Everyday items around the house provide many opportunities for math games. While cooking, ask younger children to add a certain number of items, like three eggs or five potatoes. Have older children measure ingredients to learn fractions. Ask children to help sort socks when folding laundry. They have to match the correct sizes and colors. Older children can time how long it takes to wash and dry one load of clothes.
When shopping, ask younger children to count the number of items in the cart. Have older children look at price tags, add them together and tally the total cost. Tell children how much money is available to spend, and add or subtract items so that the total cost is less than the total amount of money. At the grocery store, enlist preschoolers to pick out a certain number of apples or bananas. Have older children select produce by weight. They may need more or less, depending on what the scales read.
Have children look at other drivers' license plates and add, subtract, multiply or divide the numbers depending on grade level. Preschoolers can pick out the largest and smallest number on the license. Older children can say the numbers as words. The license plate 898D21 reads as eighty nine thousand eight hundred twenty one. When driving down the interstate, tell children to look for a certain exit. While passing by other exits, ask how many miles to go. Exit 17 is 10 miles away from exit seven.
Numerous websites offer free math games online. Websites like Sheppard Software, Cool Math Games, Math Playground and Primary Games have activities from preschool to pre-algebra. A quick search of "free math games" results in many sites with free math activities. Just be sure to preview the site for suggested grade level and advertisements. Help children select games that connect with lessons they are learning in school.