Math Games
Here are some simple math games you can play at home!
Dice games
1. “Knock Out” (2 players)
Materials needed:
- Dry erase board - Dry erase marker (Pencil and paper will work also) - 2 dice
How to play:
Write the numbers 2-12 on both sides of the dry erase board Set the board in between the 2 players Take turns rolling the dice. Add the dice together and erase the sum from your side of the board. If you roll a sum that you have already erased, it is the next players turn. The first one to erase all their numbers, WINS!
2. “PIG” – A fast game of chance (2 players)
Materials needed:
- 1 die
How to play:
Each player takes turns rolling the die Each time, add the points of the face value rolled to a total. The first person to reach 100 points WINS!
Watch out! – if you roll a 1, you gain no new points and your turn ends.
RISK IT! – keep rolling and chance losing your points
PLAY IT SAFE! – Pass the die to the next player and keep to points you have, but don’t get any new ones towards your total.
*Challenge*
*Use 2 dice. Add the numbers on both dice to the total
*If you roll a 1 (on either dice), you gain no points that turn. Your turn ends.
*If you roll “Snake eyes” (double 1s), you lose ALL your points and return to 0. Your turn ends.
3. “Dice War (2 players)
Materials needed:
- 2 dice
How to play:
Each player takes a turn rolling both dice and adding the dots. The player with the highest number, WINS!
*Challenge*
- Use 3 dice to practice adding 3 numbers at a time
Card games
1. Go Fish (2+ players)
How to play:
- Deal out 5-7 cards to each player
- Place the rest of the cards in the "lake" or the "ocean" (a pile in between the players)
- Players take turns asking for cards matching the ones they have in their hand (asking for 1 matching card per turn)
- Players will gain cards if the player they asked has the card they need OR be told to "go fish" (take 1 card from the center pile)
- Keep playing until all cards have been matched.
- The player with the most matching pairs, WINS!
2. Memory (2+ players)
How to play:
- Place several pairs of cards face down on a table in mixed order.
- Players take turns turning over 2 cards at a time (only once per turn), looking for matches.
- If they find a match, the cards are kept. If they don't, cards are turned back over and it is the next players turn.
- Game continues until all cards are gone. The player with the most matches, WINS!
*Challenge*
- Players find numbers that add up to 10 (instead of pairs)
3. War (2+ players)
How to play:
- Players each have a deck of cards or split a deck evenly. Cards should be mixed up.
- Cards are stacked face down in front of each player.
- Each player turns over one card at a time.
- The player with the largest number gets both cards.
- If there is a TIE: players each add 2 more cards (1 face down, 1 face up). The player with the largest face up card, gets to keep all 6 cards.
- Play until all cards are gone. Player with all the cards at the end, WINS!
*Challenge*
- Turn over 2 cards at a time, the player with the largest sum keeps the cards