Monopoly, in its many new iterations, may have added some new real estate besides Boardwalk and Park Place, but it is still one of the best ways to learn about money, multiplication and investing for the future tycoon. Even the youngest players will catch on to the hazards of landing on a hotel versus an empty lot. Everyone weighs that coveted purchase and the possibility of bankruptcy with equal anxiety. Just rolling the dice and counting out the spaces to move is sequential numbering so it's math, math, math, whether you're heading for jail or collecting your $200. Older kids can take turns as the banker, slightly younger ones can manage the property deeds and the youngest can handle the housing stock. Monopoly is plain old arithmetic disguised as one of the most perennially popular board games around.
Equate is a Scrabble-style board game using math operations instead of letters and words. The possible play levels engage elementary school students (from about fourth grade) all the way to adults. Players create equations as crosswords, using the best board positions for higher scores. Strategy is important in this game, but you have to know your math to out-think your opponents. There is a set of fraction tiles that earn higher scores for older students, so Equate works for basic math mastery, higher level strategic math thinking, and advanced work with fractions. Plus, the competitive momentum keeps kids hooked and the challenges are demanding enough to lure Mom and Dad to take on the champs---always an optimum way to encourage learning. Equate can be played by teams as well, which makes it a good enrichment activity for classrooms.
Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth developed Descartes Cove as a series of computer games that teach algebra, measurement, geometry, number and operations, data analysis and probability according to National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards. The system is a six-CD adventure sequence in which students in a leaky lifeboat are marooned on a desert island, where they discover an old notebook and tools that belonged to Rene Descartes. As they use their finds to explore volcanoes, underground rivers, caves and other island hazards, they solve puzzles, earn gold coins and begin to plot an escape from the island. The games encourage problem solving, math reasoning skills and the application of theory to real-world situations. There are protractors, geoboards, 3D rotations and other interactive tools built into the games, which feature animation, sound effects and hundreds of problems that are challenges of the quest.