20 Best Kindergarten Math Games for Kids to Learn Math – Brighterly.com
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20 Best Kindergarten Math Games
Teaching children math is not the easiest thing to do because their minds are the definition of everything, everywhere, all at once. Kids face distractions because they grow and are often excited by numerous things as their minds develop. However, what could easily be dismissed as ‘usual’ with the child is a little tricky for teachers with a strict curriculum and timeframe.
Teachers, parents, and tutors need a way to teach kids math without losing concentration, and this is why educators and developers invented kindergarten math games.
Benefits of Using Kindergarten Math Games
This article is a review of the best kindergarten math games for your kid; but first, let us check the benefits of using such math activities.
Games grab children’s attention
Materials used for math games are often colorful and attractive, with sounds and movements that would keep the wandering mind of a child hooked. In the process, children can learn whatever math concept is attached to the game. The more they play, the easier it will be to learn the related concept.
Math games encourage conversation related to math
When kids play math games, they have new things to discuss relating to math. For example, if a kid recently started playing a new math game at home, they will talk about it in school.
Talking about math will spur other kids to try the game, and conversations about the subject will be encouraged. The number of discussions and debates based on the math concepts embedded in that game also increases.
Math games uncover areas where kids need help
When your kids play math games, you can observe and see how they handle the involved math problems. By monitoring progress and strategies, you will notice math concepts that kids do not easily grasp and help them. If a kid remains stuck on one level for a long time, you will know that they need help with the math concept that has kept them on that level.
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Math games encourage collaborative learning
Some games are two- or three-player games, which means that students have to collaborate to scale through those games. Encouraging kids to play fun math games in kindergarten allows them to ask peers for help when they do not understand something.
Collaborative learning is a great way to ensure that your kids are finding new solutions to math problems together with other kids without much of your input. Free math games for kindergarten will teach children to collaborate.
Using games and a one-on-one tutor-to-student method, Brighterly, a platform for learning math online, prioritizes your child’s learning. You can reschedule classes or change a tutor if necessary. So, have your child register now to begin the journey of improving their kindergarten math skills.
20 Kindergarten Math Games
Choosing a game for your kid can get confusing as there are many fun kindergarten math games that your kid can try out. But knowing the average kindergartener’s learning abilities, we have narrowed down the list to 20 top games for you to pick.
Putting puzzles together to gain number sense
This game is one of the best math printables for kindergarten children. It contains different puzzle pieces, each representing a number in a word, tally, or image. If your child enjoys solving visual problems, they will enjoy matching the pieces representing a number.
Stack up cups
The stack up cups game is a fun activity every child in the class will enjoy. Divide kids into groups, giving each group numbered cups from 1 to 50 or 100.
Their task is to stack up the cups following the numbers. If their stack falls, they must start again until one group wins.
Skip count money game
The skip count money game teaches students both about money and skip-counting.
Take ten toys, and label them with tags from 10 to 100 or 5 to 50. Add a cent or a dollar sign to the numbers, making it look like you are selling them to the kids. They can call out each price from 10, 20, 30…, and so on.
Check out the Money Worksheets for Kindergarten!
Rubber ducks and dice
Lay out the rubber duck game to teach about addition. To move ahead to the number 10 on the board with the duck, kids must roll a die to move the duck. When they get close to the last box, they roll the exact number that gives them the 10th box.
Kids can’t have spillovers; if the number from the dice is more than the required number for 10, they must roll again.
Counting cards and dice
The kindergarteners will flip a card and roll a die in this game. Then, they should count from the card number to the dice number to get the sum.
If they count correctly without missing any number, they keep the card, but if not, they have to skip a turn, then come back and flip again. A child with the most cards wins the game at the end.
Skip count with sticks
Take colorful craft sticks and label them with numbers of 5s. Have each kid draw out a stick from the pile; then, they should count to a hundred from that number. If a student gets the count correctly by the end, they keep the stick.
For example, if the number they draw out is 55, they must count 55, 60, 65, 70, 75…100. At the end of the game, the child with the most sticks wins.
Comparing numbers
Give kids a pair of dice, a board with a line in the middle, a number line, and small gummy bear-like toys. Kids will roll the dice and then lay out the numbers of each die on both sides of the paper. They will now look at both to see which number is larger judging from the number of bears on either side.
Check out the Comparing Numbers Worksheets!
Ten snowballs and a bucket
Make snowballs and place buckets in front of the class. Keep kids at a distance and have them toss the balls into the buckets until they reach the number 10. When they are done, take the balls from the bucket and count them together, then drop some back into the bucket. Now, the new task is to toss in the number of balls they think will make up 10 in the bucket.
