Top Rated Board Games That Teach Math Skills

How?

Board games definitely. Kids love challenges, they love competing and winning, they love hands-on experiences and learn more from them. With board games, kids will get all the above and learn important math concepts such as planning, pattern recognition, relationships, multiplication, etc. along the way.

Despite helping students learn mathematical concepts, board games are also better suited because:

• The element of practicality – with games, kids learn how concepts are applied in the real world and also see how concepts and facts are related.
• Engaging – Board games are better than flash cards and score sheets. They offer hands-on experience for kids. These allow them to make connections that help them understand new concepts and ideas.
• Provide motivation for mastery – Board games teach kids the importance of learning, focus and hard work. This combination provides the motivation required for mastery.
• They are fun to play.

Another piece of advice here is it is important to have an adult figure partake in these games. By doing so, kids learn how to lose gracefully and the adult can offer assistance when called upon. We have listed some of the best games to teach math skills and can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

We didn’t want to fully assume that those learning math are young people, so most of these games or their counter parts can be fun for anyone. Whether the math being learned is through (in)directly adding or subtracting during the game or through figuring out scores later on, there should be a game that suits everyone’s needs in the list.

This game makes it to our top rated math board games because of its manipulation and strategy requirements. It’s a classic game played by 2-4 players and suitable for kids above seven years. Rummikub is the invention of Mr. Efraim Hertzano. Mr. Hertzano came up with Rummikub after all cards had been outlawed in Romania back in the 40s. Through sheer determination and passion, it was an overnight success even in the USA.

The aim of the game is to be the first to clear all your tiles. This will require great focus so as not to miss the opportunities and strategy which are skills needed in maths.

Rules

Rummikub has 106 tiles which are numbered one to thirteen and come in four different colors. Black, pink, blue, orange or yellow 2 times i.e. there are two sets number one to thirteen which are blue pink or yellow. Get the gist right? Plus 2 jokers.

Arrange the tiles on the table turn them, mix them and stack. Each kid (player) will then pick one tile from the stack and the kid with the highest value tile starts the game.

Note: The number on the tile is its value and 1 is always low.

Each kid then takes 14 tiles and the tiles left, make up the pool. To start (initial meld), players must come up with one or more sets which have to have 30+ points. If you cannot hack this, pick a tile from the pool and end your round.

Each set must have at least 3 tiles and they can be groups or runs. A group is tiles with the same number but different color while a run is tiles with the same color but different numbers in consecutive order.

Manipulations and Strategies

To win in Rummikub, you have to know how to manipulate the tiles on the table. To clear your tiles faster, ensure that at least one tile from your rack manipulates the table.

Some strategies include:

• Add-ons – tiles from your rack build on one or more sets on the table.
• Add and split – add to a run and take what you can to create a new set.
• ​Forming new sets – grab the fourth tile from any set and build a new set.
• Combined split and multiple splits.

The jokers are your strong suit. They can represent any color or number in a set. However, there is a penalty of 30 points if you have the joker in your rack at the end of the game.

First to clear your tiles, shout “Rummikub”.

Just to put some emphasis on how good it is, Rummikub has won 6 games of the year awards. This fun board game is great for helping your kids to learn pattern recognition and numbers, a great base for learning math!

Cashflow for Kids is the version of Cashflow by the Richdad group more suited for young kids. If you aren’t familiar with this board game, it is very business oriented, but don’t let that intimidate you.

In this game you are trying to get your income higher than your expenses. You will collect paychecks and avoid expenses in order to do that.

This game is designed for kids aged 6 and up, but it is a good idea to have an adult playing with the kids in order to help them with the math and to fully grasp the concepts. It only uses $10, $100, $1000 tokens so the math is pretty straight forward.

The main reasons why this one made the top rated list is that it helps produce financial literacy which is crucial to everyone, and also that it steps kids towards the adult version which is must more engaging and fun.

This game can be a bit polarizing with kids/adults, some either love it or hate it. We fall into the former category. The price, however, falls into the latter. It is priced fairly high for a kid’s game, especially if you are unsure if they will enjoy it or not.

It can take a bit longer to play than some of the others on the list, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your child’s attention span.

