Lists•Teaching with Games

15+ Board Games that Help Teach Math

Did you know board games are a great way to help teach and reinforce key math concepts? Board games can be amazing educational tools and many are excellent for helping kids develop important math skills! We’re sharing some of our very favorites!

Some of the games are very obviously math games, while others have that element more hidden throughout the game. Depending on your kids’ preference, one style might be a better fit over the other.

I recommend trying a little bit of both! As a homeschool teacher, I’ve found that a lot of times, math reluctance stems from a general lack of confidence in ones math skills. (i.e: I don’t hate math, I just wish I was better at math.) Most often I see this arise from a struggle to perform math calculation quickly — especially mental math, which might make one think they are bad at math. More practice in this area will help build confidence and increase those skills.

But also remember: key math skills also look like strategy and reasoning! Learning to see patterns, solve problems, and create multi-step plans to your goal are powerful math skills found in almost all board games! I’m a firm believer that one of the best ways to learn is through play. Every game has an educational benefit. Period. If you’re playing games with your kids, you are not only bonding and creating wonderful memories together, but you’re also helping their educational development.

15 Board Games That Help Teach Math

Outnumbered

This game makes math fun! It perfectly adds a fun theme and enjoyable game play onto what is absolutely just math practice. I love that this game is cooperative so players who may be struggling a bit can get the help they need without feeling defeated by losing. It’s definitely a cooperative effort throughout the game for everyone!

Proof

If you’re looking for a speed math game, this is the one! In Proof you both want to be both quick and clever. Clever in finding an equation that uses the most cards so you have a higher score, but also quick because if you don’t blurt out your equation fast enough, you’ll lose. This is one where I felt my brain dusting off its mental math skills and see improvement from game to game.

Prime Climb

I love the look of this game! Prime Climb is designed to help players master multiplication, division, factorization, and prime number concepts by combining color. This is what’s in my cart to add to our homeschool for my older students!

Arctic Riders

Designed to teach addition and subtraction, Arctic Riders is an absolute gem! We love how this game helps kids master these skills through fun game mechanics. Which isn’t a surprise when it’s designed by Reiner Knizia!

Trek 12

Manipulate the dice using addition, subtraction, and multiplication. One of my favorite math focused roll & writes!

Froggies

Number recognition and sequencing are important skills for early mathematicians to learn. Froggies make sit fun. You can also play this with a deck of regular playing cards, but I like the large, clear numbers for children.

Tiny Polka Dot

Subitizing is the ability to instantly recognize the number of objects in a small group. I love the look of Tiny Polka Dot ! It will help your young kids become pros with this skill quickly!

Sumoku

This is a crossword style game that can be played in multiple ways — in all games you’ll roll a die to determine the key number for the game. Then the sum of the digit tiles that you place in rows and columns must sum to a multiple of that key number. Sumoku is compact and portable making it great to toss in a bag for travel!

Triolet

This crossword style game is all math! Lay up to three tiles a single line that add up to no more than 15. Score additional points by playing tiles on bonus squares allowing you to multiply, or by making exactly 15! Get a pencil and paper ready, your math skills are going to go to work!

Dragonwood

I love all of the not-so-hidden math in Dragonwood. Addition, subtraction, probability assessments, and more!

Kingdomino

Kingdomino allows for both multiplication and spatial reasoning practice. This is great at all player counts. I especially love playing two players with the larger grid.

Incan Gold

Hidden in this fun push your luck game are some great math elements. Players will need to divide gems evenly amongst a varying amount of players throughout the game and make probability assessments to determine whether to risk continuing or head for safety.

Sushi Go

I love a set collection game like Sushi Go for math! Each card score varies depending on whether or not you’re able to meet it’s set scoring conditions. One single card might be worth 1 point, but if you can get a set of three they’re worth 6 points. Players are constantly doing mental math to determine which card is most advantageous for them to draft. There are lots of Sushi Go Games and they’re all great for this! Sushi Go Party — Sushi Go Spin Some for Dim Sum — Sushi Roll

Qwirkle

Qwirkle is great for recognizing patterns, even for younger ages! There is a lot of planning and critical thinking involved while remaining language independent to allow for emerging readers.

Piece of Pie

In addition to simple counting and planning, Piece of Pie offers a lot of opportunity to introduce and practice fractions at a young age.

Team Digger

I love how Team Digger teaches early coding skills with sequencing and spatial reasoning. Kids will solve problems and think critically together as they collaborate to use their cards to form the best sequence for each player.

Lost Cities

Not only is this one of the best two player board games, but it’s an excellent choice for a bit of math practice! Players will head out on expeditions by playing cards in ascending order. You’ll add up the value of your cards, subtract the expedition cost, and in some cases multiply the results! Lots of great, simple math to enjoy in a wonderful game!