Create Roll the Die, which is a simple game that requires you to make a worksheet for each student,and provide each student with one die to roll. On the side of the worksheet, print a column of very simple equations, such as x + 5, 11 - x, 2x + 3, and 5x - 1. Then have the students take turns rolling the die. Whatever number the die lands on, the student should substitute that number for the variable x and then solve the equation. So if the student rolls a 4, she would write x = 4, x + 5 = 9. The student would get 9 points for that roll. For the next equation, if the student rolls a 3, she would write x = 3, 11 - x = 8; the student would get 8 points for that roll. After each student/team has completed the entire column of equations, the student/team with the highest number of points wins.
Help students learn about positive and negative coordinates by having them plot points on an x and y axis to create pictures of shapes, figures or characters. Provide the students with graph paper and a list of coordinates, and have the students create the axes themselves after you tell them the parameters, such as "this drawing needs an x axis from -10 to 10 and a y axis from -8 to 8". You can create the pictures yourself or find examples on the Internet.
Lead the students in playing a simple matching game with cards that you create by hand or on a computer. Half of the cards should have numbers from 1 to 20, and the other half of the cards should have easy equations, such as 10 + x = 15 or 3x = 9. Ask the students to turn all the cards face down in neat rows and then flip the cards over two at a time to make a match between the simple equations and the correct answer. To add a twist to the game, include some cards with negative integers, and create some equations to reflect the inclusion of negative integers for the variable.
Create a simple quiz-show type game with equations of varying difficulty. Set it up like the TV show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Offer a "money" prize for each equation, starting at $100 and going up to $1,000,000 in 10 increments of your choosing. At each prize level, provide the students with a simple equation and four possible answers to choose from. Give the students 15 seconds to provide the correct answer. You can have the students compute the math mentally or with paper and pencil. As the game moves to higher and higher cash prize amounts, make the equations more difficult. For example, start out with an equation like 3 + x = 14, as the $50,000 question, use an equation like -3(x + 2) = -8, and as the $1 million question, u anse equation such as 2.85y - 7 = 12.8y-2. Students who answer all the questions correctly and become "millionaires" can win a simple prize or a homework pass.