Kids math games can be so much fun, and using cool math games for kids can be the one of the best way to help your child learn math.
The truth is that kids are curious and actually really, really love
to learn.
And the way they learn the best is by
experimenting, testing and playing - all which are the basic
ingredients in games.
This is why math games are so
effective, as via play math is subtly sneaked into the equation
(yes, pun intended).
All in all, these fun math activities
will be the key to teaching your kids math - they will no doubt love
the playing while getting wiser at the same time.
And who
knows, it might just be fun for you too! :-)
Most kids are interested in the latest technology, and they are good
at it. Probably better than you!
For instance the other day
my four-year-old was introduced to a game one of my friend's
smartphones (I don't have one myself - just an old mobile relic).
Anyway, he had never tried playing with a touchscreen before and
within 15 minutes he had already figured out maneuvers that my
friend didn't even know existed!
Kids' experimental brain is
perfect for learning and trying new stuff so educational online
games will be a walk in the park within long and can be a good
supplement to more traditional off-line teachings.
The
internet is full of math websites that have all kinds of amazingly
fun math games, so you would do well to check out some of these
sites to find out exactly what is available for your kids.
If you don't want to spend all your time looking around for great
sites with great free math games online, check out these kids math
games sites for all kinds of math addition games, multiplication
math games, and games that will help your kids to learn about all
things math-related:
This website was developed by the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics, a bunch of pros who know exactly how hard it can be to
learn math.
The games on this site will make it fun and easy
for your child to learn math, and you may find that they spend more
time on that site once they feel their skills are improving.
Why?
Simply because succeeding and improving yourself
feels good! :-)
Cool Math is a website that not only features fun math games for
kids, but also drills and quizzes that will help them to hone their
math skills.
It can be a great site for kids of all ages, as
the site is completely interactive and will help them to learn all
kinds of math skills that they will need as they progress in their
school.
For kids who just need a bit more help with their math, this is a
great place to go to get that help from the experts.
This
site has conversations with teachers and professors who provide help
with all kinds of math problems for kids of all ages, and there are
a number of awesome features like Problems of the Week or Ask Dr.
Math that will be just what your kids need.
Fun Brain is a site that is dedicated to all kinds of games that
will help your child to develop their brain in an entertaining way,
including using math skills to do so.
The games on this site
are on all topics, but there is a whole category dedicated entirely
to cool math games and math fact games that can help your kids to
practice their math skills.
This is an excellent math games site where kids will learn not
only math, but practical, hands-on skills that they will need to
develop in order to use practical math in real life situations.
The games include running a store, playing a fictional stock
market, and more, and your child will find that these real life math
skills can be a great boost to their education and their practical
development.
Again, this site isn't dedicated exclusively to math problems, but
there are about a dozen math games that your child can play - games
that will be surprisingly fun while still being very educational.
If your child gets tired of the simple Flash games on many
of the other sites, the games on this site are much more advanced
and complex - though the math problems remain simple enough.
All in all, it's a great place to check out if your kids need
help in math!
The truth is that these kids math games sites
are just a few of the sites that you can check out to help your
child learn important math skills, and there are hundreds more
available online if you'll just take the time to look …!
So, let's get down to the business of playing fun math games for
kids with your children.
In the list of math games
for kids below, you will find games for kids of all ages, games that can make
learning math a whole lot more fun for your kids.
Some kids
math games will be more complex, while others will be simple - but
all of them can be a whole lot of fun!
Check out the fun
math activities list to find a few ideas of fun math games that
you can play with your kids - no matter how old they are:
For older kids ages 8 to 13, this is a good math fraction games
example to help them practice their fraction skills using a deck of
cards.
Take the deck, assign the face cards their proper
numbers (J is 11, Q is 12, K is 13, and A is 1), and turn the deck
over so the kids can't see the face.
Give the kids a chance
to pick two cards without looking at them, and have them hold so the
others can't see them.
On the count of three, each of the
kids must place their two cards making the largest fraction possible
(i.e. your child gets a 3 and a 5, so their fraction would be 3/5).
Whichever child has the largest fraction wins.
If you really
want to get advanced, try making improper fractions (i.e. 5/2, 8/3,
etc.) to see which child can use their fractions the best.
This game is oriented towards kids aged 6 to 12.
Before you
play this game, you will need to teach your kids about the different
sizes of measurement, such as cups, quarts, liters, etc.
Make sure that each child understands the different measurements.
Take a number of containers of different sizes, and cover
the labels with white paper to ensure that the kids can't see the
size of the container in quarts or liters.
Cut some
containers in half, thirds, etc., and have each of the kids draw
what they think the size of the container should be (i.e. a milk jug
contains 1 quart, half a gallon bottle contains 2 quarts, etc.).
Use measuring cups to fill the containers with the amounts the
children have written, and see who can get the closest to getting it
right!
This is a good type of math fraction game for kids 8 to 13 years
old, as it helps them to learn fractions.
Hand out a
measuring cup to each child (i.e. ½ cup to one child, ¼ cup to
another child, 1/8 cup, etc.).
Have them fill up containers
of different sizes, counting how many times they have to fill their
measuring cup before the container is completely filled. Once they
have filled the container, they have to count how many cups are made
by counting how many half, quarter, or eighth cups they used.
This kid math game can be great fraction practice for
kids of any age, and can help them to learn how fractions are
multiplied or divided.
For kids of all ages.
Give your kids each a handful of
pennies, dimes, quarters, and nickels, but tell them not to count
what they have.
Hand each of them a 1-dollar bill, and tell
them that you would like the equivalent in change.
Once they
have gotten the change right, hand them a 5 dollar bill and ask them
for change.
Give them back the 1 dollar of change if needed,
and they can use the dollar bill as well.
