Math games for first graders
First Grade Math Games That Will Really Engage Your Students
Early elementary teachers have a chance to instill in their students a love of math right from the start. One great way to do that is to make math fun! These first grade math games cover all the standard skills firsties need to know, in ways that make learning engaging and enjoyable for all.
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1. Assemble a domino puzzle
Print the free puzzles at the link below. Then grab some dominoes and start filling in the puzzle one piece at a time by placing a domino that adds up to the number shown in each rectangle. The trick is that regular domino rules still apply, so each number must touch another domino with the same number on that end.
Learn more: Games 4 Gains
2. Play tic-tac-toe with addition problems
Work out the answer to each problem in the grid, and dot or circle the ones that add up to 10. First to get three in a row wins!
Learn more: 123Homeschool4Me—Tic-Tac-Toe Math Game
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3. Face off in Dice War
Dice games are fantastic in the classroom! With this one, kids practice their addition facts and get a little work with subitizing too. The concept is so simple: Each player rolls the dice and adds up their numbers. The highest sum wins that round. This is one of those first grade math games that can be expanded by adding a third die. (You can also use playing cards.)
Learn more: Miss Giraffe’s Class
4. Use sticky notes to make 10
Sticky notes have so many uses in the classroom. In this case, challenge students to put together the numbered notes that “make 10.” They’ll practice adding to 10 with multiple numbers. You can also do this with subtraction, starting at 10, to make zero.
Learn more: Life Over C’s
5. Play Shut the Box
This game has been played for hundreds of years, but it’s a fun and sneaky way to practice addition facts fluency.
The goal is to “close” each of the numbers in the box from one to nine by rolling the dice. For instance, if a player rolls 11, they may close 1, 2, 3, and 5, as these add up to 11. If no numbers are available to add up to the dice total, play passes to the next player and continues until someone finally “shuts the box” by closing the last available number. You can play this game with a specially designed box, as it has been played for years. You don’t need the box, though; simply have kids write out the numbers 1 through 9 and cross them out as they play.
6. Assemble some addition grab bags
Fill a variety of bags with collections of small objects. Kids grab a handful from two different bags, then count and add up the results. Be sure they write it all down to get practice at setting up equations. First grade math games like this one work for subtraction too.
Learn more: Susan Jones Teaching—Grab Bags
7. Face Off to find the difference
Each player rolls the dice (try polyhedral dice for higher numbers, or roll several dice and add them together) and builds a stack of math cubes.
Then they “face off” and find the difference between their two stacks.
Learn more: Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls
8. Plant flowers and count on
Pick up some artificial flowers at the dollar store for this springtime garden game. Roll the die and add that number of flowers to your pot. Then roll again and add more, counting on from where you left off. Easy and fun!
Learn more: Fun-a-Day
9. Build and count on
Here’s a fun hands-on way to practice counting on and addition. You can use any type of building blocks for this one. Get free printables at the link.
Learn more: Susan Jones Teaching—Building On
10. Print a hundreds chart to play Battleship
Help students master numbers up to 100 by playing Battleship, using a standard hundreds chart. They’ll enjoy the strategy (and the fun of crying “boom!” when they sink a ship) while they develop number sense and practice number words.
Learn more: 123Homeschool4Me—Hundreds Chart Battleship
11.
Fill in a number grid puzzleThese hundreds chart puzzles encourage kids to use a variety of first grade math skills to fill in the missing numbers. They’ll practice counting on, numbers to 100, skip counting, and more. Grab these 10 free printable puzzles at the link.
Learn more: Helping With Math
12. Try nuts and bolts for place-value practice
Mastering the concepts of tens and ones is more fun with hands-on activities. We love these DIY math manipulatives that use inexpensive nuts and bolts from the hardware store to drive home the idea of place value. (Bonus: Kids also practice fine motor skills!) Get free printable mats to use with this activity at the link.
Learn more: The Measured Mom
13. Have a place-value scavenger hunt
Grab a stack of old magazines and use it for a place-value scavenger hunt! You can do this one at school or send it home for homework. Get free printables to use for this first grade math game at the link.
Learn more: Primary Theme Park—Place Value Scavenger Hunt
14. Practice tens and ones with I Have, Who Has
As first graders work with the concepts of tens and ones, play this simple game to give them confidence. Using the free printable cards at the link, the first player calls out “I have …” followed by the number shown on their card in blocks. Then they call out the number on the bottom, and the player who has that number takes over.
Learn more: Playdough to Plato—I Have, Who Has
15. Deal Uno cards to compare numbers
Some first grade math games are just slightly harder versions of kindergarten ones. Make a greater than/less than mat with paper scraps and a brad, as shown. Lay out two Uno cards on each side, since first graders work on comparing two-digit numbers. Swing the arms of the signs around to the correct direction to indicate which is greater.
Learn more: The Kindergarten Smorgasboard
16. Knock down the pins with dot arrangement bowling
Take an inexpensive toy bowling set (or make your own with plastic bottles) and add sticky dots arranged in patterns.
