Play Games Together!

The best way to help your child overcome their fears and frustrations with math and to increase their motivation to learn is to make math fun. Yes, it is possible to have fun while doing math!

Have a Family Game Night

Video games have come a long way since I was a kid, and sometimes we all could use some serious video-based down-time. However, I highly recommend pulling out the old-school physical games for family game night. There is something about sitting around the table, manipulating physical game pieces, and staring your opponent in the eyes as they head into their turn that makes the whole experience something more. When it comes to math, it makes it more real.

Numbers can seem so unreal for many kids. You cannot hold the number 3 in your hands. You can, however, draw 3 cards from a deck. You can hold a card with the number 3 written on it. You can roll the number 3 on a die. You can roll the number 3 on 2 dice. Being able to produce numbers by performing very physical tasks like drawing cards from a deck, rolling dice, or handling game money can help numbers and mathematical operations like adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing become less mysterious and more of a helpful tool. And math really is that at the end of the day – a helpful tool.

Here are some of the games I’ve used with my students that get them smiling and laughing while becoming more fluid with their calculations:

• Yahtzee – great for getting comfortable with mental math, practicing addition and multiplication facts up to the 6’s, and adding many numbers together in column form. Make sure your student keeps their own score, with guidance as needed.
• Prime Climb – this is decidedly a math-learning game, but it is competitive and therefore great for motivating students to practice their math facts: adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing.
• Mexican Train – this dominoes game is fast-moving and simple to play, and is great for practicing pattern recognition, counting, and mental addition.
• Scrabble – this is both a math and a word game as it encourages players to experiment with adding and multiplying numbers in different combinations to find the highest score each turn.

Any game that involves keeping score or handling cards or money is great for helping numbers and mathematical operations become less scary and more helpful. If you have time, try Monopoly. For younger kids, play Go Fish or UNO. For older kids, play card games like Gin, Rummy, Hearts, Spades, or 21. Look up different versions of the games to mix it up every now and then.

Playing games together is great for bonding and building math skills – it’s a win-win! Please do remember, though, the main goal is to help your student have fun. If the gaming is becoming too competitive or your child is becoming super stressed and frustrated, take a step back and try to make the game experience more light-hearted. Do your best to keep the game close. Learn to give them just enough competition to keep them motivated, but not so much that they become disheartened and have no hope of succeeding (aka winning).

DO NOT DEMOLISH THEM.

Let your child win sometimes!

And remember:

Have Fun!