life? This range of expertly-designed activities provides valuable connections to practical scenarios that will satisfy even the most skeptical students.  

Think of this fun activity as the antidote to the geometry doldrums. Kids can pick a soundtrack (or use one of the pre-made options), clear the room, and dance their way to knowing all about transversals.

Fun Math Activities for all Ages 

Connecting new (and potentially dull) subject matter to an area of students’ interest is a well-known best practice in education. This resource provides some excellent interdisciplinary projects that blend math skills with art, history, fascinating places around the world, and more.  

If your student is just getting the hang of quadratic equations (or perhaps brushing up for a quiz), this game is a creative way to practice. 

Pi Day, March 14th, is just around the corner, so why not make it a celebration of this all-important number! Check out these elementary and middle school activities, fun games and puzzles for all ages, high school activities, and pi card race to make the day memorable and bring smiles back into the equation.  

This game was called “the most addictive math game since Sudoku” by New York Times games editor, a winning testimonial if ever we’ve heard one. KenKen puzzles are a great way to practice mental math or do a warm up before tackling more complex problems.

Upper middle school and high school students will enjoy seeing trigonometry in action in a familiar pastime and in other real-world applications of math concepts. Each activity is interactive and includes short videos and tutorials to give each game context.  

This investigation answers the question: how does the Coast Guard find and rescue those lost in the vast ocean? Turns out, statistical skills are key to these missions. Kids can learn about how they work and have another great answer to the question “why is math important”?

Have Fun with Math Today!

Let us know how your explorations turn out. Looking for a little extra help? iD Tech offers live online math tutoring to help your student succeed and thrive in the classroom. 

Options include:

• Pre-algebra tutoring
• Algebra I tutoring
• Algebra II tutoring
• Online geometry tutoring
• Precalc tutoring
• Calculus tutoring
• Trigonometry tutoring
• Statistics tutoring 

Plus, our math tips & resources page offers tutorials and more to level up your child's math game.

Development of children's mathematical abilities through play activities

Children's play is the main activity in preschool age. In the preschool period, the child's motivation to acquire new knowledge is still not very active, and this is quite natural. But children take play activities seriously, completely immersing themselves in the process for a long time. They try to follow the established rules and strive to achieve the desired result with all their might. This feature of the psychology of preschoolers can be used for learning by presenting educational tasks as games.

What mathematical knowledge can a preschooler get in a playful way

Playing activities at the age of 3-6 years are varied, so an experienced specialist gives all the mathematical knowledge and skills necessary for a future first grader. In a playful way, the child will master forward and backward counting, learn numbers and learn how to write them, understand the meaning of addition and subtraction and learn how to solve problems using these actions. The curriculum for preschoolers includes an introduction to geometric shapes, the concepts of area and volume. Solving mathematical and logical problems develops the child's mental abilities. He learns to understand the meaning of the task, analyze it, draw up a solution plan and look for non-standard ways of doing it.

The development of children's mathematical abilities through play activities has the following advantages:

• kids are willing to work, do tasks;
• does not cause fatigue and loss of concentration, which is observed during normal activities;
• the learning process causes positive emotions, which awakens the desire for further knowledge acquisition;
• the mathematical abilities of children are formed, the general outlook develops, speech, coordination of movements, fine motor skills of the hands are improved.

When learning in a playful way, abilities are developed in other areas: communication skills are developed, since children perform some tasks together, helping each other, exchanging thoughts. Joint tasks give rest and ensure the development of speed of thinking, coordination of movements, the ability to act in a team

The development of mathematical abilities helps to learn about the world and achieve success

The formation of elementary mathematical representations of abilities at preschool age is important for general development. The ability to understand and evaluate the quantitative characteristics of objects and phenomena makes knowledge about the world around us more complete and deep.

Mathematics requires logical thinking, but not template solutions, therefore it allows developing creativity. Well-developed spatial thinking will be useful for future artists and architects, and the ability to think logically and find beautiful solutions will be useful for future managers, advertising and marketing specialists. It does not matter what type of activity the child chooses - the ability to think clearly, see the task and divide it into components will help him succeed, facilitate the study of all school disciplines.

Learning in a playful way

A playing form of learning does not cause difficulties and fatigue for the child, but for the teacher such an activity is more difficult than the traditional presentation of material. It is necessary to organize the educational process in such a way that:

• game tasks arouse interest in children;
• motor and cognitive games (aimed at developing higher mental functions) were selected in the optimal proportion for a specific age group - only in this case, preschoolers will not feel tired at the end of the lesson;
• all types of memory (visual, auditory, associative, mechanical) were involved, which will ensure fast and long-term memorization;
• preschoolers learned to solve problems using certain algorithms and developed creative, spatial and mathematical thinking.

Homeschooling or preparatory courses

Many parents prefer to take care of their child on their own, including offering educational games. Today on the Internet you can find a lot of information on the development of children, detailed descriptions of methods and exercises that provide mathematical knowledge and develop thinking. Such training is very useful, but training with a professional is more effective. It is not enough just to read the recommendations - you need a lot of practical experience and knowledge in the field of pedagogy and psychology, which allow you to objectively assess the level of its development. If there are problems in learning, you can not blame the preschooler for laziness and unwillingness to learn. It is useful to undergo neuropsychological diagnostics, which will identify the causes of the difficulties that have arisen, and then sign up for a course of correctional and developmental classes.

