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Check out these 5 math games to practice math facts at home.

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Practicing math facts can be very boring and a terrible part of homework for both children and parents. BUT, we all know how important it is for students to memorize their math facts. Many teachers are moving away from timed tests in the classroom and relying on math facts to be practiced weekly at home. Unfortunately, most children don't want to practice them and it ends up being a battle for all involved!

The Common Core states all 2nd graders must"Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. By end of Grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers." (2.OA.2) And all 3rd graders must "Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 × 5 = 40, one knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers."(3.OA.7) So, all incoming 4th graders will presumably have memorized all addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. This is an example of how rigorous the new Common Core is and how we as parents need to be aware of these standards and how we can help our children at home.

Traditional flash cards, like these addition flash cards and subtraction flash cards, are a good way to practice math skills, but you can also practice these five fun strategies for helping your children memorize their math facts without using flash cards:

1. Colored Dice: Pick up a bag of colored dice at a local bookstore or pharmacy. Students roll the dice and either add or multiply the two numbers to practice their facts. This is an easy game for them to do while you are making dinner or even sitting at a restaurant. You can play against each other and keep score of who has the greatest sum or product. As your kids get older, you can incorporate different colors to mean different operations. For example: choose 2 red dice and 1 white: Roll all 3 dice, add the 2 red dice, and then multiply by the white die. This increases children's flexibility with numbers and speed as well. I always keep dice in my purse in case we are stuck waiting somewhere!

2. Math War:

Using either a deck of playing cards or a deck you've made out of index cards, play "war" to practice facts. Split the cards between the two players. Turn over the top two cards - you can either add, subtract (keeping positive answers), or multiply the two cards to see who wins. The winner takes all 4 cards, and you play again just like the traditional card game of war. Whoever has the most cards at the end wins! My students love this game! Again, it's a very easy game to keep in the car or your purse so learning is always near.

3. 100 Chart: The 100 chart is an amazing tool to help build your children's number sense and allow them to use something concrete to memorize their facts. They can use it as a visual tool when they need a point of reference or they can use it as a tactile tool by touching the numbers or using a game piece to count forwards and backwards. For multiplication and division, have your children color in the multiples of each number so they can start to see patterns with the facts. For example: to learn the facts of 6, color in 6, 12, 18, etc. so only the multiples of 6 are colored in. Your child will start to make a connection to the products of each fact instead of just memorizing random numbers. (You can print free 100 charts off the Internet.)

4. Triangle Facts:

These are used as traditional flash cards, but they help to make the connection between all three numbers in the fact which is so important for the "memorizing" process. Choose a fact, e.g., 6 + 3 = 9. Place each number in the corner of the triangle with a star next to the answer (in this case, 9). While holding the triangular card, cover one of the numbers with your finger so your child can only see 2 numbers, then have him/her find the missing number to complete the fact. For extra practice, have your child write the 4 fact families for each card. Students can practice on their own or you can quiz them. Triangle facts are easy and fast! You can buy them, make them yourself, or print them free online.

5. I Know Cards:

This is a great way to help with the facts that your child gets stuck on every time! There are always those tough facts that students just sometimes can't remember, so making "I know cards" will help them come up with a strategy for finding the answer. For example: to help with 6 x 7 = 42, have your child write on an index card or piece of paper, "I know 6 x 6 is 36, so I add one more group of 6: 36 + 6 = 42, so 6x7=42". Your child can use whatever strategy he or she likes but the focus is on what s/he already knows, not what s/he doesn't know. You can hang the "I know cards" in their rooms or read through them weekly.

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Practicing math facts can be very boring and a terrible part of homework for both children and parents. BUT, we all know how important it is for students to memorize their math facts. Many teachers are moving away from timed tests in the classroom and relying on math facts to be practiced weekly at home.

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Check out these math games that are perfect for the entire family!

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Denise Gaskins' Let's Play Math

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Take a break from textbook math and enjoy yourself!

I like to use games as a warm-up with my co-op math classes. Some homeschoolers make every Friday a game day, and some turn gaming into a family lifestyle.

"Playing games with your kids offers a host of educational benefits, plus you build relationships and make memories. I am constantly amazed by the amount of learning that happens when I sit down to play games with my children."-Caitlin Fitzpatrick Curley
Gameschool Challenge

In addition to the games below, you may want to check my weekly Math Game Monday post.

Family Games for All Ages

"Games put children in exactly the right frame of mind for learning difficult things. Children relax when they play - and they concentrate. They don't mind repeating certain facts or procedures over and over, if repetition is part of the game."

Accessible to Young Children

"Coming back from winter break can be hard. Everyone is sleepy, unfocused, and daydreaming of the holiday gifts that await them at home after school. And that's just the teachers!"-Andrew Gael
Beat the Back to School Blues...Play a Math Game

For Elementary Students

"If you play these games and your child learns only that hard mental effort can be fun, you will have taught something invaluable."

