For a class of students with equal abilities, Around The World involves the whole class. The students start the game standing behind their chairs. The teacher stands at the front of the room and shows the class a flashcard for addition, subtraction or multiplication. The first person gives the answer to the flashcard. If the student answers correctly, he remains standing. If the student gets the answer incorrect, he sits down. Give the students who are sitting an alternative assignment to keep them engaged. Once each student has answered one question, round two begins. The student who remains standing through each round and has answered all of the questions correctly wins.
Similar to the card game "War," Top-it is a versatile game that can be used to learn number recognition, addition and coins. It helps students with their mental math skills. Using one deck per pair, each student chooses one card. Whoever has the highest number wins both cards. If your classroom has specialized math decks, use them for this game. If not, simple addition can be done using a regular deck of cards without the face cards.
Beat the Calculator is an excellent way to assess students' ability to do mental math. In groups of three, students are assigned one of the following roles: caller, calculator or brain. The caller chooses a math problem and says it aloud. The brain tries to find the answer while the calculator inputs the equation into the calculator. Whoever says the correct answer first wins a point. Occasionally switch roles so that all students have a chance to be the brain. This can be made into a class activity by giving each student a calculator and allowing one student to be the brain.
This game is perfect for kindergarten students learning to count or use a number line. To play the game, a pair of students needs a number line, two dice and a counter. The students must decide who is going to be Plus and who is Minus. Plus moves the counter from left to right, while Minus moves it from right to left. Each student takes a turn rolling one die and moves that number of spaces in his direction. To make the game more complicated, students can roll both dice and add the two numbers together. The game ends when the counter has reached one end of the number line.