Math games for kids: fun, free ways to practise numbers

Why quick math games help kids practise

A lot of the math children meet at school rests on a few basic facts: number bonds, adding and taking away, and times tables. When those facts come quickly, kids can spend their thinking on the interesting part of a problem instead of counting on their fingers.

The trouble is that practising facts can feel like a chore. Short, game-style practice helps in a few ways:

• Little and often. A one-minute race fits in before school or after dinner, and short sessions are easy to repeat.
• Instant feedback. Children see straight away whether an answer was right, while the sum is still fresh in their mind.
• A reason to try again. Beating yesterday's score or a computer character gives kids their own reason to have another go.
• Playing together. Racing a parent, brother or sister turns practice into family time.

Games won't replace good teaching, but they are a fun, low-pressure way to keep skills ticking over.

How Math Race works

Math Race is PlayTrova's free mental math game. Everyone sees the same sum, such as 7 + 5, with four answer buttons. The first player to tap the right answer wins the point, and the first to 7 points wins the race.

• Wrong answers never cost points. Tap a wrong one and your buttons simply lock for one second.
• Nobody gets stuck. If no one answers in time, the right answer is shown and a new sum appears.
• Two to four players can share one phone or tablet, each with their own buttons turned to face them.
• Four computer characters range from slow Rookie Robo to speedy Grandmaster Owl, and they slow down on harder sums, just like people do.
• The 60-second sprint is a daily solo challenge: answer as many sums as you can in a minute. A wrong answer costs 2 seconds and you try the same sum again.

The wrong answers on the buttons aren't random, either. They're the slips children really make, like being one out, forgetting to carry a ten or mixing up + and ×. So every race is also gentle practice in checking an answer before you tap.

Math Race levels for different ages

Choose one of four levels before you play. The game remembers your choice for next time.

• Up to 10 (ages 5–6): adding with answers up to 10. Perfect for learning number bonds like 3 + 7 and 4 + 6.
• Up to 20 (ages 7–8): adding and taking away up to 20, with plenty of sums that cross 10, like 8 + 5 or 15 − 8.
• Times tables (ages 8+): the 2 to 10 times tables, all mixed up.
• Mix (ages 9+): two-digit adding and taking away, plus times and divide facts up to 12 × 12, always with whole-number answers.

The ages are only a guide. A good rule of thumb is to pick a level where your child beats Rookie Robo most of the time: confidence first, speed follows. Once Rookie Robo is too easy, try Clever Cat before jumping up a level. Each level also has its own daily sprint, with the same sums for everyone that day.

Mental math tricks that help kids win

Speed in Math Race comes from smart strategies, not from rushing. These are worth teaching:

• Number bonds to 10. Know the pairs that make 10 (1 + 9, 2 + 8, 3 + 7, 4 + 6, 5 + 5) and lots of other sums get easier.
• Bridge through 10. 8 + 5 is 8 + 2 + 3: make 10 first, then add what's left, so 13.
• Count up to take away. For 15 − 8, it's 2 from 8 to 10, then 5 more to 15, so the answer is 7.
• Use doubles. If you know 6 + 6 = 12, then 6 + 7 is just one more.
• Check the last digit. 6 × 7 must end in 2, so it's 42, not 48.
• Spot times-table patterns. Answers in the ×5 table end in 0 or 5, and in the ×9 table up to 9 × 10 the digits add up to 9 (9 × 6 = 54, and 5 + 4 = 9).

Ideas for parents and teachers

• Make it a daily habit. The 60-second sprint takes one minute and has new sums every day. Try to beat yesterday's score or best streak.
• Race side by side. Two to four players can share one tablet, which makes a lively warm-up for a family or a small group of pupils.
• Mixed ages? When siblings are far apart, let each one race the computer at their own level, then compare which characters they beat.
• Keep it light. Wrong answers never lose points, so praise effort and good strategies, not just wins.
• On a computer, use the keyboard. Press 1, 2, 3 or 4 to answer. When two players share a keyboard, the second player uses 7, 8, 9 and 0.
• Mix in other games. Some days, swap the sums for a game where the math is hidden inside, like the ones below.

More free games that build number and logic skills

Math isn't only sums. Counting, planning ahead, chance and grid references all turn up in classic games, and kids practise them without noticing:

• Dots & Boxes: count the boxes you've won, and as kids get older, count chains of boxes before choosing a line. Start on the small 3×3 board, then read our Dots & Boxes strategy guide.
• Lucky Lanterns: add up your pot with each roll of the lantern die (3, 4, 5 or 6, or a Double that doubles the whole pot), then decide when to bank on the way to 100. Two of the eight faces are Gusts, which makes it a gentle first lesson in chance too.
• Sea Battle: a grid game of logic. Turn it into coordinates practice by naming each shot as a grid reference, with columns A to H across and rows 1 to 8 down, like "C5". Our Sea Battle strategy guide has more.
• Mancala: count the seeds in a pit to work out exactly where your last one will land. Land it in your own store and you get another turn.
• Race Home: count squares with the die, and work out whether an opponent 1 to 6 squares behind could catch you.
• Snap Duel: fast picture rules include dice, counting, clocks and a "Correct sum" round, where you check whether a sum like 2 + 3 = 5 is right.

You'll find all of these and more in our learning games and kids games collections. For a different kind of brain training, read our memory game tips.

Frequently asked questions