Why I Love Math Games

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 ❯

Pledge now to get this bonus book:

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 ❯

Launch Day! Act Now To Get the Earlybird Bonus

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

New Project: The Tabletop Math Games Collection

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 ❯

Math Game Monday: Galactic Conquest

This game gives students plenty of practice with multiplication facts as they strive to expand their territory and block their opponent.

“Galactic Conquest” is an excerpt from Multiplication & Fractions: Math Games for Tough Topics, available as an ebook at my bookstore (Thank you for cutting out the middleman!) and in ebook or paperback through many online retailers. Read more about my playful math books here.

The Math Game Monday posts will be available for one week only. If you missed this one, explore the Topic Tag links in the sidebar. There are more than forty free games scattered around the blog. Have fun playing math with your kids!

New to Playful Math? Start Here

Do you want your children to enjoy learning math? Teach them how to play!

After the troubles of recent years, it’s even more important for families to play together. So I’ve made the ebook version of Let’s Play Math Sampler: 10 Family-Favorite Games for Learning Math Through Play permanently free.

What a great way to introduce your child to the joy of learning!

With excerpts taken from my most popular books, the Let’s Play Math Sampler features ten kid-tested games covering math concepts from counting to prealgebra.

Pick up a copy today, and make math a playful family adventure.

Download Your FREE Copy

Or Shop Your Favorite Online Store
… or request a copy from your library or local bookshop.


“Math is so many things — beauty, structure, problem solving, communication, language, creativity — but here’s what I’ve learned as I’ve tried to help my children develop positive relationships with math: It All Begins With Play. Anything by Denise Gaskins is a fantastic place to start. These books are filled with the perfect combination of perspective and practicality.”

—Michele Johnson, Instagram post

Math War for Simultaneous Equations

Just updated my blog post Math Game: War with Special Decks to add a game I missed the first time around:

Math War is the most worksheety of all the math games I play with kids. But you can add a level of choice by playing the Trumps version.

Math War Trumps: Instead of playing for the highest sum, as in Julie’s original game, have each player draw 3 cards. The player whose turn it is first names “X” or “Y” as trump, then all players lay down a card. Highest trump value wins the skirmish.

Variation: Let the player naming trump also decide whether the highest or lowest value will win.

For more great math games, visit My Best (Free) Math Games for All Ages.

CREDITS: “Red playing cards” photo by José Pablo Iglesias via Unsplash.com.

Playful Math Carnival #154: The Math Journaling Edition

Welcome to the 154th 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 154th 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

Since 154 is a nonagonal number, I think you might enjoy visiting some of my old “Adventures of Alexandria Jones” posts about figurate numbers:

And then try this math journaling prompt: Build or draw your own nonagonal numbers — numbers built from 9-sided polygons.

How many nonagonal numbers can you find? What do you notice? Does it make you wonder?

Click here for all the mathy goodness!

Prealgebra & Geometry Games Now Available

Publication Day!

Prealgebra & Geometry: Math Games for Middle School hits the online bookstores today.

Check Your Favorite Store

You can prepare your children for high school math by playing with positive and negative integers, number properties, mixed operations, algebraic functions, coordinate geometry, and more. Prealgebra & Geometry features 41 kid-tested games, offering a variety of challenges for students in 4–9th grades and beyond.

A true understanding of mathematics requires more than the ability to memorize procedures. This book helps your children learn to think mathematically, giving them a strong foundation for future learning.

And don’t worry if you’ve forgotten all the math you learned in school. I’ve included plenty of definitions and explanations throughout the book. It’s like having a painless math refresher course as you play.

Continue reading Prealgebra & Geometry Games Now Available

More Math War with Special Decks

Just updated my blog post Math Game: War with Special Decks to add a couple of games I missed the first time around:

And…

If you’d like more ways to play with math from preschool to high school, check out My Favorite Math Games.

CREDITS: “Red playing cards” photo by José Pablo Iglesias via Unsplash.com.