Elementary Math Games

Why Elementary Math Games

Why should kids play math games? If you have ever had to force your child to sit and memorize their multiplication tables or other difficult concepts, you know that a fun way will inspire learning with fewer tears and headaches. Math games help kids practice their math skills while allowing them to have a little fun at the same time. This can be especially helpful if your child has a learning disability.

Some games simply teach the practicality of math while others concentrate on helping complicated processes click in a child's mind. Often, math games aren't specifically marketed as educational. Many popular board games, for example, require math skills as well as reading skills in order to play. A determined child will improve his skills as he continues to play, not even realizing that he is learning.

Math Board Games

There are several board games that can be used as educational kids' math games. Monopoly and Payday teach money skills. So does Life. Yahtzee teaches basic addition and multiplication. All of these games are fun for the whole family, giving a child a great learning experience while she connects with her family.

Educational Learning Games

Other board games are designed specifically to be educational. One excellent resource for elementary math games is a company called Educational Learning Games. They sell several math games that teach such concepts as:

• Addition and Subtraction
• Multiplication and Division
• Word Problems
• Fractions
• Percentages
• Money
• Time
• Measurement
• Many more areas of mathematics

All games are reasonably priced ranging from $5.99 for a Sudoko puzzle book to $45.95 for an electronic multiplication game. Check out a few of the best ones:

• Sale! A Consumer Math Game teaches real life skills. It is intended for two to six players in grades four to nine.

• Allowance teaches children how to earn and save money. This game is for two to four players in grades three through eight.

• Head Full of Numbers is a fun way to create and solve math equations. Kids aged seven and up will learn many different mathematical operations in this game that can be adjusted based on a child's abilities. As he gets better, the game gets harder. Any number of children can play this game, making it fun for a large family or a classroom.

• Riding the Word Problem Game into History is a great game to take the dread out of word problems while incorporating a little history as well. For two to four players, this game is designed for grades three through five.

Online Math Games

There are also countless choices for online elementary math games. Some are played online, while others are printable. Here are a few sites worth checking out:

• A Plus Math offers an assortment of games teaching addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and even some algebra. Some of the games require that you have Java on your computer. However, they are divided between Java and non-Java games so you can find what you need easily.

• Math Playground has several fun math games that teach basic math, algebra, geometry, money and percentages. They also offer several math videos to help teach difficult concepts.

• Gamequarium has a nice selection of online math games for kids. All of these games are interactive.

Printable Games

• Dr. Mike has a long list of printable math games, most requiring little more than a pencil to play.

• Mathwire.com also has lots of games, many of which are in PDF format. Some can also be played online.

• Family Education.com has some math worksheets that you can print in PDF format. These are intended for grades K through eight.

Make learning fun for your child, and she will never want to stop learning. Include some math activities into her play or family time and watch her skills improve and her confidence soar.