...Simple Steps to Successful Parenting
BEST PARENTING ADVICE
FREE FUN LEARNING GAMES
Fun Maths Games for 7-8 Year Olds
Grade 3 and Grade 4
Playing fun learning games helps your children to improve their mathematical skill and literacy without them realizing they're performing increasingly more difficult Mathematical activities.
All activities on the Best Parenting Advice site reinforce existing Mathematical skills while offering extension due to the open ended opportunities they provide. Many of these games can be either up skilled or downgraded to accommodate siblings during shared family times such as travel.
Fun Learning Games such as the games on Best Parenting Advice.com not only revise Maths concepts and expand Mathematical language they encourage positive attitudes to learning, increase cooperative behaviour between children and adults (as children learn cooperating has benefits) and it increases positive interactions within the family because it's fun.
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Children usually love more of their parent's positive attention. Fun Maths Games is a great way of improving Maths skills while having fun at the same time with those they love to spend time with.
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Please look at the Fun Maths Games Page to learn best parenting advice on specific skill development and mathematical terminology to best support your child's Maths development.
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Fun Maths Game List
or scroll down to see all games
Go Tables 3x & 4x Game
1
10
4
9
7
11
5
8
2
6
12
3
3x
This is one of the best games I've known for revising tables.
To begin you write down the numerals from one to twelve around a circle similar to the clock face below, in random order. Then initially write 3x then introduce later 4x in the middle, depending on which table you are wanting to revise. Generally 3x tables are taught early in Grade 3 followed by 4x tables. You can similarly revise tables 2x 5x and 10 x from last year
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You start the stopwatch. Beginning at the one position on the clock (where the star is) give just the answer to each number as quickly as possible going clockwise around the clock. For example 2x9 is 18 so you say 18. You continue around the clock until you reach the twelve o'clock position. You stop the stopwatch and see how long it takes you. The next player takes their turn and times themselves. The winner is the person who completes the circle in the least amount of time. If someone makes an error they need to repeat their answer correctly then continue.
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I've recorded an example of the clock face below to help you. You will notice the speed with which you go round the clock face will improve rapidly. Get the whole family involved and see how much you all improve over a week just playing five minutes a day.
Between One and a Thousand Game
(or The Human Calculator Game)
This is an easy game that you can play anywhere with the whole family and it's especially great for car travel. Three or more players makes it more fun.
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You begin by thinking of a number between one and a thousand (you can write it on a piece of paper if you wish.)
By asking questions your child/children will attempt to guess what the number is. You can only answer 'Yes' or 'No' to their questions. If they get a 'No' response it goes to the next person's turn. The game continues until the number is identified.
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For Example: Number 176
The first player might say 'Is the number greater than 500?' You would answer 'No.'
It would become the next person's go.
They might then ask, 'Is the number less than 250?' This time you would answer 'Yes.' They get another go. This time the player asks 'Is the number less than 125?' You would answer 'No.' It becomes the third players go (or reverts to player 1's turn.)
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Ideally your child will have remembered that the number is less than 250 but greater than 125. If they can't remember you may need to include a revision like 'So we know it's between 125 and 250. (It's important to remember you are trying to build confidence and a positive attitude equally with their mathematical skill, so provide initial support where necessary.)
The game continues, changing players after a 'No.' The winner if the one who works out the correct number.
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Mental Maths
Fraction Wars
This is a great game to play when divvying up food that is easily divided. For example pizza, birthday cake, chocolate, etc so can be ideal for a family birthday celebration. Chocolate squares are great because you can divide them easily.
You can cut up pizza/cake/chocolate using the language of fractions as you do so.
For example cut a pizza in half, then half again, then half again. Discuss. How many pieces will there be if you cut each piece in half again? (One quarter equals two eighths which equals four sixteenths.)
The Object of the game is for your child to predict how many pieces the pizza will be divided into ahead of you cutting it. The one who guesses correctly gets their pizza first. Encourage them to ask for their pizza in correct terminology.For example: Can I have four sixteenths please?
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Extending upon the first game this time is for players to guess the fraction size prior to cutting it up to win.
What happens if you cut the 2nd pizza into threes, then threes again. How many pieces will that be? Again the one who guesses correctly gets to go first. For example: Can I have three ninths please?
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Use the language of fraction as you allocate portions. For example you want two ninths and I want three ninths. How many left?
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A great idea is to look at comparisons so your children have a great understanding of fractions before they begin equivalent fractions in Grades 5 & 6. For example: 'I wonder which is bigger... One half or two quarters? (Can your child see that they are both the same.)
This is quick and easy addition game that can be played anywhere.
Player 1: Roll four die. Total the scores mentally.
Player 2: Take their turn to roll four die. Total the score mentally.
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Highest score gets a counter. First to five counters wins.
