Group games are a wise way to allow children to help and support each other as they learn math. Involving an entire class in the same game creates cohesion and an atmosphere of interactive learning. Draw a nine-block grid square on a chalkboard, for example. Challenge children to a friendly competition of addition or subtraction. Ask one child from each team to race up to the board and write a single digit number. A second child from each team follows and writes another number adjacent to the first. The third participant runs up and writes the answer, depending if the digits are added or subtracted.
Pairing one kid up with another offers a more focused and intimate learning opportunity. Each child only has the other child on which to focus and enjoy the game. Use a stack of playing cards, for example. Give one student half of the deck and their partner the other half. Designate face cards as worth 11 or 12. Challenge each child to flip the first card on his or her deck and compare numbers. Players should decipher whose number is higher. The player whose number is higher wins that round. The game reinforces the concept of digit order and quantity.
Six-year-old children can continue learning math with the help of parents. Involve the child in a one-on-one question-and-answer session involving numbers. A question-and-answer game promotes verbal and mental retention --- without actually looking at written numbers --- and strengthens a child's understanding of addition and subtraction concepts. Inform the child you are thinking of a number between one and ten. Allow the child to ask questions --- "Is it more than 5?" or "Is it an even number?" --- to problem-solve in their own minds and decipher the actual number.
Teachers and parents can help children grasp concepts of fractions while role playing and using objects. Playing store, for example, puts math into a practical setting and helps children understand math as related to purchase power. For example, present a child with three different sized cups. Tell the child the smallest size is worth three pennies, the middle size worth six pennies and the largest size worth nine pennies. Out of nine total pennies, ask the child which cup they can purchase with 1/3 of the coins or 2/3 of the coins.