Math Games: Numerical & Spatial

Overview

Math games use numbers and Spatial Skills, allowing students to practice many math skills in a fun, applied context. By engaging student Attention, these games motivate students to develop meaningful connections with content and can lead to positive experiences with learning math.

Use It in the Classroom

Watch how this elementary school integrates different types of math games to stimulate enthusiasm for math learning. Through computer games and hands-on activities, students are highly engaged, build their math skills, and develop a love for math.

Teachers can provide numerical board games with consecutively numbered, linearly arranged, equal-size spaces to help build student understanding of Cardinality, Counting, and Linearity. Giving students choice of which games they would like to play also promotes Motivation, and playing games with peers supports Social Awareness and Relationship Skills development.

Design It into Your Product

Videos are chosen as examples of strategies in action. These choices are not endorsements of the products or evidence of use of research to develop the feature.

Learn how Zoombinis challenges learners to solve puzzles by practicing their pattern recognition skills. Through multiple mini-games and varying levels of difficulty, learners strengthen their Mathmetical Flexibility in a fun, engaging environment.

Math games on computers have great potential to improve students' proficiency in math. For example, research has shown that using computer manipulatives to solve geometric puzzles improves students' Spatial Skills.

View References

Resources

Below are additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.

15 Math Games

Scholastic's list of math games that can be played in 15 minutes or less

Academic Emotions

Subtopic that includes research on students' emotions related to learning on Digital Promise's Research Map

Digital Games & Learning

Subtopic that includes research on educational games in the classroom on Digital Promise's Research Map

Five Reasons to Use Games

Education World article on the benefits of incorporating games in the classroom

Language, Space & Time

Subtopic that explores how language can shape our perception and representation of abstract concepts on Digital Promise's Research Map

Logic Puzzles

Eight board games for developing reasoning skills