Best Four
Player 1: Roll four die. Make the largest numeral possible at face value. e.g. Scores: 2, 4, 6, 1 ... Largest number is 6421
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Player 2: Roll four die. Make the largest numeral possible from their numbers.
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The largest numeral gets a counter. First to five counters wins.
Pegs
Black Card Go Back
Take a handful of pegs. Each peg represents 10. Count by tens to see how many pegs are in a handful.
Players estimate how many there will be in a bowl full.
Repeat with a peg bucket full.
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The closest estimate wins.
Locate all cards from one (an Ace) through to ten.
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Each player starts with 20. As each player takes turns drawing from the pile they get to add each red card's value to their total or subtract each black card's face value from their total.
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The winner is the first to fifty.
How Many?
This is a great car game.
Ask how many questions. e.g. How many windows in the car? Hands in the car? Fingers in the car? Toes in the car? Eyes in the car? Doors on the car? etc
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You can adjust the difficulty of the questions according to the age and skill of the children.
Patterns
This is another great car game. It's a great way of revising number patterns and tables and it's really easy to tier the questions according to the ability levels of each child in your family. For older children you might make it quite difficult. e.g. 1,2,3 5,7,11,
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e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4...
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2,4,6,8...
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10,9,8,7,6...
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3,6,9...
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5,10,15...
Make Ten:
Thank you Cherylin
This is a great game for two players.
Using a deck of playing cards remove queens, kings, jacks and tens. Aces counts as 1. Shuffle deck.
Place deck face up in nine equal rows (four in each pile).
The aim is to get as many cards as possible by making combinations to 10. Taking turns each player picks up cards in turns to make a total of 10.
When a player makes 'ten' they place those cards face down.
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If a player can't go they miss a turn until the other person reveals a card they can use.
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The game finishes when neither player can go or there are no cards left.
The player with the most cards wins.
For example: The person who picks up a 5 and 2 and 2 and an ace are obviously going to get a higher score because it's the highest number of cards that win. Children catch onto this quickly.
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More capable children may choose to play two piles at a time.
Dice Cricket:
Thank you Cherylin & Terrie
This is a great game for two players. Players decide at the outset on a target: either 50 or 100
Player One throws one die and calls out the number, continuing to throw then add each successive amount until they throw a 5. When they get a five they relinquish their turn but keep their score. e.g. Player 1 scores 3 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 2 + 1 + 5=20
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Player 2 follows the same process, rolling a die and adding the scores until they either get a five or reach their target number.
6 + 4 + 6 + 5 = 21
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The game repeats until one of the player reaches the target score.
Initially children may need to use paper to work out their score but over time they should be able to do it as a mental. When it’s your turn again add onto your cumulative score.
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For more learning ideas go to the following links:
Double Up or Not
The players can choose to use one or two die to make their score for each round. They add the numbers on the faces.
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N.B. One of the die represents tens. The other die represents ones.
For example: The Ten Die might say five which would score fifty. The Singles Die might say three. Thus the total could be fifty three.
This would be useless for scoring twenty, so the player would likely take the three as a part towards their goal score of twenty.
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The next player throws to see what numbers they get and chooses either to use the scores on the tens dice or the singles or both together. These can be then added towards their goal number. For example if the player got a two on the tens dice that equals twenty and they have won that round.
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Each player has to get specific goal numbers before going onto the next amount.
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You can add scores and acquire the number slowly or get it in one go.
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The first goal number is twenty. The first to get twenty gets a counter.
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The next goal number is fifty. The first to get fifty gets a counter.
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And the last important number is one hundred. This will require adding and is more difficult.
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You can stage the game according to your child's abilities.
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Sometimes as children get older its tempting to keep adding complexity to their Maths concepts and language by providing them with increasingly difficult tasks to do. Not only can this make Maths less enjoyable but if the activities are not pitched to their levels of proximal development it can result in a negative attitude developing.
Best Parenting Advice.com is a high quality parenting website designed with child and family success in mind. This site provides free resources for busy parents who want the best practical advice possible on: effective child rearing strategies, easy healthy family meals, self-care tips for time-poor parents and fun learning games to help best educate children while also encouraging positive relationships within the family.
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The best parenting advice regarding creating engaged learners is to make learning as much fun as possible. That's why games work best to revise new information. Children practise skills over and over in play situations, yet aren't even aware they're doing it. Best parenting advice.com provides many examples of quick and easy games to help develop both early reading and maths skills.
This site provides examples of what worked for me over decades and you are welcome to use these ideas as you see fit but you do so at your own risk. This site does not provide any guarantee that this information will work in every circumstance with every family or every child. It is your responsibility as a user of this site to ensure that you adhere to any recommended safety suggestions either implicit or explicit on this site and supervise your children while playing any games suggested. Best Parenting Advice.com is not affiliated with any other groups, clubs, religious organizations or educational systems.
Best parenting takes time. The best parenting advice ever is simple: Do your best, don't give up and love your children, no matter what.