Fun Math Kids Games and Crafts
by Kandi Traxel
http://www.shopwithamom.com
Materials Needed:
Plain White Card Stock
Ruler
Pencil
Colored Markers
Laminating Sheets or Clear Contact Paper
2-3 Regular Dice
Small Game Pieces-You can cut squares or circles out of colored paper, use coins, colored paper clips, etc. You will need about a dozen pieces for each person that will be playing the game.
Making the Game Board:
Using the ruler and a pencil, measure and mark 16 even squares on the card stock. Using a black marker trace over the lines. Using the colored markers, number all the squares, by putting the number “1″ in the first square and number them all through 16. Use a different color for each number to give your game board some cahracter.
Take the laminating sheets or contact paper, and laminate both sides of your game board, trimming off any excess. **You can also make the board for this game using and graphics or publishing program.**
Playing the Game:
Now that you have the game board completed you can play the game. Give each player his or her own game pieces.(For example you can use colored paper clips, and give each player a different color, or you can even use markers for each player, giving them a different color and allowing them to place an “x” on the board rather than a game piece. The board can later be wiped off with a damp paper towel.)
Starting with the youngest player and moving to the left, each player rolls the dice. They will then take the numbers that they rolled and complete a math problem of his or her choice using the numbers rolled. They may use addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, depending on the education level of the player. For example, if the dice rolled show a 3, a 4 and a 6, then the player may add them all together which would equal 13. OR they could add 2 dice and subtract one of them. For example they could add the 3 and the 4 to get 7 and then subtract the 6. The answer would be 1. There are literally hundreds of different ways you could add, subtract, multiply or divide the dice to arrive at an answer.
Once the player has an answer, they will then to mark the corresponding number on the game board. In the examples above, the player would place his or her marker on either the “13″ or the “1″. Once those numbers have been marked, then no other player may choose them. They need to keep trying new ways to add/subtract, etc. in order to arrive at a different answer. If they cannot arrive at an answer that is not already taken, then play passes to the next player.
Play will become more and more difficult. You may play until all squares are filled, or you may play a timed game. Either way the winner is the one that has the most squares marked by the end of the game.
Decide ahead of time which types of math problems will be allowed; you may choose to allow addition and subtraction only; you may choose to play using multiplication only; the choice is up to you.