Board Game Ideas for Math

Board Game Ideas for Math are Virtually Limitless

With the number of board games out there, it’s incomplete to say that these suggestions are the only options when attempting to teach children math through the use of games. There are educational board games available designed strictly for the purpose of teaching some form of mathematics. However, the ones addressed in this article represent board games available from your local discount or department store. With a little creativity, almost any game can be used to teach some form of math.

Hi Ho Cherry O

Hi Ho Cherry O is a game used to teach pre-school math through counting. With the use of a spinner, players are instructed to either pick from or to replace cherries to the tree. Playing this game as a lesson for counting is relatively obvious. However, the game may also be used to teach very early elementary addition and subtraction. Children are entertained and taught all at the same time.

Battleship

Battleship can be used to teach older kids basic geometry skills through the grid format to locate their opponent’s ships. It’s a pretty competitive game that keeps older children entertained, but also teaches them process of elimination and strategy. The understanding of how the grid works (much like an x- and y-axis) is necessary for a child to be successful at this game.

Games Involving Money

Monopoly and The Game of Life are ideal choices for games that teach money handling and the value of money. In each game, the “Banker” must be named and be responsible for all money management throughout the play of the game. Counting, adding and subtracting are all part of the responsibilities of the “Banker.” Counting by 10s, 20s, 100s and 500s is another element added to playing this game. In addition to the money aspect of this game, dice are used to determine how the playing pieces move around the board. Counting becomes an integral part of play.

Trouble and Sorry

Very similar to each other, Trouble and Sorry teach children math by players being required to count out the number of spaces as they move around the board toward “Home.” Trouble employs the very popular “Pop-o-matic” feature to determine the number of spaces each player is to move. This is reportedly a particularly entertaining element to the game that keeps kids interested. Sorry game pieces are moved around the game board according to the roll of a die.

Chinese Checkers and Chess

These games teach the ability to identify patterns to children. In Chinese Checkers, players identify paths by which to jump across the board through their playing pieces. They may jump their own or another’s piece as long as there is space after it to move. This causes children to start identifying patterns and to look ahead. Similarly, in Chess, various pieces have different patterns in which they can move. For instance, the Bishop moves diagonally. The pawn can sometimes move one or two spaces, depending on the placement of other pieces. This variety teaches children patterns and how to identify them.

Hungry Hungry Hippos

While the main goal of this game may seem to be silly fun, it actually teaches a lot of math concepts including counting, addition and subtraction. Obviously, children count the number of marbles their hippo gobbles up. But, they also subtract the number of marbles that are removed from the starting number as they release them to be gobbled. Each time they gobble up marbles with their hippo, addition concepts come into play as they add marbles to their current “stash.”

Creativity Is Key

As in most educational experiences, nearly all games and tasks have some learning aspect that can be added to them for kids. Board game ideas for math are relatively simple to implement with a little forethought and planning. Depending on the age of the child, different games can teach different concepts and skills. When brought to their attention, children can typically tell you what types of lessons various games represent to them. When given the opportunity, all children love to learn, especially when it’s made to be fun!