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Why I Love Math Games

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

To everyone who has supported my Tabletop Math Games Collection Kickstarter project: thank you ever so much! We’ve blown past our funding target and the first two Stretch Goals. And the Kickstarter folks awarded us the “Project We Love” tag. 😻

If you haven’t backed the project yet, check out what you’re missing:

Visit the Kickstarter ❯

Why I Love Math Games

Math games build mental flexibility and strategic reasoning in players of all ages. And even people who hated math in school can enjoy the friendly challenge of a game.

I love how the challenge of a well-fought math game pushes players of all ages to think more creatively and build fluency.

Games Promote Mathematical Thinking

Math games push students to develop a creatively logical approach to solving problems. In the stress-free struggle of a game, players learn to analyze situations and draw conclusions.

Even more importantly, games help children learn to enjoy the challenge of thinking hard. Their vocabulary grows as they discuss options and strategies with their fellow players. With their attention focused on their next move, they don’t notice how much they are learning.

And games are good medicine for math anxiety. Everyone knows it takes time to master the fine points of a game, so players can get stuck or make mistakes without losing face.

What’s Special About These New Books?

Readers of my Math You Can Play series know the joy of gaming can transform a child’s attitude toward math. But many of you tell me the books get lost on your bookshelves or in your ebook reading device. You’ve begged me to make math gaming more open-and-go.

So my new Tabletop Math Games Collection is designed to make it easier than ever for busy families and over-stressed teachers to play with math.

These books are written directly for young gamers and require only common household supplies like cards, dice, and scratch paper. Children can open to any page and start playing right away.

Not to mention the swag! I’m excited about the items we’ve created to go along with the books. The “Gaming in the Enchanted Forest” coloring page by fantasy artist Tanya Hales is absolutely delightful, and the enamel pins are a fun and colorful way to share your playful math joy.

Order Your Copy Today

Whether you’re a busy parent or an overworked teacher, you’ll love the Tabletop Math Games Collection — the natural, no-stress way to build your children’s understanding and confidence.

These are NOT the typical memory-and-speed-based math games you’ve probably seen online, but true battles of wit and skill (plus a bit of luck). Even the preschool games can be fun for adults, too.

Most of the games take only seconds to learn and less than 15 minutes to play, making them perfect ice-breakers for family gatherings, classroom warmups, or for launching a group game night.

So what are you waiting for? Grab some cards, dice, or graph paper, and let’s play some math!

Visit the Kickstarter ❯

 
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This blog is reader-supported.

If you’d like to help fund the blog on an on-going basis, then please join me on Patreon for mathy inspiration, tips, and an ever-growing archive of printable activities.

If you liked this post, and want to show your one-time appreciation, the place to do that is PayPal: paypal.me/DeniseGaskinsMath. If you go that route, please include your email address in the notes section, so I can say thank you.

Which I am going to say right now. Thank you!

“__________” copyright © __________ by Denise Gaskins. Image at the top of the post copyright © __________ / Depositphotos.

Playful Math Education 162: The Math Games Carnival

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Welcome to the 162nd edition of the Playful Math Education Blog Carnival — a smorgasbord of delectable tidbits of mathy fun. It’s like a free online magazine devoted to learning, teaching, and playing around with math from preschool to high school.

Bookmark this post, so you can take your time browsing.

There’s so much playful math to enjoy!

By tradition, we start the carnival with a puzzle/activity in honor of our 162nd edition. But if you’d rather jump straight to our featured blog posts, click here to see the Table of Contents.

Try This Puzzle/Activity

The number 162 is a palindromic product:

162 = 3 x 3 x 2 x 3 x 3
and 162 = 9 x 2 x 9

  • How would you define palindromic products?
  • What other numbers can you find that are palindromic products?
  • What do you notice about palindromic products?
  • What questions can you ask?

Make a conjecture about palindromic products. (A conjecture is a statement you think might be true.)

Make another conjecture. How many can you make? Can you think of a way to investigate whether your conjectures are true or false?

Click here for all the mathy goodness!

Launch Day! Act Now To Get the Earlybird Bonus

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

And so it begins: Tabletop Math Games Collection is LIVE on Kickstarter!

Check It Out

To have a successful campaign, we need plenty of people to back the project early. The more supporters we get — especially on the first day — the more likely the Kickstarter service folks will help spread the news for us.

So I’m offering a special bonus printable activity guide for everyone who joins the campaign at any pledge level during the first 48 hours of the campaign:

Geometric Coloring Designs 5: Advanced Tessellations is one of my favorite open-ended math art activities, which works with students from elementary to high school. And adults enjoy it, too!

