Under the links icon there are many great games that will reinforce math
concepts.
Below I have listed some fun ways to practice basic math facts. Knowing the
basic facts will help your child understand most other math concepts.
1. Dice & Domino Equations- Dice Equations: Give your child two dice to roll
and make an addition problem with the numbers on the dice. Domino
Equations: Put several dominoes in a brown lunch sack. Have your child pull a
domino out of the bag and make addition problem from the numbers on either
side of the domino. You may choose to have your child write the math problem
on a piece of paper so you can check them later.
2. Math War- Remove the face cards from a regular deck of playing cards.
shuffle the cards and place them face down between two or more players. Each
player chooses two cards and adds the numbers on the cards. The player with
the highest answer takes all of the cards. If the numbers are the same, both
players choose two more cards and the player with the highest answer takes
all the cards.
3. Magnetic Number Facts- Supply your child with a package of magnetic
numbers and a cookie sheet. Call out a math fact and have your child
replicate the math fact on the cookie sheet with the numbers. To make
homework more interesting, have your child do math homework problems using
the magnetic numbers.
4. Mathematical “I Spy”- While driving down the road, have your child find
numbers on signs, storefronts and vehicle tags. Make addition or subtraction
problems with the numbers.
5. Equation Concentration- Create a Math Memory game with twenty 3”x5”
cards. Write math problems on ten index cards. On the other ten cards, write
the corresponding answers to the problems. Shuffle and place the cards face
down on the playing surface. The first player chooses two cards. If they
match, he keeps both cards and chooses again.If they do not match, then he
puts the cards back and the next player chooses. Play continues until all of
the cards are chosen. The player with the most cards wins.
6. EGG-celent Equations- Recycle a used egg carton and two beans for this
basic fact review. Write the numbers 1-12 in the bottom of each egg
compartment. Get two beans and place them inside the egg carton. Shake the
closed carton and have the child make an addition problem from the numbers
on which the beans land.
7. Beach Ball Math- With a black marker, draw lines on a beach ball.
Separate each colored section into two or three more sections. In each
section, write a number 0-10. Throw the ball to your child. When he/she
catches the ball, have him/her look at the numberwritten in the section
where his thumbs landed. He then adds or subtracts those two numbers.
8. Grocery Math Game- While shopping in the grocery store, have your child
solve math problems by comparing the labels on different products. For
example: How much more sodium does this soup have then that soup? How many
more fat grams are in these cookies than those cookies?
9. Baseball Card Comparison- Collect several baseball cards and ask your
child questions based on the information for each player. For example: How
many more runs did one player have than another? What was the difference in
their ERA’s?
10. Newspaper Math- Have your child look through a newspaper and cut out as
many numbers as she can find. Give her a piece of blank paper and have
her choose two numbers. Glue the numbers onto the blank page, insert an
addition or subtraction sign in the middle of them and solve.
11. Record math facts on a tape recorder; then play the tape, trying to give
the correct response before you hear it on the tape.
12. Flashcards are the "old standard" way to learn the times tables, and may
work for you,especially if you follow the guidelines and tackle a few at a
time. You can also make flashcards with hints on one side of the back and
fold that part over if you need help to remember an answer. After you do
that, put it back in the deck, and practice it until you
don't need the hint any more. Start with a small deck and only add a few
cards at a time. As the deck gets bigger,you'll want to sort them into three
piles as you go over them: one stack for the ones you missed (hopefully a
*small* stack ). The next stack is for the ones you got -- but it
took a little while, and one stack for the ones you knew right
away.