Students roll the ball and then have to quickly subitize to determine how many dots are on each pin they knocked down. If they get it right, they get the points!
Learn more: The First Grade Parade
17. Navigate a time-telling maze
Start with the first clock and color in the line that shows the correct time. That leads you to the next clock, and so on, until you’re done!
Learn more: 123Homeschool4Me—Time-Telling Maze
18. Assemble time-telling puzzles
Firsties should be mastering time to the hour and half hour. These free printable puzzles help them match up analog and digital clock times. Have them say the times out loud as they match them up too.
Learn more: 123Homeschool4Me—Time-Telling Puzzles
19. Match up plastic eggs
This is always a popular way to practice telling time. Draw clocks on one half of the eggs, and write out the times in numbers or words on the other half. For even more fun, hide the halves around the room and go on an egg hunt before you match them up!
Learn more: The STEM Laboratory
20.
Put together shapes to make other shapesUse pattern blocks with the free printable cards at the link to get kids playing around with simple geometry. They’ll practice recognizing basic shapes and learn they can use some shapes to make new ones.
Learn more: Susan Jones Teaching—Pattern Blocks
21. Partition and sort shapes
Gather up sticky notes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Draw lines on them to partition them equally or unequally. Then, have kids sort them based on type.
Learn more: Smitten With First
22. Build and measure with LEGO bricks
Everything is more fun with LEGO! Pull out a pile of square bricks and use them for these fun and free activities that incorporate estimating, measuring, and comparing length.
Learn more: Playdough to Plato—LEGO Math
23. Race and measure with toy cars
First, kids get a little STEM practice by figuring out how to build a ramp. Then, they race toy cars down the ramp, marking where they land.
Finally, they compare distances using any kind of non-standard measurement they like.
Learn more: Susan Jones Teaching—Non-Standard Measurement
24. Sort out your classroom toys
First graders work on sorting by attribute in as many as three categories. Put out a variety of building blocks, beads, or other classroom toys and lay out some Hula-Hoops. Ask kids to define the categories and start sorting! You can even overlap the hoops into Venn diagrams for items that meet more than one criteria.
Learn more: BSM Year 2
25. Go on a bug hunt
Grab the free printable game at the link, then have kids graph their insects as they play. When they’re done, ask questions to ensure they understand the data they’ve collected.
Learn more: Primary Theme Park—Bug Hunt
Like these first grade math games? Don’t miss these 50 First Grade Math Word Problems of the Day!
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1st Grade Math | Free, Online Math Games
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Math games for preschoolers and first graders
The development of a child's mathematical abilities is one of the aspects of preparing for school.
It can be difficult for a preschooler to operate with numbers, so experts advise starting a child’s acquaintance with numbers and mathematical calculations from games. Complex and sometimes boring examples and tasks do not cause rejection in the baby when they are presented in the form of interesting colorful tasks.
If a child understands at an early age that mathematics is exciting and fun, it will be much easier for him to master the school subject. By the way, mathematical games develop not only the skills of working with numbers, but also logic and non-standard thinking. What are the mathematical games for preschoolers - in our material.
Math games for children 4-5 years old
Math games for preschoolers 4-5 years old include simple math examples for addition and subtraction within 10.
1. Math game "Labyrinth"
In this math game the child is faced with the task of seeing the pattern, going through the maze and helping the squirrel find the acorn.
Print the picture. Give the child a pencil. Let him draw a path along which the squirrel can get to the acorn.
The squirrel has started its journey. She took two steps. What is the difference between 3 and 1? How much more is it? And the number 5 compared to 3? It is desirable that the child himself see the pattern (adding 2 to each previous number). But if it doesn’t work out, don’t worry — explain. Calculate the next step together, and then let the baby go on his own.
2. Math crossword
If a child can count to 10, they may be interested in doing a math crossword.
Print out the crossword. Tell your child how to work with a mathematical crossword puzzle, how the numbers fit into it. You can explain such concepts as "horizontal" and "vertical".
Explain that each row and column must have correct equalities. Emphasize that a mathematical crossword puzzle differs from the usual example in that an unknown number can appear anywhere in it.
Show that in a crossword it is better to solve the examples not in an arbitrary sequence, but by moving from one intersection to another. And it is very important to do everything right, because a mistake in one place will lead to inaccuracies in another.
3. Mathematical game "Count the beads"
As in other examples, the picture can be printed.
There are two different tasks here.
On the left picture there are beads that you need to count and write the answers below, as shown in the first picture. Do not give the child the task right away - invite him to think about what the numbers below (in the first picture) mean. Perhaps he himself will find a correspondence between the number of beads and the number below. In this case, he will easily enter all the correct answers.
On the second, right, block of pictures, the number of beads is the same everywhere, and the number of filled beads is signed below. The kid can also guess about this on his own.
After that, he will gladly color the required number of beads in each picture.
With this activity you can explain to your child what an abacus is and how to use it.