Once the 5 is
done, use a 10 dollar bill, and so on. See if they can determine how
much change they would need to give you change for 100 dollars (if
you have that much ;-)
This type of kids math games can be fun for most kids, regardless of
their age.
There is something about shopping with the
parents, especially if the kids get to decide what they are going to
spend.
Divide your shopping list into two or three parts -
one part per child - and have them go around the store with you
getting all the items on their list.
The goal is to complete
the list while still spending the least amount of money.
Set
a goal in such a way that everybody has a maximum amount they are
allowed to spend and if they get below a certain amount, mission is
accomplished with excellence.
This means that the kids won't
be competing with each other - but competing with the 'task' so to say.
Obviously the optimal result is everybody getting below the
minimum amount.
This game is usually for smaller kids that are still learning how to
count money, usually ages 4 to 7.
Place a penny, a dime, a
nickel, and a quarter on the floor.
Tell your child to hand
you a coin, but don't tell them which coin you want - give them
clues instead.
Tell them "I want the coin that is one less
than your age (for six year olds)", "Give me the coin that is one
more than our family", and so on until the child guesses it right.
It can be a lot of fun for kids, and it can help them to
quickly identify both the coins and the value of the coins.
This kids math games example is oriented more towards 7 to 11 year
olds, as it can be a bit more complex.
Lay out a dollar on
the floor, and tell the kids to match exactly that amount of money
using as many or as few coins as they want.
Once they match
the money, have them match the same amount using different coins.
Have them match the money in five different ways, giving
them great practice with their addition and multiplication.
You can use as much as 20 dollars to play the game, though you will
need to give the kids bills as well as coins in order to go that
high.
This is a fun game for kids aged 6 to 13.
For a few months,
cut all the coupons that you can find from newspapers and
advertisements, even if you aren't going to use them.
Once
you feel that you have enough, put them on the dining room table and
have each of the kids sit around the table.
Spread out all
the coupons so the kids can see them, and have them each select a
coupon one at a time - going around the table.
Once you have
gathered all the coupons, total up the amount that each child has
earned. Some will be coupons for a certain dollar discount ($1 off)
while others will be for a discount of a percentage (15% off).
Take the time to call or visit each of the places to find out
how much money that percentage is, and see how much money was saved
by counting coupons.
For kids ages 4 to 8.
For this kids math games activity,
pull out any newspaper from your house, and take the time to search
through the paper to find as many numbers as possible.
Have
your kids clip out the numbers as they find them, counting from 1 to
2 to 3 and so on as they cut.
Give each child a newspaper
and see which how high you can get together and how high a number
you can reach by counting consecutively.
For children aged 6 to 12.
If you don't know what to do on a
lazy weekend afternoon, play this fun game with any books or
magazines.
Have each child select three books that they
enjoy, and have them each choose a story that they like.
Have them count the page numbers (i.e. a six page story), and add
from the first page of the story (i.e. a four page story starts on
page 62 = 66).
They will each choose three stories from each
of the books, and then count how many pages each person has - and
afterwards add all your pages together - by adding up the numbers of
pages in the book.
Teach your kids how to save money with this game for kids of all
ages.
Take your kids shopping with you, and have them help
you find the products that will be the best.
Tell your kids
you have a certain amount of money to work with, and the goal is to
find products that will be good - but cheap as well.
They
have to try and find the cheapest products of good quality, and
together you will see how much money you can save.
This will
help your kids learn the difference between buying cheap products
and looking for a good deal.
For kids of all ages.
Give each of the kids a certain number
that they need to reach, such as 100, 200, etc.
Hide little
clues around the house, and on each clue have a multiplication or
addition problem that the child will need to solve before moving on.
Once they have solved the problem, they can read the clue on
the card to find other hidden clues with more math problems.
If you don't want to make a competition out of it, make your
kids work together instead. Let them take turns in solving clues and
the person not solving the clues will be a coach to the one that is
facing the math.
For kids of all ages.
Give your kids the chance to find
buried treasure in your backyard by doing math problems.
Hide a buried treasure somewhere in your backyard, and hide the
clues to the treasure throughout the house.
Give the kids a
decoder list with colors each assigned a number (blue = 42, red =16,
green = 81, etc.), and have the kids fill in the blanks of the clues
by figuring out the math problems (i.e. I am hiding in the 9 x 9
cup).
The final clue should lead the kids to find the
treasure, which can be a special snack, movie, or game that you will
all enjoy together.
Learning about graphs is important for older kids, so this can be a
fun game for your kids aged 9 to 12.
Take a few pictures of
your entire family, and find the traits that many of you share (i.e.
blue eyes, brown hair, etc.).
Make a graph of just how many
people in the family have a certain hair color, how many of the
family went bald early, etc.
Work together to make the most
accurate graph you can and use the graphs to "foretell your future".
For kids of all ages.
Working with Mom or Dad in the kitchen
can be fun for any kids, but you can turn food prep into cool math
for kids quite easily.
Have the kids determine how much food
you eat at each meal, judging the raw ingredients to figure out how
much they come out to.
Remind your child that some
ingredients shrink, while others expand. Work with them to figure
out how many cups of water per cup of rice, how much meat per
person, etc.
The result of this kids math games example will
be a tasty dinner that they prepared using their math skills.
For kids of all ages. Give each of your children a certain color,
and have them find as many cars of that color as possible.
Have them write down the last number (or two - depending on age) of
the license plates of the cars that you pass, and when you reach
your destination have them add up all the numbers.
These
really are just a few examples of fun kids math games that you can
play with your kids, and the truth is that cool math for kids are
all around you - if you can just find a way to get creative with
things in your everyday life.
Good luck!
Your
Positive Parenting Ally,
Birgitte
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