10+ Games for Playing Math

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My kids have been teaching me that math can be as fun as any game. In the car, Mister 4 often asks us math questions to pass the time. Sometimes he can be convinced to get to the answer himself. (For some reason he keeps asking what 8+8 is? I don't know why, but that equation is his favorite right now.) Every now and then one of my kids will announce they know how to do some math trick like doubling their numbers. That always makes me smile.

Board games and card games are fun and easy ways to incorporate math practice into your day. Sometimes I suggest playing a game but more often one of the kids will ask to play and no one thinks of it as "work". The younger kids want to figure out the math required to play because the older people are doing it. It's interesting and challenging. I think just about any game that requires you to count something is good for math practice, but these are the ones we enjoy!

1. Pokemon Trading Card Game

This game not only helps with math (counting hit points and damage) but reading as well. When our littlest isn't around, Miss 7 and Mister 4 will pore over the cards, look at the pictures, compare stats, and read descriptions. Well, Miss 7 will read the descriptions to Mister 4 at least. I have linked to the same decks that we own. Watch out for Yveltal!

2. Connect 4

Connect 4...oh what a fun stand by game. It's good not only for counting up to 4 but also for playing with patterns, shapes and designs!

3. Chess

Miss 7 and Mister 4 have recently been interested in playing chess because our homeschool co-op has a chess class and they seem to think it is the coolest thing ever. Funny story - since last term they've played Chess once but they talk about chess class so enthusiastically! Anyway, Chess is great for counting, spatial awareness, planning, executing a plan...and so much more. Parents magazine even published an article all about its brainy benefits.

4. Uno

I love Uno, and I think it is great for recognizing numbers, counting and just having fun but it is hard for little hands to hold the cards. Especially if you get a few Draw 4 cards in a row! Thsese card holders for little hands can make that easier. Also, playing in parent-child teams works well.

5. ColorKu

We've never really used this game as intended, but the colorful balls on the grid have been great for general arithmetic, shapes, and patterns. The balls are choking hazards though, so I keep them out of reach until we are playing with them together.

6. Stratego

Stratego is a favorite of Miss 7's and, I admit, I am not very good at it. It's a great game for greater than/less than practice since that's how battles are generally determined (with a few special rules for bombs and miners). Putting away the game has become a way to practice number recognition with Miss 3 because each numbered character goes back into a matching numbered spot in the box.

7. Monopoly

Confession: I haven't played Monopoly with my kids yet. We don't actually own it! But how could I leave Monopoly out? With all the play money, and buying things, it's fantastic for math practice and lots of fun - but the games are famously long so...I'm waiting til they are collectively older!

8. War

War is another favorite game in our house. One reason is that it is so easy! The rules are extremely simple (bigger numbers win!) and even the youngest player in the house doesn't lose interest because the game is so fast. This particular set with dogs and cats is a winner too because my kids sometimes like to pit the cats against the dogs or try to collect more cats than dogs, etc.

9. Catan

Catan is a sneaky math game. The only numbers involved are the dice and the numbers on the tiles but...you have to keep track of how many sheep or rocks or wheat you need to make a road or city. And those ports are a lot of fun! At the ports you can trade 2 of something for 1 of something else. You can also, in game, trade with others to get the resources you need so its a good game for social skills.

10. ALL THE CARD GAMES!

You can pick up a deck or two at the dollar store and then start learning all the classic card games. The Ultimate Book of Family Card Games will teach them to everyone.

And a bonus game: Bargain Quest

We just got this game and have played through it a few times and it is lots of fun! You play both the owner of a store and a hero who buys things from a store. The winner is the one with the most profit.

And another bonus game I just thought of: Battleship!

Mister 4 likes to play this one with me. It's helpful for number and letter recognition and for learning about coordinates. One caveat: I wish this version of the game had easier to see letters and numbers on the sides. We fixed ours with some stickers :).

How do you play math?