Math Game Boards for Pre-K through 3rd grade

Earlier this week I got inspired to create a math game board for my preschooler. I drew up a simple version of a basic game board and filled in the squares with challenges, exercises, jump forward/backward spaces … and of course, some math! 🙂 We made our little game pieces out of playdough and stuck googly eyes in them (for the anthropomorphic effect 😉 ), found some dice, and got to work playing (actually, doing math!).

He absolutely hates losing, so we started the game several times but as soon as he thought he was going to lose, he would quit. So we had several conversations about winning and losing and good attitudes and all that … but I wasn’t actually concerned that he gave up on the game, because in the process of starting the game multiple times I was able to work in a lot of addition practice and conversations about math strategies.

I loved how this math game turned out to be a combination of lots of physical movement (even my 2 year old got in on the jumping jacks and dancing spaces!), critical thinking challenges, and math skills practice (in a way that didn’t feel repetitive!).

Printable Math Game Boards Packet

I then got so inspired to create a high-quality “Math and Movement” game board that I pushed aside all my other projects on my to-do list and spent the rest of the week (in all the spare minutes and nap times and Grandparent-helping times I could find!) creating a series of 8 game boards that cover basic addition through double-digit division, with some bonuses:

• I also created a full page of math teaching tips that could be used by parents/teachers as a suggested teaching method (6 of the 8 are based on ten frames) or used directly by kids as mini-lesson, review, or introduction to a new method.
• Since we used up the math spaces on the game board after one run-through, I also created 20 additional practice cards, with answers on the back, for each skill set. These extend the life of the game, so we could play several times through and practice new math problems each time. (Kids will love that! 😉 )
• And, just for fun, I made a large paper dice — this is a great fine-motor-skills exercise for kids as they cut, fold, and glue the flat dice “net” into a 3-d cube. Alternatively, you could use your own dice. 😉

If you’d like to take a look, you can see the complete set here: Math and Movement Game Boards (or click on the image below). Individual math game boards are linked in the product description.

Full product description:

This is the complete bundle of my Math and Movement Game Boards. It includes 8 games that cover basic addition through double-digit division skills. (See links below for individual products.) This bundle saves you 50% off the total price. 🙂

Math skills practice that doesn’t feel repetitive

These math game boards provide a great way for kids to practice a given math skill (the full set has 8 levels, from basic addition through double-digit division) while reinforcing reading skills and game skills (positive team dynamics!) and incorporating plenty of movement. The game can be played multiple times, providing lots of skill practice without seeming repetitive. This will work great for math centers, small groups, or homeschool settings.

To play, simply print out the game board, cut out the “Extra Practice” pieces, and then roll a dice. Move your character that many spaces and follow the directions on that space. There are math, movement, challenge, and game (move forward/backward, etc.) spaces. You can cut out the character faces included here or make your own (bonus points for the most creative characters!).

The “Math Time” squares offer math practice from a specified skill set; students will try to solve the problems and should be provided with a way to instantly check their answers (either with an adult, an answer sheet, (answers are provided in this packet) or a calculator) but can continue playing the game regardless of whether they solve it correctly or not. (Feel free to adapt these rules as you see fit!) A paper dice is provided at the end, in case you don’t have any dice on hand. (It also serves as a chance for students to practice fine motor skills as they cut, fold, and glue/tape the dice together!)

Each level advances in difficulty, both in the math topics covered and in the challenges on the game board. Game play can take 5-15 minutes and works best with 2-5 players. Students can play the game several times through, using the additional practice cards for the “Math Time” spaces. This provides extra math practice and results in a unique game experience each time (since the directions send players jumping forward and backward throughout the game).

Additional practice cards with answers

Each math game board is followed by a sheet of extra practice problems that can be cut into individual cards, so that when the game has been played through once students can draw from a stack of extra practice cards when they land on a “Math Time” square. An answer key follows each page of extra practice questions; these pages can be printed front to back for instant answer checks (if you choose to use them that way).

Teaching Tips

In addition, each level includes a full page of strategy tips for that skillset. These pages can be used as a teaching guide for parents and teachers or as a self-directed learning resource for students, whether they are learning a skill for the first time or reviewing a concept later. Most of these pages include descriptions for teaching/learning these skills using ten frames.

Each player should roll the dice once before play starts. The player with the highest number goes first, then the next highest number, and so on. This provides additional math practice each time the game is played, as students will have to order numbers from greatest to smallest. Play by rolling the dice to see how many spaces to move, then follow the directions on that space.

Each version (level) has unique clipart images (just to add a little fun flair to the game 🙂 ).

The full math game set includes 8 levels. Each level consists of a unique game board (new graphics and challenges), a full page description with diagrams explaining how do the math for that particular focus skill, and 20 extra practice cards with an answer key. For the first 6 skills, ten frames are used to demonstrate how to solve the problems, with notes about the benefits of using this method. The 8 levels are:

* Single-digit addition (up to 20)
* Single digit subtraction 
* Double-digit addition without regrouping (up to 50)
* Double-digit addition with regrouping
* Double-digit subtraction without borrowing (up to 50) 
* Double-digit subtraction with borrowing
* Single-digit multiplication
* Double-digit division (through 30)

Click on any link above to see the product listing. See the whole bundle here:
COMPLETE BUNDLE (50% savings)

Coding Game for Kids

You may also be interested in this active, offline coding game that I made for a group of kids (ages 5 – 15, roughly). You can click on the image to see the post where I wrote more about this.

Learning Resources for Teachers, Tutors, and Parents

If you’d like to visit my store to see my library of learning resources (focused on Pre-K – 3rd grade Math, Reading, and Writing, and High School Algebra and Geometry), you can check it out here:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Sandra-Balisky