7 Maths Games with Cards | Make Maths Fun for Kids
Maths card games make learning fun for kids, and all you need is a deck of cards! Here is a list of maths games with cards to play at home or in the classroom to improve kids maths skills.
Maths Card Games That Make Learning Fun
Math games are a great way to help kids learn basic arithmetic. Some of these maths games help kids learn basic number skills while others help improve strategic thinking.
But an even better way to practice math? Through simple math games with cards!
Let’s talk about seven fun math games that can be played using a simple deck of cards.
You’ll find that the math games with cards listed below all require only a deck of cards to play. You’ll also need math symbols (i.e., +, -, x, ÷), but these are not absolutely necessary if you don’t have them on hand.
Benefits of Using a Deck of Cards For Math Practice
One of the benefits to using cards for math practice is that they are readily available and easy to use.
If you’re like us, you have about 6 packs of playing cards hidden somewhere to grab at a moment’s notice.
In addition, kids tend to enjoy playing games, so using cards as a means for practicing math can make the learning process more enjoyable. Cards invite a number of skills to practice and by using cards, it simply makes learning fun!
Finally, playing maths card games provides an opportunity for hands-on learning. When it comes to math, many students are visual learners who need to see math in action.
Using cards for math games allows students to use their hands and touch, which can make math more engaging for those struggling with math concepts.
The list of math skills that students can practice using cards include: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, comparisons, matching, and much more.
Maths card games are also great for math fact fluency or math facts intervention!
7 Maths Games with Cards
Here are 7 fun Math Games with Cards that you and your kids can play together.
1. Math War
Math War is a math game with cards that can be played with two or more players. It’s great for math fact fluency practice and math facts intervention!
To play, deal out all cards in the deck (face down) between any number of players. Each player should have their own pile of cards without looking at them.
On the count of three, all players flip over their top card and place it in the center of the table face up.
The player with the highest math fact (addition, subtraction) gets to keep ALL cards on the table. If math facts are equal then both players leave their own card face up on the table and the next card is turned over to continue the set.
The player who collects all of the cards at the end of the game, wins!
2. Math Rummy
Math Rummy is a math card game for two or more players. Each player begins with fifteen cards in his/her hand and five face-up on the table in front of them (these are called math rummy piles).
On a player’s turn, they draw one math rummy card from the math deck and place it on top of their math war pile.
If there is already another math equation with that same number value beneath it (i.e., +), then both cards are removed from play – but only if all five math rummy piles on the table are empty.
If at any time a player has no math cards to draw, they shuffle their math war deck and continue playing.
The first math player to lose all of his/her math rummy cards (or with the fewest math rummy cards if there is a tie) loses the game.
3. Addition War
In Addition War, each player is dealt a number of cards (usually five). A card is flipped over to form a central pile. The first player places any card from their hand on top of the central pile, and then announces its value.
Next, they place another card on top of that one along with the math symbol needed to find the sum (for example, if you placed down a ¨J¨ and an ¨A¨, you would say “J plus A is 21”).
Then, the next player does the same thing. This continues until one of the players cannot make a math equation with their card and has to draw cards from the deck to replenish their hand. The person who runs out of cards first wins.
4. Three-Card Monte
Three-Card Monte is a math card game with cards for two players. First, each player draws three cards from the deck and sets them face-up in front of them. The player with the highest card starts first.
They turn over the top card from their deck and set it aside. Next, they choose one of the other two cards to keep (either the one on the left or the one on the right). They set this card face-down in front of them and put the other card back into their deck.
The next player goes, and they do the same thing as the first player – turn over a card from their deck and choose one of the other two cards to keep (again, either the one on the left or the one on the right).
This continues until all of the cards have been turned over. The player with the highest total at the end of this math game wins!
5. Math Crazy Eights
Math Crazy Eights is played just like regular Crazy Eights, except you need math symbols instead of numbers on your cards (i.e., +, -, x, ÷). The player who first gets rid of all their cards (by playing them one at a time to the table) wins the game.
Two players are required for this math card game. The dealer gives each player seven cards, and the rest of them are placed face down to form a draw pile.
The top card of the deck is turned over and placed beside it to start a discard pile. (Remember, this math game uses math symbols instead of numbers on its cards).
