5 Minute Maths Games for The Whole Family
Maths games are one of the best ways to allow children to consolidate their learning and to practise their basic maths skills. With these quick and easy 5 minute maths games, the whole family will be able to get involved in counting, adding, subtracting and so much more! Best of all, they require hardly any equipment – so you can play them anywhere.
Guess My Number
One member of the family thinks of a secret number between 1 and 100 (for very young children use 1-10 and for older children use 1-1000). Each person takes turns guessing a number. The person who chose the secret number replies with ‘higher’ or ‘lower’. The person who guesses the secret number gets to choose the next number and so on. This game is fantastic for developing place value awareness and knowledge. It’s also brilliant because it can be played absolutely anywhere!
Image credit: GreatBigMinds
Money Scramble
Start collecting spare coins in a jar or container. When you have quite a few coins in the jar you are ready to play Money Scramble. Pour the contents of the jar onto a table or flat surface. One person calls out a monetary amount (ie. $2.25). Each person has to scramble to make that amount. The person who can make the amount the quickest is the winner. For an extra challenge you can see how many different ways you can make the specified amount.
Image credit: TeachersFirstChoice
Addition Snap
Grab a deck of cards and remove the Jacks, Queens, Kings and Jokers. Deal the cards into two even piles facing down. Each player turns the top card from their pile over at the same time. Whoever can add the two numbers together the quickest is the winner and gets to keep the cards. Continue playing until there are no cards left. The player with the most cards at the end is the winner.
Image credit: DrMartinFletcher
21
Remove the Kings, Queens, Jacks and Jokers from a deck of cards. Place the remaining cards face down in a pile. Each person takes two cards (without showing anyone) and adds them up. They can then decide whether they are ‘safe’ or if they would like to take another card. The winner is the person whose cards add up to 21 (or as close to 21 without going over).
Image credit: Mesmrswhitesclass
Race to 100
Each player takes turns to roll a dice. The first number they roll becomes their starting number. The person with the highest starting number then gets to roll again and adds their new number to their starting number. The next player does the same. This continues until one player’s number total has reached 100. For younger children you might like to aim to reach 20. For an additional challenge for older children, aim for 500!
Image credit: Kbkonnected
These games are a fantastic way to get the whole family involved in some educational and fun maths at home! What are your favourite maths games to play with your kids?
Lucy Mathieson
Lucy is a trained primary school teacher with a passion for baking. Lucy began her blog, Bake Play Smile, in 2013 and it has since grown into one of Australia’s most recognised food blogs. Bake Play Smile is all about fun, food and happiness. Lucy’s recipes have earned national acclaim through a number of awards and publications. She was a winner of the 2015 Best Recipes ‘Home Cook Hero’ competition in Super Food Ideas magazine, a Top 5 Finalist for the 2014 Mamamia Food Blogger Competition, a Top 5 Food Blogger on Every Recipe, and a Kidspot “Voices of 2014″ nominee.
