7 Cooperative Math Games Teachers and Students Will Love

Math often causes stress for many students but teachers who make learning math fun can defray a lot of the tension and anxiety that students may feel.

A good way teachers can make learning math fun is to include games in the lesson plans. Students who have a natural affinity for math can use these games to sharpen their math skills and simply enjoy the challenge of a discipline.

Math games: There is something for everyone

Regardless of the class, the ability or comfort level of the students, teachers will find something appropriate for their class. Here are seven cooperative math games teachers and students will love. Here are some fun math-styled classroom games to get your students engaged in the lesson plan.

• Numeric scavenger hunt for kindergartners: Teachers can introduce their fresh new kindergartners to numbers by cutting out colorful and decorative numbers then hiding them around the class as the students cover their eyes. The students are then asked to find one number and return to their seat. Then the teacher will ask each student to share their number with the class.
• Who Wants to Be a Math Millionaire? The teacher acts as a game show host and asks for a math contestant to join them at the front of the class. The teacher asks the student questions and, per the game show, the student has the option to ask other students for assistance if they do not know the answer, encouraging collaboration.
• News from the Graph: Teachers can bring in charts, graphs and tables from a variety of sources, such as newspapers, and ask students what each configuration is and what it represents. This game is usually best for grades two through six.
• Go Fish! In this game, the teacher creates a mini lake out of paper-mache. Then, teachers place math questions in the lake for students to fish out. When the student reels in the question, they are asked to answer the math trivia question or problem.
• Add recycling to math for positive results: When teachers combine math efforts with recycling efforts, students are set to learn several lessons. Teachers ask children to pick up trash during a class trip outside to the school yard. Students can weigh the amount of trash collected on the playground then create a campaign to let other students know their findings while encouraging students to be more diligent about recycling their trash. After a certain period of time, teachers can have students collect trash over the area of the school yard then weigh the trash, graph their findings and compare the results.
• Look at all the angles: Teachers can prepare students for geometry by asking students to see angles throughout the classroom and describe to the teacher whether they are acute, obtuse or right angles. Teachers can then ask students to duplicate the angles they find by drawing them with a protractor.
• Cross the Line or Step Behind: Teachers ask students to line up side by side and then ask each of them a yes or no math question while going down the line. The students answer the question and if they are correct, they proceed forward toward the front of the classroom. If they did not move forward with confidence, confirming the answer, the student remains in the same spot until their next successfully answered question.

Math teachers can infuse fun and humor into a math class to help students relax and prepare for many years of studying math. With these classroom games, students will be able to complete math problems with confidence.