Math Games at Home
Karla Goldhahn
Mathematics Instructional Lead teacher
Patrick Henry Academies
“Families have a major influence on their children’s achievement
in school and through life. When schools, families and
community groups work together to support learning,
children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer and
like school more.”
~The Impact of School and Family
Why games are great…
 Check out this article on the benefits of playing games:
http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/the-benefitsof-board-games
 Games are fun.
 Children learn number sense, how to follow directions, how
to be a good winner or loser, and strategies.
 Games encourage families to spend quality time together.
 The following slides are examples of
home-made games that you can recreate
at home.
 Traditional games that encourage math skills:
Yahtzee
Dominoes
Life
Monopoly
Quelf
Card games: Go Fish, War, Rummy
For more ideas, or to check-out games and resources from the school,
visit the Parent Resource Center at Patrick Henry (North Campus).
Open during school hours
Game: Doubles Memory
Purpose:
The purpose of this activity is to help your child to learn the pairs of numbers that add to 10.
What you need:

Playing cards:

Aces= 1

2-10= their numerical value

J-K (all face cards)= 10
What to do:
This is game is played like Memory. The cards are first spread out, ideally the cards are spread in an array. The first person
turns over two cards, keeping them in their original location, if they add to 10 the player takes the pair and has another
turn. If the cards do not match, they replace the cards them to the same place face down. The next player has a turn.
The winner is the player with the most pairs.
What to expect your child to do:

To quickly recognize a pair of cards that equals a sum of 10.
Dice Games
Game: Multiply
on the Fly
• One person rolls three number cubes
• All players write the multiplication equation on a board or in
math journals. For example: 3x2x5=30
• The first person with an accurate equation receives 10 points
• All other players with an accurate equation receive 5 points
• Play continues until someone reaches 100 total points.
Game: Multiply on the Fly
Questions parents can ask:
 What was the multiplication strategy that you used?
 If you change the order of the factors will you still get the same
product?
 What is the highest/lowest product possible each time the 3 number
cubes are rolled?
Variations to make it easier or harder:
 Add instead of multiply
 Use more or less dice
Challenge: Try this activity using 5 number cubes.
Game: How
Low Can You Go?
Which decimal fraction is smaller? How do you know?
• Each player uses her/his own place value frame.
.
• Roll a number cube and write the number that comes up in one of your five
sections. The other player also writes the same number in one of her/his five
sections (not necessarily the same section because each player may use a
different strategy to choose which section).
• Continue taking turns rolling the number cube and writing the decimal
digits until all of the sections are filled.
• Compare the numbers created. The player with the smallest number wins
the round. Remember to accurately read the number (the word “and” is only used at
the decimal point).
• Play 3 rounds.
Game: How Low Can You Go?
Questions parents can ask:
 Which decimal place is that? How do you know?
 Why did you place the digit there? What was your strategy?
Challenge: Try playing to get the largest number.
Shapes
Shape Dance
Have your child dance in shapes. Together make up a dance routine
where you and your child dance in squares, circles, triangles, and
rectangles. Set your routine to music and perform it in front of
other family members. Have family members guess what shape is
being made
http://www.brainpopjr.com/math/geometry/planeshapes/grownups.weml
Strategy Game: Last
Survivor
Here are the rules.
1. This game is for 2 players. The object is to be the player who
takes the
Last tile.
2. Players lay out 13 tiles.
3. Players take turns removing 1,2 or 3 tiles at a time. No player
may skip a turn.
4. The player who takes the last tile is the Last Survivor and wins
the game.
• Play several games of Last Survivor.
• Be ready to talk about good moves and bad moves.
Game:
Doubles & Halves
Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to help your child to learn doubles of numbers and their
corresponding halves. For example 10 + 10 = 20, and of 20 is 10, 8 + 8 = 16 and of 16 is 8.
What you need: Game cards.You can print these or make your own. (next slide)
What to do:
 Use the doubles and halves cards to play memory. The aim of the game is to find as many matching





pairs as possible by remembering where the cards are.
Spread out all the cards face down.
Turn over 2 cards. If the cards match, for example “ of 4” and “2” players get to keep the pair. If the
cards don’t match, players replace them face down.
Take turns to try and find a matching pair.
The winner is the player with the most pairs at the end of the game.
Have many pairs can you get?
What to expect your child to do:
Be able to instantly recall doubles and their corresponding halves.
Game Cards:
Doubles & Halves
1
½ of 2
2
½ of 4
3
½ of 6
4
½ of 8
5
½ of 10
6
½ of 12
7
½ of 14
8
½ of 16
9
½ of 18
10
½ of 20
What Process Standards
do games encourage?
• Students will solve problems (using appropriate
•
•
•
•
technology).
Students will reason and evaluate mathematical
arguments.
Students will communicate mathematically.
Students will make connections among
mathematical ideas and to other disciplines.
Students will represent mathematics in multiple
ways.