Games Used for Math Students or to Teach Math
- Write numbers down on note cards or use a deck of cards without the face cards. Divide the class into teams of three players. Allow the first two members of a team to choose a card without looking at the number. Have these team members place the card on their forehead so the number is viewable by the other players. Have the third team member add both numbers together and say the number out loud. The first two team members must guess their number from subtracting the other player's viewable number from any possible number they have on their forehead to obtain the result given by the third player.
- Divide the class or players into teams of two players. Obtain a deck of cards for each team. Decide on a multiplication table to practice, something like multiplications of four, seven or eight. This is the number by which any of the numbers that come up in the game will be multiplied. Pull this card from the deck as it will be called the constant factor and place it in the middle of the table. Each player turns over a card and must multiply it by the constant factor in the middle of the table. The player with the highest multiplication result wins both cards. For example, if player one pulls up a four and player two pulls up a five and the multiplying constant is two, the first player multiplies four times two and gets a result of eight. The second player multiplies five times two and gets a result of 10, so player two wins both players' cards. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
- Have each student start writing the number sequence following the number one. Use grid paper and have the students place a number in each box. Give them another sheet as they complete the first one and have them continue with the next counted number. Call out the name of the student who is ahead of everyone else to start the competition rolling. Keep calling out the names of students who write the numbers faster. Everyone will be eager to catch up and surpass the others.
- This game is appropriate for a 1st or 2nd grade class. You will need 4 to 5 decks of playing cards for larger groups, but 2 to 4 players can work with just one deck of cards. Divide a large group into teams of 3 or 4. Small groups can be paired. This game works similarly to the popular Go Fish game. Deal each player 7 cards. Place the remaining cards face down on the table. In Fish Plus One, instead of making pairs you want to make pairs of cards that differ by one integer. So, at a player's turn, if he has an existing 3, he would need a 4 to make his pair. He can ask another player for the card, and if that player has it, he must forfeit it to the player who makes his pair and places it on the table in front of him. This player then gets another turn. Otherwise he must "Go Fish" and see if he pulls up the needed 4 card from the center stack. If not, it becomes the next player's turn. The game ends when there are no longer cards and no more pairs can be made. The player who wins has the most pairs.
Fish Plus 1 can be adapted to Fish Plus 2, Fish x 2 or any other math concept the teacher needs to practice.