The rest of the Geometric Coloring Designs series will show up as bonuses in future weeks, and early backers get them all. Whether you pledge on day 1 or day 21, your credit card won’t be charged until the campaign ends, so join early to lock in your bonus perks.

Let’s show the whole world how much fun it can be to play around with math!

Go to the Kickstarter

I’ve Never Done This Before…

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

My new math book series, the Tabletop Math Games Collection, launches exclusively on Kickstarter next week. I can hardly wait!

Get Notified When We Go Live
(free Kickstarter account required)

And I’m trying several new reward options I’ve never done before. (The “rewards” on Kickstarter are all the various things you can buy with your support pledge.)

Here’s a quick peek at a few of the new things to come.

This is going to be so much fun!

Math Games Book Boxes

You can choose from two sizes.

The smaller Math Games Book Box includes one paperback Math Games Booklet at your child’s level: Early Games, Primary Games, or Advanced Games. Plus one enamel pin, and either a set of cards and dice or a small whiteboard with markers.

The Mega Math Games Gift Box includes the spiral-bound Deluxe Omnibus book (which contains all three smaller books and more), plus all unlocked pin designs, and plenty of cards, dice, and other handy supplies shown above. (Colors will vary.)

Enamel Pins

Show your gaming spirit with these cool enamel pins.

By popular request, we have enamel pins in four designs. The first two are available immediately, and two more will unlock as Stretch Goals.

  • “Let’s Play Math” in cool spring colors
  • “Let’s Play Math” in warm fall colors
  • 🔒 [Locked] Deck of playing cards (unlocks at Stretch Goal #1)
  • 🔒 [Locked] Penrose triangle of rainbow blocks from the back of the playing cards (unlocks at Stretch Goal #3)

Pins are about 1″ diameter hard enamel, for the perfect combination of durability and fun color. Backed with a metal military-style butterfly clip for extra strength, so it won’t fall off your backpack or bag.

If you choose a reward level that includes pins, or buy them as an add-on to another level, be sure to fill out your post-campaign survey to tell me which design you want.

Limited International Shipping

Digital rewards are available worldwide.

For physical books and merchandise, I can offer shipping to a few countries with small-business-friendly tax laws:

  • UK, for books only (no merchandise)
  • European Union
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • South Africa
  • and the US, as always

You may owe import duties and VAT before you can claim your package. I have no control over the customs clearance process in your country, so you might want to check with your local customs officials or post office for details on what to expect.

Sign Up To Get Notified

Can You Help Me?

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

I’m finishing up my plans for the Tabletop Math Games Collection project and pledge levels. The Kickstarter launches in two weeks. Where did the time go?!

But I need help. Could you please take a few minutes to look over the project page and give me some feedback?

  • Preview & Comments Page
    (NO account required to see the preview, but you may need to log in if you want to leave a comment.)

It’s so hard to edit myself because I miss too many mistakes. So having new eyes on the page would be a great help in catching typos and making sure the descriptions make sense and are as clear as possible.

Here’s a screenshot of what you’ll see:

There’s a place to enter comments on the right. Or you can email me directly with anything you want to share.

There’s also a Notification link at the top left corner of the page, for anyone who hasn’t yet signed up for Kickstarter to tell you when the project launches.

Thank you so much for the feedback!

Yes, I’d Love To Help. Let’s Go!

New Project: The Tabletop Math Games Collection

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Coming Soon! On January 30th, I’ll be launching a brand new book series, the Tabletop Math Games Collection.

And the Kickstarter prelaunch page is now live. That means you can sign up to get an email from Kickstarter as soon as the campaign launches:

Visit the Prelaunch Page ❯
(free Kickstarter account required)

Test Out 4 Free Sample Games

Math games build mental flexibility and strategic reasoning in players of all ages. And even people who hated math in school can enjoy the friendly challenge of a game.

I’ve put together a free printable sampler file, with four ready-to-play card games you can enjoy today.

I think you’ll love it!

Download the Sample File ❯

Help Your Kids Learn Math the Playful Way

  • Are you a parent trying to help your child learn math?
  • Or a teacher looking for ways to encourage creative thinking?
  • Or a gamer ready to try something new with your friends?

Then the Tabletop Math Games Collection is perfect for you.

These are NOT the typical memory-and-speed-based math games you’ve probably seen online, but true battles of wit and skill (plus a bit of luck). Even the preschool games can be fun for adults, too.

Most of the games take only seconds to learn and less than 15 minutes to play, making them perfect ice-breakers for family gatherings, classroom warmups, or for launching a group game night.

Don’t miss the fun!