4. Mathematical game “Take the bear to the bear cub”
Examples are written on the ice. In this game, the child must complete each task and write the answer on the ice. After that, you can pave the way of the bear to the bear cub along the ice, on which the numbers 1, 2, 3 are written, and then in order up to 10.
Math games for preschoolers 6-7 years old
Math games for children 6-7 years old are a bit more difficult and suitable for kids who can count to at least 20 and solve addition and subtraction problems in two steps.
1. Mathematical game "Insert the missing number"
The meaning of this mathematical game is to insert numbers into empty cells that come in sequence before, between or after a given number.
Thus, the child's idea of the "number line" is formed.
For convenience, you can first draw this line, on which numbers are indicated from left to right, increasing each time by one. Then the baby will understand what “before”, “between” and “after” means, and will easily do all the exercises.
2. Mathematical game “Put fruits in baskets”
Print the picture, cut out all fruits and baskets separately. The kid must solve a mathematical example that is written on a fruit and "put" it in the correct basket.
These examples show the child that the same number can be obtained in several ways.
Note that the example does not show the same number of ways to get different numbers. So, 7 is obtained by five options: 4 + 3; 7 - 0; 1+6; 2+5; 14 - 7. And 18 - three: 9 + 9; 20 - 2; 12 + 6.
Explain that there are other ways to get the number 18. Give an example or have the child come up with their own.
3. Mathematical game "Find a suitable umbrella"
In this math game, you need to match an umbrella to each cloud.
To do this, the child must solve the examples written inside the cloud and the umbrella, and then place the cloud over the desired umbrella.
In this task, you can not cut anything, but simply connect pictures with the same answer. Each cloud corresponds to one umbrella.
Math games for 1st grade
Math games for schoolchildren are suitable for children who can count up to 30, complete examples in several actions and have a basic understanding of fractions.
1. A chain of mathematical examples
On the path of the butterfly to the flower, do all the suggested actions. Some of the numbers are already in circles, others must be entered by solving the examples given above.
This math task is not for the little ones: here you need to be able to count to at least 30.
2. Math game "How much does a salad cost?"
The picture shows vegetables and their "value". Below are plates with a different set of vegetables.
Invite the child to calculate how much each salad “costs”.
3. What is the fraction in the picture?
Pictures will help explain to your child what fractions are.
The images show circles divided into equal parts. Some of them are painted over. First you need to calculate how many parts there are. Next - how many of them are painted over.
The essence of a fractional number is easy to explain in this way.
For the first example: the circle is divided into 4 parts; three out of four are shaded, i.e. three-fourths. This is referred to as 3/4.
Second example (below): there are 6 beats in the circle, four of the six are shaded - four sixths, 4/6.
Such an algorithm will allow the child to choose from the options presented the answer corresponding to each circle. To check how the kid understood the material, ask him to show an integer (not a fractional) number on one of the circles, painting over the required number of parts.
He will cope with the task if he figured out how a fractional number is formed and how a fraction differs from a whole.
Umnasia offers a large number of mathematical problems for logic and ingenuity for primary and secondary school students. All tasks are presented in the format of an interactive story game with pleasant voice acting and colorful illustrations:
- logic tasks for grade 1
- logic tasks for grade 2
- logic tasks for grade 3
- logic tasks for grade 4
- logic tasks for grade 5
Mathematics and logic for children 7-13 years old
We develop logical thinking through solving plot mathematical problems in an interactive game format
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Math games for children from 4 to 6 years old
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Math games are designed for children from 4 to 6 years old to prepare a preschooler for the first mathematical knowledge and the ability to count.
Here you will find interesting colorful games in which the child will need to find and count the specified number of objects or living beings. Children of this age really like to count, especially in a playful way.
Math games online - this is the best way to instill in your child a love of mathematics. Indeed, in the form of a game, children receive any knowledge more easily, freely and with interest. The game "Find the smallest number" is designed for children from 4 years old. You need to choose the smallest number out of five...
The math game "Find the biggest number" is designed for children aged 4 and over. In this game, the child must choose the largest number out of five. The circle with the largest number must be dragged onto the square with the question mark...
Educational online math game "Put it in the basket" is made for children from 4 years old. The game is based on the child's ability to distinguish between the taste and tactile properties of objects.
For example, salty, bitter, sweet, sour, soft, hard. There are 10 tasks in the game...
New Year's game for kids "Examples up to 10" is a great opportunity to make a little fidget solve examples. It is necessary to choose only those stars in the starry New Year's sky, the numbers on which are the solution of the examples presented ...
The math game "Find the numbers" is one of the favorite games of all children. Here you must find all the letters hidden in the room. To do this, you are given a magnifying glass that will enlarge any corner of the room to which you direct it. But don't forget, you can't press the same number 2 times - you will lose all points!
The math game "Let's learn numbers from 1 to 10" is designed for children from 2 to 5 years old. Have a child sit next to you and ask him to solve these tasks. The game is more difficult because the numbers in the circles are arranged randomly, and not in order.
Educational online math game "Learn numbers from 1 to 10" is designed for children from 2 to 5 years old.
