Family Playground
There are many fun computer and board games that integrate deep mathematical thinking into gameplay. Here are a few games that will help students develop skills such as multi-step problem-solving, spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, resource management, social skills, collaboration and much more.
Computer Games/Apps
BOard Games
Qwixx takes careful decision making and planning to cross out as many numbers as possible in each of the four different colored rows before the game ends.
Recommended ages: 8+
Math connections: Developing planning probability and predictive skills
Set is a time-based set collection card game. A set is a combination that is all alike or all different in all categories: shape, number, pattern/shading, and color. The game is very visual and language-free.
Recommended ages: 6+
Math connections: Pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, logic
Tenzi is a fast paced game with so many different variations to play.
Recommended ages: all ages
Math connections: fluency and number sense, strategizing, and quick-decision making
Otrio is a head-to-head strategy board game similar to tic tac toe. Players compete to line up three pieces of the same color by similar size; in ascending or descending order; or within the same space.
Recommended ages: 6+
Math connections: Reasoning, strategizing and critical thinking skills
Blokus is the perfect strategy game where players take turns placing their 21 pieces on the board: each piece must touch another of the same color, but only at the corners! Stake your claim and protect your territory by fitting as many of your pieces on the board as possible while strategically blocking your opponents!
Recommended ages: all ages
Math connections: Spatial reasoning, strategizing
Tiny Polka Dot playfully teaches counting, arithmetic, and logic with vibrant and colorful designs.
Recommended ages: all ages
Math connections: Subitizing, Fluency, Counting, and logic
Swish has players examine 16 cards laid out on a table and players try to create more matches than their competitors to win. Matches are created by stacking two or more cards on top of one another so that a colored hoop matches up with the same color ball on a different card.
Recommended ages: 8+
Math connections: Spatial and logical reasoning and visual perception
Primb Climb has players roll the dice and add, subtract, multiply and divide their way to the center of the board, picking up prime cards and bumping your opponents back to start as you go.
Recommended ages: 10+
Math connections: Logical reasoning, computational fluency, patterns, strategizing
The wooden tiling turtles act as a fun puzzle that can be put together in multiple ways. How many ways can you put it together?
Recommended ages: all ages
Math connections: Spatial reasoning, patterning, and counting
Color cube Sudoku is a great game to play independently or with a partner. Flip and rearrange all 9 Color Cubes on the 3 x 3 tray until each color appears once in every row and column.
Recommended ages: 8+
Math connections: Logic, problem solving, patterning, and counting
Sumoku is a unique crossword-style game with numbers. It can be played five different ways! Just add up tiles to multiples of the number shown on the die, connect them all together, and you have a Sumoku!
Recommended ages: 8+
Math connections: Arithmetic, cooperative play
In 24 players have one goal: to make the number 24 from four numbers on a game card by adding, subtracting, multiplying, and/or dividing using each number only once.
Recommended ages: 8+
Math connections: Arithmetic, cooperative play
Each Logic Links puzzle uses a series of clues to instruct a player where to place the colored chips to solve the puzzle. Logic Links requires you to think sideways, backwards, right to left and up and down as you read the clues that lead you to the one and only correct answer.
Recommended ages: 8+
Math connections: Spatial, deductive, and logical reasoning and visual perception
Q-bitz stimulates the brain and players puzzle over how to recreate the patterns on the game cards using their set of 16 cubes.
Recommended ages: 6+
Math connections: Spatial and logical reasoning and visual perception
Shape by Shape puzzles are polygons that are similar geometry to Tangram pieces. It contains fourteen pattern pieces, a game tray, and 60 mind challenging puzzles.
Recommended ages: 8+
Math connections: Spatial and logical reasoning and visual perception
Shape Logic challenges are solved by stacking green pieces on top of blue pieces, or vice versa, to create identical shapes. Through hands-on play, students build key skills, strategies and mathematical understandings, such as part-to-whole relationships.
Recommended ages: 6+
Math connections: Spatial and logical reasoning and visual perception
Qwirkle is a sequence creation game. Players play a sequence of tiles that match in either shape or color to score points. This game is very quick to learn and play!
Recommended ages: 5+
Math connections: Shape identification, counting, addition.
In Tsuro, players take turns placing tiles, which create paths for the player to follow, some of which may lead off of the board. The object of the game is to be the last player on the board. No two tiles are alike, which is in itself a great math question. "Place a tile and follow the path" is an easy enough concept for younger players to understand, and older players will be able to strategize about which card to play and where to move on the board to control more of the space.
Recommended ages: 6+
Math connections: Multi-step problem solving, spatial reasoning, patterns, graph theory.
In Ticket to Ride, players build train tracks across the United States, attempting to complete their unique tasks for bonus points. The strategy is in choosing which routes to take, judging which bonus cards to target and reacting to how your opponents place.
Recommended ages: 8+
Math connections: Multi-step problem solving, resource management.
The Multiplication by Heart cards are a deeper, more connected, more visual way to learn, so students understand what the equations mean, as well as how to get the right answer. The makers take advantage of the science of memory to make sure you’re actually getting the facts down, accurately and with lasting results. Game play options included on website too!
Recommended ages:
9+
Math connections:
Fluency development involving accuracy, efficiency & flexibility