While many families incorporate reading into their everyday lives quite naturally, math can sometimes be neglected. Familiarizing your child with math while they’re still young can help to spark their curiosity about solving problems, making numbers feel more approachable over time.
Introducing math games at an early age allows children to develop a positive attitude towards learning math, setting them up for a successful and well‑rounded academic future.
Below are some fun and interactive math games you can try at home today.
6 Fun Math Games to Try at Home:
1. Math Bingo
Similar to traditional Bingo, this fun math bingo game is sure to become a fast favourite! The only difference is that children must solve a math problem in order to determine which number to mark of their card.
Start by preparing a list of 25 simple math problems (e.g. 1+3, 2‑1 etc.) and write the answers on the same sheet of paper. Then you can either create or download 5×5 Bingo cards online and write the answers on each card at random.
Last but not least, get creative with the markers. Let your child use rocks, coins or bottlecaps to mark each number called – you can even make an activity out of finding unique markers for your little one to use!
2. Paper plate clock
Making a clock is a great way to teach your child how to tell time and demonstrate how math can be used in practical real‑life situations.
To start you’ll need a paper plate, colored paper, scissors, and glue. Make a small hole in the center of the paper plate and ask your child to write the appropriate numbers around the clock, starting with the hour first and then the minutes around the inside. They can then cut out the clock hands and fasten them with a split pin from the center hole.
3. Guess the weight
Guessing games are a fun and approachable way to get kids involved with math. For this game you’ll just need a kitchen scale, a piece of paper and a pen or pencil.
You can then weigh each item together and write down the actual weight besides each guess. They’ll love finding out how close their guesses were to the actual weight! And for extra credit, ask your child to determine the difference between their guess and the actual weight.
4. Hopscotch math
This is a great outdoor math game to play when you need a bit of fresh air. Using a piece of chalk, draw a large calculator on the pavement with squares wide enough to stand on. To start, give your child a simple equation such as 4+2=6 and ask them to hop on the correct numbers in order of the equation.
For an added challenge try having your child jump on one leg for odd numbers and two legs for even numbers. What a great way to exercise both their minds and bodies!
5. Pizza fractions
This super fun math game will result in dinner too – it’s a win/win! Using large pre‑made pizza crusts, spread on pizza sauce and your choice of cheese and then ask your child to demonstrate different fractions using pizza toppings. For example, ask them to put toppings on a quarter of the pizza, then a half, then three quarters, and then a whole.
You could also try using mini pizza bases and having your child dress each one with a different fraction of toppings, so one covered with three quarters of mushrooms and another covered in two‑thirds of olives – yum!
6. Survey and graph
This is a great way to get your child interacting with their siblings and/or friends and also thinking creatively. Let them come up with a topic such as vehicles, animals, or plants. For example, they can ask their friends to choose their favourite type of vehicle out of a car, bus, train, or truck.
Once they have recorded several answers, ask your child to display their results using blocks or Legos, placing sticky notes or pieces of paper to label each bar. Discuss the results and if they’re keen, ask them to ‘present’ their findings to you.
Fun Online Math Games
Try Fun Math Games Online
Mathseeds has hundreds of fun online math games for children ages 3–9 to enjoy. Created by a highly experienced team of elementary school teachers, the program is designed to make learning essential math and problem‑solving skills an absolute blast.
Self‑paced one‑on‑one lessons are followed by fun games that present each new math concept in a variety of exciting ways – your child won’t even know they’re learning! Early activities focus on numbers, counting, and shape recognition. Later lessons build skills in addition, subtraction, and measurement, and then early multiplication and division are introduced.
Mathseeds Math Games
All lessons and activities can be repeated as often as necessary; so that children can revise and consolidate their skills. Not only can your child explore hundreds of fun math games, they can also explore exciting learning areas like Mental Minute, Driving Tests, the Arcade, and so much more – each bursting with unique activities your child will love.
Mathseeds Mental Minute
Children can enjoy our Mental Minute learning area, which includes 145 timed sprints designed to build math fact fluency – perfect for switching things up a bit around the house!
Mathseeds Driving Tests
And our Driving Tests are also another exciting way to spice up their learning routine and test out their new math skills. Your child can choose which area they’d like to focus on and if they pass their test they’re rewarded with a racing game – they even get to choose their own car!
Source: Readingeggs