Subtraction bowling
Make bowling bottles using items around the class, including toilet paper tubes and plastic bottles. Arrange fake bowling bottles in tens and give balls to the kids to bowl. You subtract a number from 10, and they continue bowling whenever they knock a certain number down. Whoever finishes their bottles and gets to 0 first wins the game.
Drive and compare numbers to music
Pick round flat plates and put dots on them. Dot each plate with different numbers, then hand them to kids. Start playing music and have children drive around class moving their plates like steering wheels.
When the music ends, the kids who are closest to each other should compare the numbers on their plates, say which is greater or lesser, and move on. Replay the game until you or kids are tired. This game has no winners or losers, just a bunch of excited students and probably an out-of-breath teacher.
A weighing scale
If you do not have a projected point in class for this game, let’s hope your arms are strong enough to stay suspended for a while. Get a hanger, paper cups, and clips. Clip the cups to both ends of the hangers and give children small balls. The task is to fill both cups to see what number weighs more and what number equals what. You can stop the game at your discretion if you are holding the hanger.
Draw a ribbon
Cut ribbons into pieces of different lengths and stuff them in bags. Have kids stand in a line, then make them pick the ribbons from the bags. After doing this, put children in pairs and ask them to measure their ribbons against their mates’.
This game teaches measurement. The kid with the longest ribbon takes the shorter ribbon from the other kid, and the game continues. At the end of the game, the kid with the longer ribbon wins.
Shape scavenger hunt
The best part about math games is the real-life representation of math concepts. Draw out shapes on paper and show them to kids. Then tell children to go around the class looking for things that look like the shapes you have drawn.
This game is fun because kids will bring anything that remotely looks like that shape, and if it is a shape that is not on paper, you can now teach kids about this new shape. Make children maintain orderliness during this game to prevent them from getting injured.
Hopscotch, but with different shapes
Draw different shapes on the floor with side chalk. Put a child in front of the drawings and call out the shapes you want kids to jump in. Every time you mention a shape, they jump in; if a child does not get it right, they are out of the game. Any kid who gets all the shapes in one try without missing any is the winner of the game.
Bridge builder blocks for sums
Bridge Builder Blocks is a digital game that teaches children addition using blocks. Add numbers to each other to create a larger block to build your bridge.
The smaller the numerical value, the smaller the block. Trade your smaller blocks for larger ones and cross to the other side successfully when you have built your bridge.
Monster math
Monster math is one of the best free kindergarten games where kids can learn primary math concepts while having fun. In this game, Max has to fight enemies and save his friend Dextra. However, to do that, Max needs you to help him solve math problems. By solving them, Max can successfully scale through the obstacles and save Dextra.
Spooky Spider Printable Math Game
Spider games are top on the list of printable math games kindergarten kids can play during Halloween. In this season-themed game, each spiderweb has a specific number of spiders that should be on the web. The number is indicated in words at the top of each page. Kids will be required to draw the correct number of spiders on the web or place toy ones there.
This game tests your kindergartener’s ability to identify numbers that are spelled out. It helps pre-k and kindergarten kids work on number recognition.
Balloon splash game
Fill up 20 balloons with water and number them. Call out math equations; for example, you can say 1+1 is X. A kid who gets the answer right has to search for the balloon with the number; then, they will make a splash by throwing the filled balloon on the floor.
Ensure that every kid can participate. The only thing you may need to worry about with this game is getting some water on you.
The giant clock game
Get a chalk and draw a large clock on the floor. You can get older students from other grades to help you with this because the clock has to be big enough to have kids stand in it.
When you have drawn the clock, mention specific times. If you called 3 o’clock, you could have two kids stand in the sketched clock, one at 12 and the other at 3. Repeat till you have gone round the clock and taught children all the primary time concepts.
Fast flashcards
Place flashcards with basic addition and subtraction problems on the floor. Set a timer and say “GO.” Your students have to solve the problems as fast as possible, and the kid with the most correct answers in the shortest time wins.
Conclusion
Math games make learning more fun and exciting for kids. If you were wondering how to pick the right ones, we have listed 20 of them for you. They include printable, digital, and physical games so that you can choose which ones you want to try out with your kindergartener when teaching them math. The printable kindergarten math games listed are available on math websites if you want to use them.
Jessica Kaminski
Jessica is a a seasoned math tutor with over a decade of experience in the field. With a BSc and Master’s degree in Mathematics, she enjoys nurturing math geniuses, regardless of their age, grade, and skills. Apart from tutoring, Jessica blogs at Brighterly. She also has experience in child psychology, homeschooling and curriculum consultation for schools and EdTech websites.
