Learning math can be a real challenge for many students. It is one of the most complicated and complex subjects. As you progress in your academic goals, math only gets more and more challenging.
As a teacher, you probably want to teach your students math and learn how to apply it in real life. Thankfully, this easily can be done with the help of games.
The industry of e-games has developed tremendously during the last couple of years. There are championships with huge prizes and all youngsters want to be part of them.
As there are a lot of amazing math games designed for all ages, you can use them within the classroom to help any students learn the lesson or the course and be engaged during class.
You can spice up classes and lessons both in school and in college. So, which are some of the amazing math games your students will love?
Stand Up or Stand Down
This is one of the most interesting math games that your students will surely love. It is a short but engaging game that can be played within any math class and train the calculus and attention skills of students. It can even turn into a competition between the teacher and the class.
When you read math problems, you are also offering the result. If it’s correct, students should stand up. If not, they should stand down. The thing is, all of them need to do the same thing if they want to be awarded one point for the right answer.
You can adjust the rules depending on the class. They can stand up for uneven numbers, and stand down for even numbers. One of the reasons why so many students make mistakes when it comes to math is that they are not paying attention and focusing on it, so they miss important details.
3D Shapes and Mystery
Not only arithmetic is posing challenges to students, but geometry too. There might be an analytic geometry problem or similar geometry problems that students might not know how to solve. Space geometry is also demanding, so you can help students overcome these obstacles. Learning geometry can be fun and mysterious by playing this game. All you have to hide 3D shapes in opaque bags.
Then, students are grouped and they have to identify as many 3D shapes as possible only by touching the bag. Of course, you can make this more challenging by adding a time limit or more than one shape in a bag. It is the geometry help for high school students may need. It can help them understand shapes better and memorize their form, something that will be helpful during exams and tests.
Some of Which
Sum of This is one of the totally math games that are popular on social media. And it can prove to be a really nice one to play with students during classes, as it boosts their math skills. During these games, they can get more trust in their math skills, things that will help them learn openly what follows.
Sum of This is a game that comes with cardboard and a lot of other pieces and tiles. You have to make a sum of 10 from the pieces you have and the numbers on the cardboard. There are tiles with numbers already placed or colored on the cardboard, such as red and blue ones. The yellow ones will be placed by students and so the game begins.
It is relaxing but also engaging to play this game within math classes as it instills a love for math in students. Many students see math as a mandatory subject they have to learn, but few of them truly like it. Well, this might be the game that helps students start to understand the beauty and fascination of math.
Voyage the Treasure
This is one of the nicest math games you can play with students. It is distinct from the other ones, as it might be more engaging and students can be grouped. As the name suggests, they need to find the treasure. But to reach it, they have to solve math problems along the way.
Even though it might sound dull, it is one of the games that raises students’ engagement during math classes. It makes students competitive, a competition that might translate into traditional math classes and exams. If it’s healthy, it can make students want to learn more math and advance their skills.
Can You Make It?
Depending on the math level of your students and the grade you are teaching to, you can make this math game more or less complicated. But it’s really fun and it puts your mind to the test. And it is so easy to design it.
You need to give students a number, for example, 176, and a string of one-digit numbers. They need to multiply, add, or subtract those one-digit numbers, or even combine them, to reach 176. Students can work in groups or individually, but it is a nice game that forces them to use math skills in math problems they do not commonly have during classes or exams.
2048
This is an arithmetic game that was so popular a few years ago. Even though it was a trend in the world, it can be used within classes to make math and arithmetic more appealing. Learning math and any other subject through games can turn out to be enriching.
It can help you find passion in subjects and classes students usually feel anxious and fearful. 2048 is a game where students need to combine tiles with numbers to reach 2048. Even though it seems easy, it comes with challenges along the way.
Final Thoughts
Teaching arithmetic to students might feel like a challenge, especially during these times when math anxiety is flourishing. Games during math classes can be one way to alleviate the stress students usually feel during these classes. On top of this, they can help them learn math concepts they will later use in exams and assignments.