50+ Games for Gameschooling Elementary Math

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She wasn’t doing it.

Nothing I could say would convince her to complete a single problem on her math worksheet. My daughter was in first grade and I knew she was bright, but she just found her math worksheets…boring. I knew I had to figure something else out.

Enter homeschool games. Also known as Gameschooling.

My first thought was “Is this for real?” So, I bought a couple of games and decided to try it.

It was an instant hit! I can’t be the only homeschooling parent having this problem, so I’ve decided to share some of my research here. Today I am sharing over 50 educational games that you can use for gameschooling.

In this post you will find ideas for gameschooling with:

• Number Recognition and Counting Gameschooling
• Addition and Subtraction Gameschooling
• Multiplication and Division Gameschooling
• Fractions Gameschooling
• Gameschooling about Making Change and Counting Money

Number Recognition and Counting Games

Zingo Number Bingo is a great way for kids to master their numbers. Zingo 1-2-3 shows the numbers as numerals as well as groups of the number, so students become familiar with number recognition through playing the game.

This huge number line isn’t exactly a game in itself, but the size of it will delight your child.

Even early elementary students love to jump and bounce around as they learn. You could use it for addition/subtraction practice. Kids can jump “plus 3”, etc. Movement can really help young children engage with the material, so this number line mat is a great addition to an early elementary gameschooling library.

Tiny Polka Dot is a great game for teaching number representation. children can learn to recognize numbers 0-5 with several different ways to play. We have played this before and it’s always a hit with the kids.

Mastering Math Facts

Addition and Subtraction Games

The Make a Splash 120 floor mat from Learning Resources is a great way to engage kinesthetic learners. An over-sized mat with over-sized dice, children work on adding/subtracting 1 and adding/subtracting 10. There is just something fun about over-sized games, so this is sure to be a hit with your young mathematicians!

Do you remember playing War as a kid? This game builds on that concept, but instead of numbers on the cards, there are addition or subtraction equations. Addition and Subtraction War Flashcards focus on adding and subtracting within 10. You can always take some of the higher number equations out for kindergarten.

Tri-FACTa is a game that emphasizes fact families. I love this because it helps children understand and see how addition and subtraction are related early on. Players build and change fact families on a triangular board and the first player to get rid of all their numbers wins!

Math Marks the Spot! from Learning Resources is a great over-sized math game. The game board is a big floor mat. Players roll large foam dice. There are three dice – two number dice and one operations die. Players must find the answer to their equation on the floor mat and place their marker on it. Oversized games are always a hit with the younger crowd!

If your child is a Pete the Cat fan, then be sure tho check out the Cool Cat game series from EduPress. They have kindergarten and first-grade math versions. Each version has cards with math problems on them. If a player answers a question correctly, they collect buttons. The first player to four buttons is the winner! There are also cards where players can get extra buttons or give them up. Fun for a twist! The cards are written in word problem format, so pre-readers may need adult help.

Mathematics Memory from The Learning Journey is great for gameschooling if your child likes memory match games. In this twist, players must match addition and subtraction expressions (ie. 4+2) with the correct answer.

If you are looking for an addition and subtraction game that involves numbers up to 20, then check out Race to Planet X. Players make “power combos” that add to 20 to move across the board. One thing I really like about this game is that players have to use three cards to make 20, so it really gets the mental math and number sense working, too. There is an option to only add to 10, so it can work with younger kids and grow with your child as their math skills improve.

Sums in Space is another great educational board game for practicing early math skills. Players work on addition and subtraction using 0-9, greater than, less than, and odds and evens as they work to get their crew back to the spaceship before they are swallowed by a black hole. There is also an option to play it as a cooperative game, which I love.

Sum Swamp is a favorite in our house, too. The girls love to move their frog, dragonfly, alligator, or snail across the board. It also incorporates odds and evens briefly, so it’s great for introducing those concepts at the kindergarten level.

The Clumsy Thief games and Check the Fridge from Melon Rind are great card games for practicing mental math. The games have different goals (adding to 100, adding to 12, etc), so you can pick and choose the version that is appropriate for your child.

• Clumsy Thief Junior (adding to 10)
• Clumsy Thief (adding to 100) – by 10s
• Clumsy Thief (adding to 20)
• Check the Fridge (adding to 25)
• Check the Oven (adding to 12)

Even more homeschool games that will help your child master their math facts for addition and subtraction:

EduPress has a line of games called Mathological Liar where players have to solve math mysteries in a “whodunnit” type card game. There are different games for grades 1-6.

If your child is fluent in their one-digit math facts and is ready to practice two- or three-digit problems, here are some games that do that:

Multiplication and Division Games

Flip It is an educational card game that helps students memorize the multiplication tables. It is played similar to “trash”, which you may have played as a kid!

Above I mentioned the addition/subtraction version of War from School Zone. Well, they also have a Multiplication War game! War is a classic game that almost every child loves to play! It is great to use as a way to incorporate more gameschooling into your homeschool routine.

Pet Me from Logic Roots is a great educational boardgame to work on division. Players feed their pets as they walk through the park, so they have to figure out how to evenly divide up the food. Even younger siblings can play without knowing division!

Tri-FACTa Multiplication and Division game is played similar to the addition/subtraction version above, but using the multiplication fact families. Players take turns placing their tiles to create fact families. The first player to use all their tiles is the winner!

Monster Sock Factory is an educational board game from Logic Roots that teaches players multiplication facts.

Splat! has several versions to practice math facts. Players race to see if one of their problems has the necessary answer and flips it over. The first one to flip over all their cards is the winner.

Fractions

The Cat Fractions Game is super cute and a purrfect introduction to fractions. Players learn numerator, denominator, and different representations of fractions while playing one of the NINE ways to play!

If you are working on reducing fractions or equivalent fractions, then Froggy Fractions Math Game might be just what you are looking for. Players try to be the first to collect four equivalent fraction cards.

There is also a pizza fraction game from Learning Resources where students work on naming fractions, reducing fractions, and equivalent fractions.

Gameschooling About Money

Money Bags is a great educational board game if you are working on counting money and making change. Players earn money by completing “chores” and “entrepreneurial endeavors” along the game board. The player with the most money at the end of the game wins!

Money BINGO teaches Kindergartners and early elementary how to count coins in a fun BINGO format.

The Exact Change card game is an UNO-type card game, but with money values on the cards. Players can match the color or coin value of the discard pile. A fun twist is that players can use more than one card to add up to the value of the discard pile, too!

The Managing My Allowance lets kids experience buying and selling, realizing they can save money with sales, and saving for college in a fun board game setting.

Buy It Right allows students to set prices, sell items, and learn the value of money. There are three levels of play, so it can be used for lots of ages.

Lakeshore Learning’s Allowance educational board game has students racing to be the first to save $20.

PayDay allows students to experience real, everyday life as it relates to money, saving, and spending. the board is set up like a calendar with each space being one day in the month. Players receive mail (some bills, some fun), fix the car, get paid, pay the doctor, etc. It’s a great way to introduce kids to the “inflow and out go” of money.

Nowadays math is a mixture of worksheets, activities, and lots of games. No more boring complaints around here!

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