Ask your child to identify an object or location based on a particular variable. For example, ask your child to locate a room with three chairs in it, or a room with two doors. Alternatively, ask your child to identify an object of which there is only one of, such as a refrigerator, or an object of which there are more than 20, such as shoes. Another option is to challenge your child to locate an object of a certain size or shape. For example, ask your child to identify an object more than 3 feet tall, such as a dresser, or an object that is a rectangle, such as a coffee table. Scavenger hunts develop counting skills as well as recognition of shapes and are appropriate for pre-kindergarten through third grade level children.
Choose a number as a goal. The number could be as low as 50, or as high as 500, depending on how long you want the game to last. Ask your child to roll a pair of dice and to add, subtract or multiply the two numbers. Your child then adds the number to one, if you are counting up, or subtracts the number from your goal, if you are counting down. Continue the process until either the goal number is reached or you have subtracted from the goal number all the way down to zero. Pre-kindergarteners can practice basic counting with just one die, kindergarteners and first graders can practice addition and subtraction with two dice, while second and third grade level children can practice multiplication with two dice.
Play math "Go Fish" by choosing a target number and challenging your child to collect pairs equaling that number. For example, if the target number is 10, and your child has a four in their hand, the child can ask "Do you have a six?" Math "Go Fish" allows kindergarten and first grade level children to work on their addition and subtraction skills. Alternatively, second and third grader can develop their fraction skills by playing "Fraction War." You and your child each choose two cards from a deck. Place the smaller number over the larger number to create a fraction. The larger fraction wins the four cards. Play until no cards are left. You can use a standard deck of playing cards or create your own deck using index cards.
Give your pre-kintergartener, kindergartener or first grader a number of pennies, ideally an amount divisible by 10. Challenge your child to consolidate the coins into larger coins. For example, your child can trade in five pennies for a nickel, two nickels for a dime, two dimes and a nickel for a quarter, and four quarters for a dollar. You child will develop counting skills as well as basic knowledge of money. Second and third graders can be challenged further by using those coins to purchase items in a pretend market. Set up various household items with price tags and challenge your child to purchase a certain number of goods with their coins. For example, ask your child to purchase three items with one dollar. Your child could pick any two items for a quarter each and one item for 50 cents.