Hit the button to visit the prelaunch page and sign up for notifications:

Get Notified ❯

Playful Math Carnival #161 via Nature Study Australia

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

If you’re into math education — or just curious about how learning math could possibly be fun — you’ll definitely want to check out the latest edition of the Playful Math Education Blog Carnival. It’s a collection of awesome blog posts curated by Johanna Buijs and published on the Nature Study Australia website:

The whole point of the carnival is to show that math doesn’t have to be tedious or repetitive. Through a bunch of fun and engaging posts, we celebrate math that’s playful, creative, and totally relevant to everyday life. Because what could be more relevant that having fun while we learn?

In this edition, you’ll find everything from creative math art and music to incorporating nature and the outdoors into your lessons — and even a few racing turtles!

So if you want to mix up your math teaching and make it more enjoyable for your students (and for you!), definitely check out the Playful Math Education Blog Carnival. Happy reading!

Go Visit the Carnival

Wanted: Hosts for 2023

The Playful Math Blog Carnival is a joint effort. We depend on our volunteer hosts to collect blog posts and write the carnival each month.

Putting together a blog carnival can be a lot of work, but it’s a great opportunity to share the work of bloggers you admire and to discover new math-friends online. I love that part of being a host!

Classroom teachers, homeschoolers, college professors, unschoolers, or anyone who likes to play around with math — if you would like to take a turn hosting the carnival, please speak up.

Check the details on the carnival’s home page, and then leave a comment here or email me directly to let me know which month fits your schedule.

Playful Math Carnival Instructions

Playful Math at a Nice Discount: Cyber Monday in Advance

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Are you looking for new math activities to play with your kids?

I just added several new ebooks to my publisher’s online store, including the exclusive pre-publication edition of my new book Word Problems from Literature: Help Students Master Problem Solving in Elementary to Middle School Math. You can preorder the book through your favorite online bookshop — or you can get it today at our store, in all digital formats.

And through the end of November, you can get 20% off anything in our store by using the coupon code SALE2022 at checkout.

While you’re there, be sure to check out our new collections!

You can buy resources for problem-solving in the Word Problems collection, including the 97-minute audio commentary with special behind-the-scenes tips and tidbits:

Or explore the wealth of resources for creative mathematical investigations in our Math Journaling collection:

And of course, be sure to check out the free books and discount bundles. You can even pick up my daughter’s epic fantasy adventure, The Riddled Stone.

But don’t delay! The special discount code SALE2022 expires at the end of November.

The Colors-of-Fall Carnival: Playful Math #160

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Welcome to the 160th edition of the Playful Math Education Blog Carnival — a smorgasbord of delectable tidbits of mathy fun. It’s like a free online magazine devoted to learning, teaching, and playing around with math from preschool to high school.

Bookmark this post, so you can take your time browsing.

There’s so much playful math to enjoy!

By tradition, we start the carnival with a puzzle/activity in honor of our 160th edition. But if you’d rather jump straight to our featured blog posts, click here to see the Table of Contents.

Try This Puzzle/Activity

Appropriately for an October carnival, 160 is an evil number.

A number is evil if it has an even number of ones in binary form. Can you find the binary version of 160? (Hint: Exploding Dots.)

160 is also a polyiamond number. If you connect 9 equilateral triangles side-to-side, a complete set of 9-iamond shapes would have 160 pieces.

But sets that large can be overwhelming. Try playing with smaller sets of polyiamonds. Download some triangle-dot graph paper and see how many different polyiamond shapes you can make.

What do you notice? Does it make you wonder?

What designs can you create with your polyiamonds?


Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash

Click here for all the mathy goodness!

Don’t Miss Playful Math Carnivals #158 and #159!

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Here is SOOOOO MUCH GREAT MATH!

Each monthly carnival brings you a new collection of ideas for playing math from preschool to high school. It’s like a free online magazine of mathematical adventures, helpful and inspiring no matter when you read them.

Explore with your kids or on your own:

Alexa Kapor-Mater put together an awesome carnival, with fun facts, activity ideas, puzzles, videos, problem-solving tips, and interesting stuff you should know. Wow!

John Golden found a delightful assortment of playful tidbits from around the internet, fun songs, games, activities, puzzles, math art, and the #Mathober challenge prompts. Love it!

Help Us Keep the Carnival Going

The Playful Math Blog Carnival is a joint effort. We depend on our volunteer hosts to collect blog posts and write the carnival each month.

Putting together a blog carnival can be a lot of work, but it’s a great opportunity to share the work of bloggers you admire and to discover new math-friends online. Classroom teachers, homeschoolers, college professors, unschoolers, or anyone who likes to play around with math — if you would like to take a turn hosting the carnival, please speak up.

Check the details on the carnival’s home page, and then leave a comment here on the blog or email me directly to let me know when you want to host.

Playful Math Carnival Instructions

CREDITS: Feature photo (top) by Count Chris on Unsplash.com.