These Fun Games Develop Kids’ Math Abilities

These games are guaranteed family fun that sharpen their math skills!

September 08, 2023

By: Amanda Mushro

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Photo By: zeljkosantrac

Learn and Play!

Here’s a great reason to have a family game night this week. According to a new study published in the journal Early Years, playing board games can help younger kids boost their math skills. So not only are you having fun with your kids, but they are actually learning while they play. In fact, the study found kids who played math-based board games saw a 52% improvement in math skills after a series of 20-minute sessions. With so many board games to choose from, which games will entertain the whole family and help kids sharpen their math skills? We’ve rounded up ten of our favorites.

Monopoly Junior

The classic board game gets a fun upgrade that is perfect for younger kids. The game is quicker paced and players can buy kid-friendly properties like a movie theater, a zoo, and an arcade. However, the important math skills are still at the center of this game: counting and adding.

BUY IT: Amazon, $16.99

Sums in Space

In this spaced-themed game, kids practice their addition and subtraction skills. There are also three levels of play, so kids can play this game as their math skills advance. A great feature of this board game is that it’s cooperative play, meaning each player works together to win the game. If you have young kids who have a hard time losing, cooperative play games are a great option for stress free game nights.

BUY IT: Amazon, $21.95

Proof

For this game, everyone will need to tap into those mental math skills and work on multiplication, division, addition, subtraction, and square roots. It’s designed for players ages nine and up and has a variety of adaptations, so the math fun can continue based on who is playing and their math skills.

BUY IT: Amazon, $17.99

Ticket to Ride

Strategy and reasoning are key math skills that kids need to develop and with this game, players will need to put those skills to the test to win. To play, collect train cards to claim railway routes throughout North America. Players earn additional points by building longer routes. Once players learn the rules, this is a game everyone will want to play over and over.

BUY IT: Amazon, $47.99

Prime Club

If you are looking for a challenging game that teens will want to play, try Prime Club. This fast-paced game has players show off their multiplication, division, factorization, and prime number concepts by combining colors. This award-winning game takes a mix of luck and strategy to win, so it will be on repeat for your family game nights.

BUY IT: Amazon, $24.95

Clumsy Thief

For this game, each player is dealt seven cards and they need to find any two cards that add up to $100. However, watch out for thieves who can take your money or jail cards that can send you to the slammer! This quick and silly game is a great one to play with kids ages eight and up.

BUY IT: Amazon, $19.99

Hi Ho! Cherry-O

A counting game that is perfect for preschoolers, Hi Ho! Cherry-O is a classic board game that your kids will love. To play, each person takes turns picking pretend fruit from the trees on the game board, and filling their buckets. The spinner lets them know the number of pieces to pick or put back. Kids work on counting, sequence, addition, and subtraction.

BUY IT: Amazon, $11.99

Yahtzee

This classic dice game gets everyone counting with each turn. Each player gets a total of 13 turns and may roll up to three times on a turn. Players fill in one empty box in their column on the scorecard, and the player with the highest grand total at the end wins.

BUY IT: Amazon, $6.99

Money Bags

This game helps kids sharpen up their money skills by collecting, counting, and exchanging money all the way to the finish line. Money Bags is a great way to teach kids about money values and combining coins.

BUY IT: Amazon, $16.99

Sum Swamp

Keep younger kids entertained with Sum Swamp. To play, kids will race through the swamp while facing basic and beginner math challenges. Plus, they get to meet funny swamp creatures along the way.

BUY IT: Amazon, $18.49

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