Maths is one of the most feared subjects by school students, universally. This fear of math often develops at early stages and stays for life. To overcome this, it is important to make math education fun and interesting. And one of the best ways for this is to teach maths through fun games and cool activities. Here we present 5 awesome fun math games for primary school students (Class 1 to Class 6) that convert maths in to hours of fun activity.
Salient features of these math games
- These are paper pencil based math games. So no need to go to the internet and no more staring at computer screens for hours. And you can play them practically anytime and anywhere
- These maths games are very educational in nature. In fact they can be easily adjusted to match the class curriculum for grade 1 to grade 6
- You can download these cool math games for free from the links given below. Moreover we also describe how you can make your own versions of these math games for your kids in future
Go ahead and give this a try. Your child will love these mahts games and you will love the results.
1. Number pyramid
What is the game: Complete the pyramid of numbers filling the blank spaces as you go upwards
What Math skills will kids learn: This game can be used to teach addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
What class is this math game for: Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3 and Grade 4
How to make this game:
- Just make a pyramid of these balls
- Fill up some balls with numbers and keep some empty
- The number in a ball is equal to the sum of the number in the 2 balls below it. For higher classes e.g. class 3 and class 4 you could change the rule to have multiplication or division here, while for class 1 and class 2, this maths game could be played for addition.
- The game can be made more challenging by leaving numbers at some very strategic places to push the students to think. The more challenging the game is, the higher will the sense of achievement and resulting satisfaction
Why is this maths game so cool: This particular maths game is so simple to create and so interesting to solve that kids just love to solve it. You could tie up a few small rewards and prizes with this game to motivate the kids to play it.
You can click here to download three Number Pyramid math games for free. Just download the pdf file and take a print. You can make your own too.
2. Join the dots math game:
What is the game: We have all played join dots as kids where you need to connect the dots from one to the next to reveal the hidden picture. In a well constructed game, the urge the reveal the picture is so high that kids want to complete it as soon as possible. We want to take this to the next level by combining some maths with this and making it both meaningful and fun for kids
What Math skills will kids learn: This game can be used to teach number recognition, inline addition, inline subtraction, multiplication and division
What class is this math game for: Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4 and Grade 5
How to make this game:
- Take any join the dots image that is interesting and fun. Some of these are available free on websites
- Convert the numbers in the dots to small questions e.g. convert 4 to 43 - 39 and 5 to 2 + 9 - 6 etc. You can either do it in any of the image editing software or just take a print and do it on paper
- Thats it, a fun activity is ready for the kids
- The level of difficulty can be adjusted to to the class level of the child. As an example, for class 1 students it can involve basic skills like number recognition and sequencing while for class 2 we pull it a notch higher and involve math skills like addition and subtraction. For class 4, the math skills could be division and multiplication.
Why is this math game so cool: The urge to reveal the hidden picture is so high that small math questions in between appear just like a fun game. Whats more, there is tons of practice that students get and that too in a fun manner that they will love. This game asks kids to apply their math skills to play. Below, we have given 3 such puzzles as samples for you to download for free.
You can click here to download samples of Join the Dots maths games for kids for free. Just download the pdf file and take a print. You can make your own too.
3. Picture puzzle
What is the game: Remember the pictures hidden behind layers of random lines and shapes that you used to color based on a code to reveal what is inside! The same picture puzzle we will now convert to a math game for students of class 2 to class 5. All you need to do is 3 simple steps.
What Math skills will kids learn: This game can be used to teach complex math skills like divisibility, remainders, addition, inequality, multiplication etc
What class is this math game for: Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4 and Grade 5
How to make this game:
- Find an existing picture puzzle on the net or from a news paper. It is recommended to use an existing puzzle because creating your own puzzle will not be very easy.
- In place of the picture codes of dots and triangles etc, use math codes and equations. This will convert it to a very interesting maths game for kids.
- You could create a different maths game for each class. For example for class 3 you might want to cover
Why is this math game so cool: Kids are actually coloring a complex image while they are solving math problem. It is amazing fun for them, especially when they see the final colorful image appear as a result of correctly solving all those questions. Whats more, if they have done something wrong, then it becomes apparent immediately because of a mismatch in color. So thats a good way to give feedback too. However, this game is a bit more time consuming to make.
You can click here to download three picture puzzle math games for kids for free. Just download the pdf file and take a print. You can make your own too but this one may be more challenging to make on your own
4. Number crossword
What is the game: There are tons of crosswords that are severed in newspapers on a daily basis. These test your English skills and the great part is that we are all so addicted to these. How about converting the same concept to test maths skills? This is suitable for kids and adults alike but students of class 3 to 6 will find it particularly helpful
What Math skills will kids learn: This game can be used to any of the math skills e.g. number to words, fractions, LCM, HCF, geometry and more
What class is this math game for: Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5 and Grade 6
How to make this game:
- Think of about 15 interesting maths questions that are appropriate for your child. They could be anything from addition to subtraction to multiplication to divisibility rules or fractions.
- Now create a simple 5 X 5 or 6 X 6 grid on paper and try to put these questions here in an interesting fashion
- Make some questions for "across" and some questions for "down" pattern like a crossword
- Like a normal cross word, you can interconnect some of the questions to offer hints
- Mark the unused spaces as black. This essentially completes your puzzle
Why is this math game so cool: The interesting part is that you can really push the thinking here. Unlike other game, there is no element of time and hence kids are ready to put in longer time to really arrive at the correct answer. This maths game for kids helps to push their thinking and if you make the puzzle interesting enough then they can keep doing it for hours without getting tired. Download some samples here.
You can click here to download Number Crossword maths games for free. Once you download the file, take a print out and they are yours to play for hours with your kids. This one, you can make on your own too. If you practice enough, you may get the right level of difficulty and challenge that is suitable for the child's class.
5. Number Smith
What is the game: This again is one of our innovative ways to teach maths to kids through fun exercises, games and worksheets. Normal questions can be converted to this fun detective game. The idea is to find the numbers that have been mixed up and there are clues to solve for them
What Math skills will kids learn: This game can be used to teach addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, number facts, fractions, measurement and decimals
What class is this math game for: Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5 and Grade 6
How to make this game:
- Think of 10 interesting maths questions. Just make sure that they are age and course appropriate for the kids. For example, you cannot offer a double digit addition with carry-over to students of class-1 etc.
- Now create a simple 10X10 grid on paper and try to put these questions here in an interesting fashion.
- Make some questions for across and some questions for down pattern.
- Intersperse these numbers with random numbers so that kids have a difficult time finding the answer
- While populating the grid for this maths game, you need to make sure that there are not more than one answer for the same question.
Why is this math game so cool: Again, hours for fun for students of class 1 to 6. For class 4 to class 6 you can include more challenging puzzles and more complex grids. You can even go beyond the usual square shape to bring newness in these puzzles. The thrill of finding something hidden is what enhances the fun element in this game. Moreover, kids love to solve this with their friends, challenging each other and thus making this math game even more fun.
You can click here to download three Number Smith math games for kids free. Just download the pdf file and take a print. You can make your own version too. You will need to be a bit careful about challenging the child just the right amount. Not too much that he/she gives up and not too less that its boring for him.
Hope you will have fun playing these paper pencil based maths games with your kids and utilizing the awesome educational value of these math games. If you think you learnt something new today then please like us on facebook and google. Next up, we will come out with non paper based games. These games can be played while moving around in the house, in a car or while watching television. These are amazing fun games that provide great practice. Stay tuned to know more.
Till then, have fun with maths.