Middle School to Adult

"Mathematics is mental play, the essence of creative problem solving. This is the truth we need to impart to our children, more important than fractions or decimals or even the times tables. Math is a game, playing with ideas."-Denise Gaskins
Let's Play Math: How Families Can Learn Math Together-and Enjoy It

Your Turn: What Are Your Favorite Games?

They don't have to be math! Please share in the comment section below!

And if you'd like to receive my email series "8 Weeks of Playful Math for Families" (which includes several math games) plus regular activity ideas and other updates, click here to join my free email newsletter.

This blog is reader-supported.

If you'd like to help fund the blog on an on-going basis, then please join me on Patreon for mathy inspiration, tips, and an ever-growing archive of printable activities.

If you liked this post, and want to show your one-time appreciation, the place to do that is PayPal: paypal.me/DeniseGaskinsMath. If you go that route, please include your email address in the notes section, so I can say thank you.

Which I am going to say right now. Thank you!

"My Best (Free) Math Games for All Ages" copyright © 2021 by Denise Gaskins. All photos (except as otherwise noted) copyright © 2021 by Denise Gaskins.

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Games put children in exactly the right frame of mind to learn difficult things. With a math game, hard mental effort can be fun!

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It's no secret that kids love to play. So a fun way to improve reading skills is by playing reading games. And many of these games are free!

Free Reading Games

Turn word lists into a "yes" or "no" game with questions such as these:

Does the word begin with the letter ____?

Does the word end in a vowel?

Does the word have a long "a" sound?

Memory Match (Ages 5+)

Make your own game of Memory with pairs of sight words or short phrases written on index cards.

Bingo (Ages 5+)

Bingo games give kids a fun way to practice reading a variety of words, from easy to difficult.

Go Fish (Ages 5+)

Make your own Go Fish game using sight words or vocabulary words. Create pairs or groups of four.

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23 Fun Reading Games for Kids | Brightly

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A fun way to improve reading skills is by playing reading games. And many of these reading games are free!

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Check out these activities for practicing sight words at home.

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Teaching resources, activities, games, & worksheets for the K-2 classroom. Classroom management & organization tools.

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Reading Comprehension Strategies for Home 

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Reading Comprehension Strategies for Home 

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Check out these strategies to help your child with reading comprehension at home.

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Comprehension is the reason for reading. If readers can read the words but do not understand or connect to what they are reading, they are not really reading. Good readers are both purposeful and active, and have the skills to absorb what they read, analyze it, make sense of it, and make it their own.

Strong readers think actively as they read. They use their experiences and knowledge of the world, vocabulary, language structure, and reading strategies to make sense of the text and know how to get the most out of it. They know when they have problems with understanding and what thinking strategies to use to resolve these problems when they pop up.

Teachers can play a critical role in helping students develop their comprehension skills. Reading research has shown that comprehension instruction can help students do a better job of understanding and remembering what they read. Good instruction can also help students communicate with others, verbally and in writing, about what they've read.

What good readers do

Draw on prior knowledge. Good readers draw on prior knowledge and experience to help them understand what they are reading.

Draw inferences. In addition to understanding the literal points that the author is making, good readers are able to "read between the lines" and draw inferences about a wide range of hidden meanings, such as why events are unfolding as they do, why characters behave in a certain way, what the characters are thinking, and what might happen next.

Self-monitor. During reading, good readers learn to monitor their understanding, adjust their reading speed to fit the difficulty of the text, and address any comprehension problems they have. After reading, they check their understanding of what they have read. Students who are good at monitoring their comprehension know when they understand what they're reading and when they don't.

Form mental images. Good readers often form mental pictures, or images, as they read. Readers (especially younger readers) who picture the story during reading understand and remember what they read better than readers who do not create a picture in their mind.

Summarize and retell. Summarizing requires students to determine what is important in the text and then put it into their own words by retelling, verbally or in writing. Instruction in summarizing can help students become more purposeful as they read and more skillful in comprehending. Summarizing can help students to:

Identify main ideas orally or in writing.

Connect the main or central ideas orally or in writing.

Learn to weed out unnecessary information.

Remember what they have read.

Can your child tell you what happened in the story?

This video is from Home Reading Helper, a resource for parents to elevate children's reading at home provided by Read Charlotte . Find more video, parent activities, printables, and other resources at Home Reading Helper .

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Comprehension is understanding what you read - the goal of reading! It is the thinking process readers use to understand what they read. Strong vocabulary, background knowledge, and an understanding of how language works are keys to comprehension.

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You're invited to join us on Thursday, August 22, at 6:00 PM for an informative session about Title I. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn how Title I programs can benefit your child's education and support their academic success.

Dinner sponsored by Stewart Community Church.

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Our Fall Picture Day is August 20. More information will be coming home in Wednesday folders.

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After our Title I orientation, families will have the chance to visit their child's classroom. There, you'll learn about the curriculum and discover effective strategies to support your child's learning at home.

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Title I Parent & Family Engagement Canvas Page 

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Title I Parent & Family Engagement Canvas Page 

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Your input is invaluable in helping us enhance and tailor our support of your child's learning journey.

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Need something new to read? Click the link below to check out books using Sora. https://soraapp.com/library/newtoncsga