The math game begins with the person to the dealer’s left, who plays a card from their hand (either a math symbol or number) on top of the discard pile. This math symbol must match one that is already there in order for it to be placed down successfully.
If they cannot play any cards, they draw one from the deck and keep playing until they can. The player who plays all their cards first wins the math game.
If a player has no math symbols left in their hand, they must pick up another card from the draw pile (this is also known as “going out”).
If the next player cannot play any cards, they must also pick up another card from the draw pile. The first player to have no cards left in their hand (or the player who goes out) wins the math game.
In both of these variations of Crazy Eights, players can put down more than one card at a time if they have them. For example, if there are math symbols on both the left and right side of a math symbol, then this math game allows you to play all three cards at once.
You may also put down math symbols that create an equation (i.e., +X=20) or other math combinations like these in order for them not to be discarded by other math game players.
If a math symbol has been played, it can no longer be removed from the math game until another math symbol is added to it in order for them not to count as equal (i.e., +X=20).
In this case, they would cancel each other out and therefore neither player will score any points.
The winner is the first player to get rid of all their cards (or the math game player who goes out).
6. Math Dominoes
Math Dominoes With Cards is a maths card game that uses dominoes and playing cards. Each math game player gets seven math dominoes, which are placed face-down in front of them.
The math symbols on each domino represent mathematical operations (i.e., +, -, x or ÷). The rest of the deck is shuffled and placed face down in the middle of the players.
The top card is turned over to start the discard pile. The player to the left of the dealer starts first and play passes clockwise. On a player’s turn, they draw one card from the deck and play it either on top of the discard pile or next to one of their math dominoes.
If they cannot play any cards, they draw one from the deck and keep playing until they can. The player who plays all their math dominoes first (or the math game player who goes out) wins the math game.
In this math game, a number on one side of a card matches the number of points on the other side of the math domino. So, for example, if you have a three on one side of your card and a two on the other, then this math game player would score four points (because three plus two equals five).
If both players have no cards left in their hands, the player with the highest total value of math dominoes wins the math game.
In Math Dominoes, each math symbol represents a different math operation such as addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*) or division (÷).
The math symbols are placed on top of their corresponding math domino to form an equation. For example, if you have a math domino with a + on one side and an = sign on the other, then you would place a math symbol with the value of two on top of it.
This math game is similar to Crazy Eights in that players can put down more than one card at a time if they have them. For example, if there are math symbols on both the left and right side of a math symbol, then this math game allows you to play all three cards at once.
The math game player with the highest total score wins the math game. If there is a tie for first place, then another round can be played until one math game player has more points than any other math game player.
7. Math Poker
Math Poker is one of the math games with cards that are for two or more players. Each player is dealt five cards, and the remainder of the deck is placed face down in the middle of all the players.
The top card from the deck (face up) is turned over to begin the turn. On a player’s turn, they may choose to draw a card from the deck or discard one of their cards in exchange for another.
The goal is to get math equations using your five-card hand that equal as close to 21 points as possible without going over (aces are high).
You can play either math addition poker or math subtraction poker – the latter being a bit more challenging.
The player with the highest point total at the end of the game wins!
How Do Maths Card Games Help Kids?
Learning math is a lifelong process that starts at an early age. Kids love math games, and parents can use math games with cards to teach their children in a fun way!
Playing math games with cards helps kids learn basic arithmetic skills and math facts. In fact, math games help to improve a child’s thinking skills, strategic planning abilities, and hand-eye coordination.
Math games also foster math game player cooperation, math game social skills, math game problem-solving and math game critical thinking. It’s a way to teach a love of learning to kids. Not only learning about math, but learning in general.
It shows them that learning anything can be fun. So, math games are an excellent way to teach kids how math can be fun while building mathematical fluency at the same time.
The above math games with cards will surely help your child learn basic arithmetic in a fun and engaging math game way!
Math Games with Cards to Help Make Maths Fun for Kids
Math games with cards are a great way to practice and improve your math skills. Not only that, but they’re also a lot of fun! So why not try out one of these math games the next time you have some free time? You may be surprised at how much you can improve your math skills by playing these math games.
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