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home / Blog / math / computation / 3 quick, hands-on, totally cool math games

3 quick, hands-on, totally cool math games

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August 20, 2012 by Teach Mama 20 Comments

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3 hands-on math games

Every summer, our school hands out summer packets–worksheets upon worksheets with ways that parents can continue the learning all summer long.

And among the worksheets are ideas that incorporate learning in everyday activities for both reading and math.Ā  I have to admit, I (gulp!) actually like these packets, but I also have to admit (gulp!) that I don’t force the kids to do every single page.

If there’s a concept that Maddy or Owen don’t understand, we skip it.

If there’s an activity that’s too involved or complicated, we skim through it.

If there’s something on the calendar that just won’t fly with my kids, we do something different.

I feel okay doing this because the point–I believe–is to keep kids engaged, to get their brains moving, and to remind them of the concepts they learned the previous year. So we do what we can.

But this summer, Maddy’s packet had a ton of really awesome, hands-on, totally cool math games from a site that I am grateful to have discovered.Ā  These games are quick, and they are smart.

We’ve played them more than I expected, and even Owen got into the fun once or twice.

Here’s the skinny. . .

  • 3 Quick, Hands-On, Totally Cool Math Games: Though there are more than three in the packet–and dozens and dozens on the site, these are among our faves.

Along with Magic Triangles, which I shared a few days ago, the games we liked the most were quick and hands-on. And who doesn’t like quick in the summertime, right?

magic triangle math

Magic Triangles was a fave

1. 11 More — The premise of 11 More is simple: adding 11 to the number rolled on a die. Players each choose a color counter and take turns rolling a die.Ā  They calculate the total of the number rolled plus 11.

And then the player places a counter on the corresponding number on the ‘board’.Ā  The first player to have four counters in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) is the winner!

11 more math game

We used gems as our counters. . .

11 more math game

. . . and though I tried hard. . .

11 more math game

. . . Maddy beat me several times.

———————————————————————

2.Ā  Count by 5’s –again, a very simple game.Ā  But there’s something that kids love about flipping cards, taking turns, and trying to win.Ā  In this game, players simply take turns flipping a card from the top of the deck and figuring out where on the board it ‘fits’.

We played that the first person to complete a row was the winner, but we played it pretty loosely.

count by fives game

We flipped. . .

count by fives game

. . . counted by 5’s. . .

count by fives game

. . . and completed rows!

———————————————————————

3.Ā  Magic Star Puzzle— The Magic Star Puzzle was the toughest of the games Maddy played.

The object is to position the counters marked 1-12 in the star so that each row of four numbers has a sum of 26. Sounds easy–but it required a lot of thought!

magic star puzzle

Magic Star Puzzle was a challenge!

And that’s it–just 3 quick, hands-on, totally cool math games that kept the kids’ brains and hands moving during the summer months.Ā  What I love about these games is that they can be used any time of the year–for math centers, for math supplemental help, for tutoring, you name it!

Let the math fun begin!

fyi: Huge, huge, huge thanks to our school and fabulous teachers for putting together these awesome packets.Ā  And thank you thank you thank you for introducing me to an incredible site, K-5 Math Teaching Resources–a simple site packed with really great resources for children. I am truly in awe!Ā  If you want to find the games mentioned above, head to the 2nd Grade Number Activities.

About the Author

Hi, I’m Patricia, an elementary teacher and reading specialist, turned homeschool mom. I also have a master's in psychology, specializing in children's issues. Read More…

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Comments

  1. Ticia says

    August 20, 2012 at 9:16 pm

    I love these ideas!

    Reply
    • amy says

      August 20, 2012 at 11:05 pm

      thanks so much, Ticia!!! Me toooooo–the site is awesome!

      Reply
  2. Cathie J says

    August 21, 2012 at 7:48 am

    What a fun idea for math games. Loved your photos to go with this blog. Don’t pictures really say a thousand words? Come visit me at toddlersthroughpreschool.com anytime.
    Cathie

    Reply
  3. PragmaticMom says

    August 24, 2012 at 1:57 pm

    These games look great and easy to do. My son will love them!

    Reply
  4. Carly says

    August 25, 2012 at 11:07 pm

    Thank you so much! These games will be great for my kids during this week of testing! They are very educational and will also keep them busy and active. So simple yet creative and awesome!

    Reply
  5. Cool Math Dude says

    October 27, 2013 at 11:39 am

    Great ideas!, to the list i liked a lot the tangrams for geometry and spartial thinking. and from online games i like cargo bridge… http://cool-addicting-math-games.com/2012/10/cargo-bridge-2/ .

    Reply
  6. Shirlee Firth says

    November 3, 2015 at 1:42 pm

    I made your magic star puzzle and we are racking our brains trying to figure it out. If you do rows, there are no two numbers for the middle row that add up to 26. Please explain this further. Sorry about the caps, it won’t let me do any for some reason.

    Reply
    • Teach Mama says

      November 3, 2015 at 4:58 pm

      YIKES! Shirlee–I meant to clarify this on the post ages ago–forgive me! It should be that each row of four numbers should add up to 26! Does that help? THANK YOU for reaching out! And let us know when you solve it!

      Reply
      • Shirlee Firth says

        November 5, 2015 at 9:39 am

        IT WORKS! Thank you so much for your clarification reply. I love this. Do you have any more? Thanks again.

        Reply
  7. petter says

    February 18, 2016 at 12:50 am

    Thank you so much, These games look great and easy to do

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Patricia, an elementary teacher and reading specialist, turned homeschool mom.

After our three kids graduated high school, I went back to school to become a marriage and family therapist who has specialized in children’s issues.

I love helping families find all the fun and deep learning possible for their children.

I’m so glad you’re here on Teach Mama and I look forward to helping you on your journey!

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