This one is sort of similar to monopoly (can be also good for helping kids add and subtract sums of money by the way), but focuses more on the mind et. It can help your kids develop a business or investing or budgeting mindset which can pay off dividends in the long run (pun intended).

Cashflow for Kids will create a fun way for them to learn some math, and don’t be surprised if they end up wanting to set up a lemonade stand after playing it!

For the older people that like the sound of this one, check out Cashflow 101 and our review of it here.

Qwirkle is a 2-4 player game that has a scrabble hereditary only that instead of literacy skills, Qwirkle will test your kids’ pattern recognition skills and once you delve deeper into the game strategy comes into play.

Mechanisms

Much like Scrabble, Qwirkle involves matching tiles of the same color or the same shape in a row. One has to play at the very least 2 tiles. If your kid manages to lay all 6 tiles of the same color and shape, they get a Qwirkle double. I.e. 12 points. Points are scored depending on how many rows they add their tiles to.

At first, this is nothing but a game of pattern recognition. However as their and your skill improves you start to recognize the underlying strategies. For starters, having the right tiles is not enough. Knowing when to play them is the real skill. Beyond that, one has to know when to take fewer points to stop an opponent from gaining higher points. These simple decisions are what turn a rather simple game into a strategic affair.

This game appeals to kids because of its simplicity. It is their very own version of scrabble.

Suitable for kids above 6 years.

Sequence numbers is a great board game where kids try to attain 5 chips in a row while stopping others kids from doing it.

Mechanisms

Sequence numbers test basic math skills using simple addition and subtraction equations. The sequence playing cards contain the equations while the board has all the answers. In this game, a bit of luck is required when drawing the cards but so is a strategy. With 2 spots on the board to place your cards, your kid has to choose the perfect spot that will help him in the next round.

When you solve an equation on a card, you go on ahead to place a chip on one of the answers on the board. When playing in 2 or 3 teams, one team has to score one sequence before the other to win. If it’s in 4-6 teams or players, one team has to score two sequences to win.

This game will not only help the kids learn math, but will also instil team work and strategy skills in them. The other plus here is that a large group of players can play at once (provided the number is divisible by 2 or 3).

There is a bit of luck of the draw involved in this one, so keep an eye out for frustration levels when playing. Again, this is an opportunity to teach patience and even probability if you really want to get eager!

Honestly, some kid games can be boring for an adult to play. However, this is not the case with sum swamp. This is one engaging game that teaches kids addition, subtraction, speed drills and mental maths. Sum Swamp has some great reviews and had to make it on to our best board games that teach math skills list.

Mechanisms

The game has a broad age appeal, great quality and good length of play. It is a simple game in which you move through a swamp until you get to the finish line.

Some of the most exciting aspects of this game are the playing pieces. They are a turtle, snail, snake and frog. These pieces get kids engaged.

To play the game, one has to roll the dies. Two number dies and one operations die (+ or -). Depending on the operation, you add or subtract and then move steps equal to the answer. To make the game more interesting there are shortcuts and an endless loop where one should be prepared to spend some time before exiting.

On the board there are various options. If you land on a numbered space, say 2 or 3, during the next round, you will only roll the operations die. If you roll a + move the indicated steps forward. If you roll a negative, move backward. These variations make the game more exciting.

Sum swamp is ideal for kids between 5 and 10. However, you can make some variations and make it for older kids. E.g. add an extra die or change the operations into multiplication and division.

This is a really good game to directly teach math based on equations. Yes, it has luck of the roll, but that is in its essence. Think of this one as a more complex snakes and ladders, and we all know how much we loved that game as a kid!

The only downside is that in the new version, the endless loop is proving impossible to exit. This can be a bit frustrating.

So, there you have it. The top-rated board games that teach math skills. It is important to note that the above games have been compiled according to how they help kids develop strategy skills that are vital in maths. Depending on where you or your child is at on the development level, you should be able to find a game (or adapt one) that suits your needs.

Hope you enjoyed and found the list helpful. If so, please share or leave a comment below. Also, if you have discovered a good game that we might have missed, add it in the comments to help each other out!