Leave it to the beans to choose the numbers your child must compute. Give your child a sheet of grid paper. In each square, he must write a number from zero to 10, or higher if your child is able to compute with larger numbers. Put two dry beans in a can. Your child can shake the can and drop the beans onto the paper. Whatever numbers the beans land on, your child must add, subtract or multiply. If playing with another person, have the second person follow the same process. The player with the higher answer is the winner of the round.
Problem solving skills and strategy are the focus in the game called Leapfrog. Draw 15 circles in a triangular formation on a blank sheet of paper. One circle must be placed at the top, the next layer has two circles followed by a layer with three circles. Continue drawing circles until the bottom layer with five circles is drawn. Place a button or coin on all the circles but one. Play Leapfrog by jumping one marker over another one to land on an empty circle. When a marker is jumped, it must be removed. Only adjacent markers may be jumped. Continue jumping until no markers are left adjacent to each other. The ultimate goal is to be left with only one marker.
Your student can review subtraction practice by playing Black Hole. The child needs a paper with 1 inch grid squares. He can color any eight squares in black to represent black holes. The rest of the squares are filled with any numbers from one to 20. To play, your child begins with 200 points. Give your child a penny and a pencil. Hold the pencil like a pool stick to push the penny onto the grid square sheet. Whatever number the penny stops on your child must subtract from 200. When the penny lands on a black hole, you miss your turn. If playing with a partner, the opponent then shoots the penny to subtract a number from 200. Play continues until one player reaches exactly zero points first.
Using the cubbies inside an egg carton adds an element of suspense to this game for addition, subtraction or multiplication practice. Empty and clean an egg carton. Have your child write a number 1-20 inside the egg carton. Place two small pebbles inside the carton. Your child can close the egg carton and shake the pebbles around. Open the egg carton to reveal the numbers the pebbles landed on. Instruct your child to add, subtract or multiply the numbers. If your child is playing with an opponent, she must take a turn to shake the carton and compute the answer. The player with the larger answer is the winner of the round.