Memories: The Oral Story Problem Game

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
photo of sheep in a field

Homeschool Memories…

Perhaps you’ve heard me mention the oral story problem game. It was one of my favorite ways to get my children thinking about math, back in our early days of homeschooling. We played in the car on the way to soccer practice, or while we washed dishes, or sitting in the lobby waiting for a doctor’s appointment.

The rules are simple: I’ll make up a math problem for you to solve. And then you make up one for me.

The kids always loved trying to stump me.

This problem from Henry Ernest Dudeney’s Amusements in Mathematics reminded me of those days. This is exactly the way my eldest loved to torture me…

Continue reading Memories: The Oral Story Problem Game

Puzzle: Henry Dudeney’s Pebble Game

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
photo of girl playing with pebbles on the beach

English mathematician and puzzle-meister Henry Ernest Dudeney once wrote:

“It may be said generally that a game is a contest of skill for two or more persons, into which we enter either for amusement or to win a prize. A puzzle is something to be done or solved by the individual.

    “The example that I give here is apparently a game, but, as in every case one player may win if he only play correctly, it is in reality a puzzle. The interest, therefore, lies in attempting to discover the leading method of play.”

    Below is the puzzle game as Dudeney explained it.

    Play it for fun at first, then see if you can solve the puzzle.

    Continue reading Puzzle: Henry Dudeney’s Pebble Game

    Math Games for the Holidays

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins
    Snowman Drive math party game

    Are you looking for fun ways to keep your children busy (and learning!) through the holidays? Here are two printable activity guides you might enjoy:

    Snowman Drive

    Snowman Drive math game book(My newest game activity.)

    Players roll the dice and build their creative snowman (or snowbeast). Will you make a fearless pirate or a dapper aristocrat — or a high-scoring snow spider?

    A Snowman Drive is a family-friendly party that can also serve as a fundraiser for your church, homeschool group, or organization. The Drive consists of several rounds of the Snowman Game played on a single worksheet, with prizes for the top-scoring players and overall champion.

    This activity book includes game instructions and gameboard pages for single-family or group play.

    For ages 5 and up.

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    Download a PDF preview file.
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    FORMAT: 13-page printable PDF file with your choice of 8.5″×11″ (letter size) or A4 pages.

    Buy Now

    Christmas Tree Math Games

    Christmas Tree Math Games book(Number play on a triangular hundred chart.)

    Christmas Tree Math Games features 4 easy-to-learn games and 6 additional activities for primary and middle-grade students. All you need is a set of dice and a few colorful markers.

    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.

    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).

    Perfect ice-breakers for family gatherings, classroom warmups, or for launching a group game night. You’ll be surprised how much fun thinking hard can be!

    Christmas Tree Math Games includes instructions and tips for the teacher, math game pages for handouts or learning centers, plus a variety of dot-grid journaling paper.

    For ages 6 and up.

    * * *
    Download a PDF preview file.
    * * *
    FORMAT: 30-page printable PDF file with your choice of 8.5″×11″ (letter size) or A4 pages.

    Buy Now

     
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    Are you looking for more creative ways to play math with your kids? Check out all my books, printable activities, and cool mathy merch at Denise Gaskins’ Playful Math Store. Or join my email newsletter.

    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.

    “Math Games for the Holidays” copyright © 2024 by Denise Gaskins. Image at the top of the post copyright © prarinya / Depositphotos.

    Gratis Games and Playful Math News

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins

    Get your free copy today!
    Do you want to help your children learn math?

    Teach them to play.

    Grab a free copy of my Let’s Play Math Sampler: 10 Family-Favorite Games for Learning Math Through Play, which contains short excerpts from my most popular titles. It’s a great way to get started with playful math. 😍

    As a bonus, I’ll add you to my Playful Math News email subscription and send you monthly tips and activity ideas for playing math with your kids.

    From time to time, I’ll even throw in a free sample of whatever I’ve been working on — an early draft of something that will eventually show up in one of my books or printable activity guides.

    For example, check out this fun freebie I sent last April:

    Don’t miss out on all this mathy goodness. Sign up today!

    Get the Games Book Now

    Math Games Kickstarter: It Keeps Getting Better

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins
    Friends playing math games

    Did you know that, with our recent stretch goals, the Tabletop Math Games Kickstarter now features more than 90 amazing ways to play math with your kids?

    And every pledge pushes us closer to the next new bonus, which means more new games and playful math goodies for every backer.

    Don’t miss out on the excitement. Order your copy today:

    Visit the Math Games Kickstarter ❱

    How Are These Books Different?

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

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

    All you need are common household supplies like cards, dice, and scratch paper. Children can open a Tabletop Math Games Collection book to any page and start playing right away, and the digital files make great classroom handouts or learning center games.

    Continue reading Math Games Kickstarter: It Keeps Getting Better

    Why Thinking Thursday?

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins
    Thinking Thursday math journal prompt

    There’s a new math journaling prompt this week.

    Have your kids tried it yet?

    This week’s prompt features one of my favorite quotations to get kids thinking (and writing) about the value of mistakes in learning. Or you might prefer last week’s prompt, featuring a classic math brainteaser and encouraging students to create their own related puzzles.

    Or, if you’re reading this post later and missed those, there’s another great new prompt this week for you to explore.

    Check it out:

    Visit Thinking Thursday

    Continue reading Why Thinking Thursday?

    What’s So Special About Math Games?

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins
    Family playing math game with dominoes

    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 made it into Stretch Goal territory.

    Now every pledge just makes the project better, earning new games and bonuses for every backer at the $5 level and above.

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

    Visit the Kickstarter ❯

    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.

    Continue reading What’s So Special About Math Games?

    Tabletop Math Games Kickstarter: Order Your Copy Today

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins
    Friends playing math games

    And so it begins: the 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 in these early days, the more likely the Kickstarter platform folks will help spread the news for us.

    To give you a feel for the Tabletop Math Games Collection books, I’ve put together a free printable sampler file, with 4 ready-to-play card games you can enjoy today.

    I think you’ll love it!

    Download the Sample File ❯

    Kickstarter Sample Games Download

    Continue reading Tabletop Math Games Kickstarter: Order Your Copy Today

    Coming Soon: The Tabletop Math Games Collection, Volume Two

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins
    Family playing math games, with book by Denise Gaskins

    Coming Soon! On March 11, I’ll be launching the next installment in my 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 ❯

    (Yes, if you missed last year’s Kickstarter, you’ll also be able to get Volume One.)

    Test Out Four 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 ❯

    Continue reading Coming Soon: The Tabletop Math Games Collection, Volume Two

    Gameschooling Math

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins

    Games are fun, building a positive attitude toward math. They give students a refreshing break from textbook work and make kids willing to practice their math. Games make math practice enjoyable, something children want to do. We can happily work through many more calculations during a game than anyone would ever want to do on a homework page.

    Benefits of Math Games

    But more important than the fun, math games push children to think about what numbers mean and how they work. The numbers in a math game are not just meaningless abstractions, but tools that players can use to gain an advantage over their opponent.

    A good math game reinforces the idea that math is about reasoning, using the things you know to figure out what you need. Math is not just about getting the right answer. It’s about what goes on in your head on the way to that answer. The answer itself is merely a side-effect. of what really matters, your thinking.

    A good math game helps students develop flexibility, the ability to adapt, applying what they have learned to new situations, finding a way to work out the things they haven’t mastered yet. All these add up to a more robust type of mathematical fluency than what many people imagine possible.

    Continue reading Gameschooling Math