Math lessons not only help prepare young children for more difficult classes they will have to take, but they also teach kids practical skills such as estimating, grouping, measuring, predicting and telling time. As a parent, you may have difficulty getting your kids to understand the importance of math. If so, consider playing math games with your children. It may spark their interest in the subject and teach them essential skills in an enjoyable manner.
Make 10
Make 10 is an addition game featured by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. It teaches young children how to add two numbers together to equal 10. It is played with two to four players with 36 cards, each with a number between 1 and 9. Use a deck of playing cards, minus face cards and 10s, and use the aces as ones. Shuffle the cards, deal five to each player and place the remaining cards face down in the middle. If possible, the first player lays down two cards from her hand that add up to 10. If she doesn’t have two cards that add up to 10, she asks any of the other players for a card she can add to one of her own cards to equal 10. If the player she asks doesn’t have the card she requested, then she draws the top card from the stack in the middle. If she still can’t make a pair that equals 10, then she keeps all six cards until her next turn. The second player follows the same procedure as the first player, followed by the third player and continuing until all the cards in the middle have been used. At the end of the game, all the players should have the same number of pairs that equal 10, so you can declare them all winners.
Silence
By the time children finish kindergarten, they should know how to count to 30 by ones, twos and fives, according to the Core Knowledge Sequence. They can practice this skill by playing the game of silence. Although it is designed for classroom teachers, as a parent, you can easily adapt the game for your children to play at home. Give your child cards numbered from 1 to 30 and have him put them in order by ones, silently, without your help. After he finishes, check his work and point out any mistakes. You can also have him count by twos and fives. Time your child with a stopwatch during each game to challenge him to count quickly.
Spin to Win
This game teaches young children to add, subtract and multiply small numbers. It is played between two children, or you can play against your child. Construct two spinners with three spaces of equal size on each. Write the numbers 1, 2 and 3 in the spaces of one spinner and 4, 5 and 6 on the other. The first player spins both spinners, adds the numbers that come up and writes the sum on a piece of paper. The second player does the same. After each player has 10 turns, have them add the scores from each round together. The highest score wins. They can also play the game by multiplying the numbers, or subtracting the smallest number from the largest.
References
- "Core Knowledge Sequence"; Core Knowledge Foundation; 2010
- Education World: Ten Games for Classroom Fun
- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: Math Games for the Classroom
