3 Easy Math Skills Games To End Homework Battles

Homework gives students another chance to practice and review concepts and skills that you teach in class, but nobody loves it. Help students and parents end homework battles by giving homework that doesn’t feel like a chore. Today I’m sharing 3 easy math skills games I love for practicing math and ending homework battles.

3 easy math skills games

You can use games to teach a variety of math skills. Here are a few to get you started.

2D shape dominoes

This game can be played alone, with a partner or as a family.

What you need

• A set of 2D Shape Dominoes (Download yours for free here)
• Copy the dominoes onto thick card so that you cannot see through to the other side when turned upside down.

How to play

• Place the dominoes face down on the table and mix them up.
• Each player selects 7 dominoes.
• Each player keeps the dominoes in front of them but hidden from the other players.
• The youngest player begins.
• That player selects one of their dominoes and places it facing up in the middle.
• The next player to the left must then place a matching domino next to the first domino. For example, if the first player started the game with the domino that has the word nonagon and picture of a rectangle, then the next player must play a domino that has a picture (or word) of a nonagon or a rectangle. They join it up to the matching side.
• If they don’t have a matching domino then they pick one up from the others still facing down and their turn is over.
• The winner is the first player to have no domino cards left.

Dominoes is is a great matching game. You could make dominoes to practice doubles or near doubles or multiplication. Put numbers on one end of each domino and words (factor of 8) or problems (5 x 4 or 6 + 6) on the other.

Guess the number

This game can be with a partner or as a family.

What you need

• 1 hundreds chart (one copy per game)
• Pencil

How to play

• Have one person choose a secret number from the hundreds chart.
• Other players try to guess the number by asking questions.
• As each question is asked and answered, have your child cross out numbers it can’t be. For example, they could ask: Is it an even number? Or Is it a factor of 24?
• See how quickly you can zero in on the secret number.

Counting on card game

This is a card game for 2 players. Students can play with a parent or sibling or friend.

What you need

• Deck of cards with the picture cards (Jack, Queen, King, Joker) removed.

How to play

1. Separate the cards in two piles, one with the cards: ace (use as a 1), 2, 3 and 4 and the other pile with the cards 5 – 10.
2. Shuffle each pile so they’re in a random order and place face down on the playing surface.
3. Players take turns turning over the top two cards. The player adds the two numbers using the counting on strategy: count on from the larger number, and count on the smaller number. For example, if the two cards turned over were 8 and 4, you would start with 8, count on 4: 9, 10, 11, 12.
4. If players have the correct answer, they get to keep both cards.
5. If the answer is incorrect the other player can have a go at answering the question to keep both the cards.
6. Continue play until one of the piles run out of cards.
7. The winner is the player with the most cards at the end of the game.

You could also use the multiplication card game I shared last week. If you aren’t doing multiplication yet, you can easily adapt the game for addition by having students add the two numbers instead of multiplying.

When homework is quick and fun, you can have a win-win-win situation. Your students get the practice they need. Parents don’t have to fight about getting it done. You get smiles instead of groans.