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See also

Development of children's mathematical abilities through play activities | Mathematics consultation (preparatory group):

municipal preschool educational autonomous institution "Kindergarten No. 123 "Harmony" of a combined type

Orsk"

"Development of mathematical abilities of preschool children through play activities."

Prepared by:

Educator of the I qualification category:

Ilyasova A.K.

Orsk, 2020

"Development of mathematical abilities of preschool children through play activities."

One of the most important tasks of raising a small child is the development of his mind, the formation of such mental skills and abilities that make it easy to learn new things.

Preschool age is a period of active development of cognitive activity. At this time, the formation of the first forms of abstraction, generalization and simple inferences, the transition from practical thinking to logical thinking, the development of arbitrariness of perception, attention, memory, and imagination take place.

Relevance of the topic: one of the urgent problems of preschool pedagogy is the effective development of the intellectual and creative abilities of preschoolers. The use of educational games in the pedagogical process allows you to restructure educational activities: move from the usual activities with children to cognitive gaming activities organized by an adult or independent. They are important and interesting for children, diverse in content, very dynamic and include manipulations with play material that are loved by children, which is able to satisfy the child in motor activity, movement, helps children use the score, and controls the correctness of actions.

The purpose of the work: - ensuring the integrity of the educational process through the organization of classes in the form of exercises of a game nature.

While working on this topic, I set the following tasks for myself:

1. Reveal the significance of the game in the development of mathematical concepts.

2. Investigate the effectiveness of using game techniques in the process of forming elementary mathematical concepts in preschoolers.

3. Attach to the subject in a playful and entertaining way;

4. Fill up the developing object-spatial environment in the group.

The following methods contributed to the solution of these problems:

- analysis of pedagogical and psychological literature on the research problem;

- observation,

- mathematical data processing.

Object - elementary mathematical representations of preschoolers.

Subject - didactic games in the formation of elementary mathematical concepts in preschoolers.

The fundamental principles of this experience are: the development of elementary mathematical concepts in preschoolers will be successful if:

- the child's mentality is taken into account;

- general characteristics of children are taken into account;

- the educator focuses on the development of the personality of a preschooler;

- special methodological materials in mathematics are used to work with children.

For preschool children, didactic games for the formation of elementary mathematical concepts are of exceptional importance: the game for them is development, the game for them is work, the game for them is a serious form of education. The importance of didactic games for the mental education of children is very great. In games, the child accumulates sensory experience. Dismantling, folding, picking up, he learns to distinguish and name the size, shape, color and other features of objects.

Fascinating didactic games make preschoolers interested in solving mental problems. Passion for the game increases the ability to voluntary attention, sharpens observation, helps fast and strong memorization.

Didactic games for the formation of mathematical representations can be divided into the following groups:

- games with numbers and numbers

- games of time travel

- games for orientation in space

- games with geometric shapes

- games for logical thinking.

The first group of games includes teaching children to count forward and backward. Such didactic games as "What number is missing?", "How much?", "Confusion?", "Correct the mistake", "Remove the numbers", "Name the neighbors", children learn to freely operate with numbers within 10 and accompany their actions with words . Didactic games such as "Think of a number", "What is your name?", "Make a number", "Who will be the first to name which toy is gone?" develop attention, memory, thinking in children.

The second group of mathematical games (time travel games). They serve to introduce children to the days of the week, the names of the months, their sequence.

The third group includes spatial orientation games. The main task is to teach children to navigate in specially created spatial situations and determine their place according to a given condition. With the help of didactic games and exercises, children master the ability to determine the position of one or another object in relation to another in a word.

The fourth group includes games with geometric shapes. In order to consolidate knowledge about geometric shapes, you can play a game like LOTTO, "Build a House", "Columbus Egg", "Tangram".

A lot of didactic games and exercises are used for consolidation, of varying degrees of complexity, depending on the individual abilities of the children. For example, such games as "Find the same pattern", "Fold a square", "Look around", "Pick up in shape", "Who will see more?"

Fifth group of games (for logical thinking). Any mathematical task for ingenuity, no matter what age it is intended for, carries a certain mental load. In the course of solving each new task, the child is involved in active mental activity, striving to achieve the final goal, thereby developing logical thinking.

When choosing a game, you need to know what program tasks will be solved with their help, how the game will contribute to the development of children's mental activity, the education of the moral aspects of the individual.

I had a set of classes. In the classroom, in a playful way, children acquired certain knowledge, skills, and at the same time enriched themselves aesthetically, emotionally, helped each other, learned to overcome difficulties together, evaluated themselves and others, drew conclusions and conclusions. Learning through play is an interesting and exciting activity for children. They contributed to the gradual transfer of interest and enthusiasm from gaming to learning activities.

I also created a mathematical center in the group. By creating a math corner, we provided children with free access to materials and games. Thus, giving children the opportunity in their free time to choose the game they are interested in, benefits, etc. Play individually or together with other children. Play equipment creates a rich, cohesive environment with plenty of room to play.

Thus, we can draw the following conclusion that when playing, children learn the program material better and perform complex tasks correctly.

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