Tag Archives: Math Games

How Many Ways Math Game

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There are many ways to make a dollar, in fact so many that you can create a fun math game for your child or children that are learning how to count money and add double or single digit numbers.  I discovered this game just the other day when my daughter and I were sitting at the kitchen table.  I saw her playing with her coins and I asked her to show me just how many ways she could make a dollar.  It turned out to be a fun “game” that gave her the opportunity to practice her math skills. Math games are a great tool to motivate your child to learn and master some core skills. And besides, who says that learning can’t be fun?  Show your child just how much math can be with this easy game.

Here is how you play:

1) Gather coins, preferably plastic coins that look just like the real thing. Using realistic coins that have fronts and backs to them helps your child translate the  look and feel of the fake coins to real life.

2)  Ask your child to show you variations of a specific dollar amount.  You may want to start small (like 35 cents) and then work your way up to larger amounts.

3) Ask your child to show his or her work by either drawing the coins and adding the numbers, or doing at least one of these two options.  For example, 25+25+25+25 = 100.

4) Give your child a specific time frame to come up with the variations. If you have friends over, you can declare a winner to the child that comes up with the most variations.

5) You can vary the difficulty by adding basic multiplication skills to the equation but remember, you do not want to make the problem too hard or else you will frustrate your child more than create a fun learning experience.

And just in case you were wondering, there are 242 ways to make a dollar! Your child will get a kick out of learning this particular fact!

 

Fun with math

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Math game for beginners

Everyone knows that learning is easier when you can make it a game. This is a fun and easy game to practice addition, subtraction and later multiplication and division. All you need are a few basic supplies and a child who needs a little math practice.

My Kindergartner quickly picked up addition once he understood numbers. It has been fun to watch and I am always trying new ways to challenge him. So, as soon as I saw that he was learning subtraction we pulled out some dice to have a math practice session for his homework. Seeing the dice immediately made it more fun for him and the great thing about using the dice is that the dots are visually there for him to add together or subtract from.

What You Need:

  • pencil
  • sheet of paper
  • 1 – 2 dice

Directions:

Step 1: On a piece of paper draw a few rows of this:
Math equations with blanks
Depending on the child, some may get overwhelmed with too many rows to do at a time. I started with four and then would add more on alternating addition and subtraction as needed.

Step 2: Have your child roll one die and write that number in the first spot. Then have them roll the second die (or the first one again if using one die) and write that number in the second blank on the line. If the row they are working on is subtraction and your child does not understand negative numbers, yet, make sure they put the larger number in the first spot. It is just easier that way. =-)

Step 3: Let your child solve the equation. I know it is hard as a parent to not jump in, but let them figure it out. Remind them that they can use the dots on the dice to help them.

I’ll admit that my son was a bit frustrated with the game the first 4 or 5 rows, but once he got the hang of it he was asking for a “few more lines” and was eagerly trying to teach his 4 year old sister how to play. I also learned that when it came to subtraction, it helped if I said “take away” in stead of “minus” or “subtraction”. (i.e. “What is 4 take away 2?”) We will work our way up to understanding those other terms.

Alternative: Once your child understands the game have them teach you. We have had some fun with him telling me what I should do and helping me figure out each equation.

Question: What is your favorite way to practice math?

Ounces of Fun!

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@JusticeJonesie

Sometimes you have to let the small stuff go and just let your kids have fun, right? One afternoon, I noticed my house was strangely quiet. Something seemed off. Which meant someone was probably up to something.

I walked around the house and found my youngest—the usually most rambunctious of my three kids—quietly playing a game. He had gotten into the pantry and found the bag of plastic cups I had purchased at the whole-sale club. He had taken almost 200 cups out of the bag and was playing with them, all over the floor.

My first reaction was to ask him who was going to clean up the big mess, but I stopped myself right before I could say anything. He was counting the number of cups he could stack up before they fell over. As I watched him play, I saw that he had figured out that a sturdy foundation made it possible for him to build his tower taller. He was an architect in the making!

I walked over and had him walk me through his “design process.” He proudly explained how he was able to get his building so tall without falling over. I watched him knock it down, then rebuild it; he then built a mini city of smaller buildings, then knocked them down all over again.

My ten-year-old eventually heard all the ruckus and came down to find out what was going on. Soon, the two were building away. They strategized the best way to build their towers taller. Then they had a competition to see who could stack the most cups before the entire thing came crashing down.

My ten-year-old counted by twos, while the five-year-old took his time in counting each cup one-by-one. They were using math words like “more” and “less.” It never occurred to either of them that my five year-old was getting in some great math practice.

I was so tempted to point out what they were actually doing but then decided I better not spoil all the fun. After all, it was keeping them quiet and busy, which meant I could get a few things done around the house. When they were all done, they both put the cups away, but it looks like we’ll be using the cups only for building and not for drinking. It’s a small price to pay for their new, educational toy!