Number matching games help six-year-olds learn numbers by matching a picture of a number of things with the number it represents. Give each student a page with 12 spaces labeled with the numbers one through 12, in order. The page can have a fun shape such as a cutout of a house with a different number for each room, or a fence with a number on each post. Print out one set of number cards showing one through 12 objects (such as pencils, pumpkins, apples or marbles) for each player. Place all the cards face down in the middle. Have the players take turns selecting a card and fitting it in the right spot in their number squares. If the player's number square is already filled, he should pass the card to the other player. Both players continue until one of them has filled all his squares.
Use any other simple kid's board game where you race around the board to teach addition. Roll two dice to move and add your dice roll together out loud. Then, have the child roll and move. At first, she will probably count the number of pips on one die and move them, then do the same with the next die. As she gets comfortable with the game, ask her to add the dice together and tell you the result before she moves. Move up to 10- or 12-sided dice for advanced counting.
Learning to group things by shape, number and other categories is an early math skill that helps children recognize categories. This ability is necessary later on to learn geometry, fractions and other math skills. Print out a number of simple shapes, such as shells, flowers, circles, pizza slices and other recognizable objects. Print them in different colors, shapes and sizes and cut them out. Have students alternately sort them by color, shape and size into different piles.
Fish Plus One is an adaptable game modeled after Go Fish, and designed to help teach kids their math facts. Remove the face cards from a deck to get four suits of two through nine. Players take turns asking for a matching card as in Go Fish. Unlike Go Fish, however, Fish Plus One players take turns asking for a card which is one higher than one of the cards in their hand. If the opponent has that card, he hands it to the player who says "Five plus one equals six" as he lays the pair down. He then gets another turn. If the other player doesn't have a card, however, he says "Go fish" and the first player has to take one from the deck. If the player draws a match from the deck, he lays down the two cards as above and gets another turn. Otherwise, the other player gets a turn. Teach other basic math facts with Fish Plus Two, Fish Minus One, and so on.