We already know that kids learn a lot by simply observing their own environment. It gets even better when they actively interact with things, and that’s why playing games is an excellent way to stimulate a variety of useful life skills. Logic and math are some of them. With that said, why not show fun math games to enhance your kiddo’s logic abilities?
When children play math games, they are able to learn the shapes and numbers, recognize patterns, stimulate a problem solving mind, and most importantly, develop cognitive skills. With that in mind, we gathered some fun math game ideas for your kids. Ready to go?
Parking Lot Cars Game
This game is meant for at least two kids – or a kid and an adult! Great way to interact with your little one! Glue some lines of yellow felt on a layer of gray felt as it will become the grid of the parking lot. Once it dries out, get miniature cars and a big dice.
Ask one kid to throw the dice. The number they get corresponds to how many cars they are going to place in the parking lot. Each kid will take turns, and the kid that finishes filling the parking lot wins the game.
Painting Numbers
In this game things can get a little messy, so make sure they have a craft station where they can get a bit (or a lot) dirty. Get some paper and proper paint for young children. Have numbers written on pieces of paper inside of a bag or a box.
Ask the child to draw a number from the box. The number the child gets, corresponds to how many dots they are going to paint on the paper. Let’s say they take number 3. Dip the tip of the kid’s index finger in the paint and ask them to paint while they count the number.
Dice Game
Simply have a dice – for young children, we recommend big foam dices – and ask them to throw it. The number they get, teach and tell them to repeat the number out loud and do an action counting that number.
Example: If the kid throws the dice and the number 5 comes out, ask them to jump five times, or to find 5 similar objects. Keep it interesting. If there are more kids around, you can start a competition.
Subtraction Smash
This game is very easy to set up and small kids will have a lot of fun with it! To start, have some play dough. As kids do subtractions, ask them to shape small balls according to the first number to be subtracted. Once they finish, they will subtract the second number by smashing the balls. Ask them to say the numbers out loud and the end result!
Fun Math Game Apps
Our last suggestion is the easiest one of all, as you just need to download an app to an electronic device. There are a myriad of options when we talk about fun math games in app format. With different activities, a lot of these themed games are free as well, such as Native Numbers, Milo’s Money and Park Math.
Important to remember, don’t forget to pay attention to their screen time so they don’t get too hooked on cell phones and tablets.
Learning numbers and dealing with math is something kids will take for their whole life, so it’s crucial to stimulate these skills early on. Much easier if we let them play with fun math games, right?
The benefits children will reap in their teenage and adult life can improve their chances of being successful. Also, it’s important to mention that Mathematics is part of the STEAM Curriculum, applied in our school programs.
Explore more about our School Programs and find out more about the STEAM Curriculum!
