4 Fun Math Games to Make Learning Enjoyable

What exactly are fun math games? That sounds like a difficult question to answer, especially if boring lectures and learning math concepts by heart come to mind. But guess what? Math is pretty much everywhere. We have to imagine fractions in our head when cutting the pizza we’re about to share at home. We need sums and differences to find out how much money we’ll have left after shopping. The pyramids of Egypt aren’t called cubes for a reason. 

We don’t have to be mathematicians to see math topics around us. Knowing this, it’s no wonder we can find many creative ways to make math fun and memorable. Here is a list of 4 different ways to practice and learn new math concepts while having a great time.

Find Your Learning Style

There are four types of learning styles: Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing Preference, and Kinesthetic. While decades ago it was common to learn math through lectures and worksheets, nowadays many elementary and middle school programs encourage teachers to include activities for students with all learning styles.

For example, flashcards and picture books are excellent for those with visual styles. Short stories and math facts are a good option for those with reading/writing preferences. Songs are some of the best methods for auditory students, and board games and manipulatives are great material for kinesthetic students.

Finding out what your learning style is will help you choose the best method to learn or practice math activities. For instance, if it is difficult for you to understand cubic inches and you’re a visual learner, why not play a game where you can actually count the cubes? If kinesthetic (movement) is your thing, you can bake and cut cake slices in different sizes to learn fractions. There are fun math games for everyone! 

Apply Math to Real Life

While you’re in the math classroom, have you ever wondered “what’s the point of learning this?” That’s a fair question. Just memorizing concepts can make learning math difficult. But to make it fun, take math problems into real-world scenarios. For instance, you can imagine you have your own coffee shop. For this, you’ll need basic math skills such as addition and subtraction to make a list of all the ingredients to buy, make a budget, set the prices for all the drinks on the menu, etc.

There are many other fun ways to find mathematical concepts in real life. Do you want to find the age of your favorite singer? Would you like to know how fast your favorite roller coaster goes? Just look around you, and you’ll start noticing math is everywhere. 

Of course, if it still gets a bit hard for you to connect class topics with real life, you can find games that link math operations with other fun activities, such as Penalty Kick, where you can practice math questions while scoring goals. Games are a very fun way to link math lessons with everyday life, which takes us to the next point.

Practice Math Topics By Playing Fun Math Games

Fun math games and apps are one of the most inclusive methods when it comes to learning styles. The sounds, the visuals, and the interaction with a character on screen can turn learning math into a full hands-on experience. Since video games are multi-sensory, learners can grasp new concepts and build math skills while having fun. 

The best part is that learning doesn’t end up feeling as such. You can find games like Deck Adventurers, where you have to drag cards to attack enemies and gain power while adding extra points to your shield. You practice sums and differences while fighting monsters and goblins in an exciting adventure.

There are loads of fun games to put math skills into practice, such as the classic Sudoku. In case you want to take your knowledge outside the screen, you can try board games, card games, and other fun math activities. Even better, you can turn the act of learning into a game, with prizes and targets.

Link Math to Other Subjects

You’ve gone through every item on the list. You’ve tried playing our fun math games, finding math in your life, solving problems, and still you don’t find the fun in it? Maybe you’re more into art, history, geography, or sports? Well, you can integrate math into your favorite subject. 

Imagine the angles when you’re about to kick a ball. If you like art, try drawing trees out of different types of triangles, or connecting dots to make fun shapes and geometrical figures. The math class doesn’t have to be the only place to learn.

As we’ve seen with these tips, math lessons don’t have to stay just in the classroom. No matter your age, there are math games for everyone, as well as other fun ways to learn. The best part is you don’t have to limit yourself to a single method. You can try all these methods to make math fun. Who knows? You might end up discovering how much you actually love math.

If you want to learn more about other creative ways to learn math and other subjects, check out our Coolmath Games blogs:
The Benefits of Video Games As Learning Tools
Best Games to Practice Geography