Develop Math Thinking With These Board Games for Young Children

Posted on April 2, 2019 by resourcefulman

The best way to help young children understand math concepts is to not stand in front of the whiteboard and chat about the facts of multiplication. Rather, by allowing them to see the math in action. Board games are a great way for young learners to master skills such as pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, problem solving, and visual perception. Here are some of the best board games for kids under 8 that math educators and parents say will develop math thinking.

Note. Ages shown are provided by the creators of the game. Children can often start playing earlier if they show interest, or you can make changes to the games, such as playing in teams, playing cards face up, or eliminating timing.

Rush hour junior

Rush Hour Jr presents the kids with a real dilemma: the ice cream truck is stuck in a traffic jam. To get it out, they must remove the blocking cars and trucks (you cannot lift them!). This is a simplified version of the classic game with different tasks – from easy to “super hard”.

For age: 6+

Mathematical skills that he develops: planning, spatial thinking, logical thinking.

Zeus on the loose

An excellent game to help children develop strategic thinking. In Zeus Unleashed, players add up the numbers as they climb Mount Olympus and steal Zeus when the sum becomes a multiple of 10. The player holding onto Zeus when the total reaches 100 wins. To make things interesting, some cards have special abilities – for example, Poseidon and Hermes change the meaning of the mythical mountain.

For ages: 8+

The math skills it enhances: Supplement

Tensi

Tenzi is a game that can be played right out of the box. The players keep rolling their 10 dice until everyone hits the same number, and if they do it first, they must shout “Tenzi!” It makes kids think about the likelihood, but they usually have too much adrenaline to notice. You can get rid of the speed component for younger players and play in turns instead. There are tons of options to try.

Age: 7+

Enhances math skills: number identification, counting, basic math.

Blokus the Younger

Young children can play the original Blokus – it’s designed for kids ages 5 and up – but the younger version is great because it includes 10 mini-games designed to help them develop some skills before they face opponents. Although the game is simpler than the classic version, the players have the same goal: to place as many of your pieces on the board as possible, placing each piece from corner to corner.

For age: 5+

The math skills it enhances: spatial relationships

Sum swamp

In Sum Swamp, players are stuck in a swamp, and the only way out is to roll the dice – two numbers and one math symbol – and do the math. There are challenges and shortcuts along the way.

For age: 5+

Enhances math skills: addition and subtraction.

Find it!

Find it! This is one of the most popular family games right now for a good reason – it’s easy to learn and addictive. Purpose: There is always “one and only one” matching symbol between any two cards in the deck. Find it quickly to win. Smithsonian.com has an analysis of how the game is rooted in logic puzzles by 19th century mathematicians. If you want to really get carried away, you can even make your own Spot It! install using python code.

Age: 7+

The math skills it enhances: visual perception

I Sea 10

In the cute nautical game I Sea 10, children turn the cards over and “catch” combinations of numbers that make up 10. This helps them quickly recognize these important pairs: 1 and 9, 2 and 8, 3 and 7, 4 and 6, and 5 , and 5. The game can be easily complicated if desired – for example, you can try “I sea 20 (using more than two cards)” or “I sea 1 (using subtraction). “

For age: 6+

The math skills it enhances: Supplement

Tiny peas

Tiny Polka Dot is a collection of math games designed to help the youngest players develop their fluency in numbers in a natural and fun way. As a parent, you can help your preschooler move from counting dots to matching dots and adding numbers to get new numbers. Kindergarteners and first graders can play more challenging games such as Polka Dot Tens ( find pairs of numbers that add to ten among hole cards) or Supreme 15 ( connect rows of cards to make 15).

For age: 3-8 years old

Mathematical skills that he develops: counting, arithmetic, logic.

Kit

Set is a popular pattern matching card game that is easy to learn and fast to play. Children can play if they have 15 minutes before dinner is ready. 81 cards of the game consist of one, two or three symbols of different shapes (rhombus, oval, wavy line), shades (solid, striped, open) and colors (green, purple, red). To win, players must compete to find “sets” of three cards, each characteristic of which is the same – or different – on all cards. The game can be modified for younger children by choosing simpler groups of cards (for example, solid cards) to start. Then, when they are comfortable, you can add other cards.

The math skills he develops are visual perception, geometry, probability, linear algebra.

Sleeping queens

The goal of Sleeping Queens, a whimsical card game invented by a 6 year old, is to wake up as many queens as possible. Since queens are worth different points, the players add, subtract and form simple equations.