More than a dozen great online games for friendly classroom competition and take-home practice.
Objectives
Students will
use online games to reinforce math-facts knowledge.
be engaged in the way they might be engaged by arcade games.
try to be one of the class's top-scorers each week.
Keywords
math facts, games, online games, online math games, addition facts, subtraction facts, multiplication facts, times tables
Materials Needed
Internet access (a large variety of sites listed below)
Lesson Plan
Online math facts games are one more way to engage students in learning addition facts or times tables. The games below award points, track the number of correct responses, or time students on their math facts efforts -- so you easily can set up these games as an "arcade" competition in the classroom. You might reward daily or weekly high scores by posting the high-scoring students' names on a bulletin board.
Also listed below are a handful of "just for fun" games that do not measure student performance and a few "just the basics" resources that might help students understand the meaning behind the math.
Using Online Games in the Classroom
What kind of computer access do your students have? Do you have a handful of computers in your classroom? Just one computer? That will dictate how often students might get online to use these games to practice addition facts or times tables.
If you have a single computer, each student might get online to do an online challenge once each week. Or perhaps the math facts online games below are simply used as a reward activity for work completed.
If you have a handful of computers, you might set up charts to record the current student-set records on any of the games below. Students can focus on a different game each day; or you can introduce a game on Monday and give each student 10 minutes each day to play. By the end of the week, students will have mastered the game and you can reward the record setters. You might set up a bulletin board and post the high-scoring students' names, pictures, and scores. Start a new record sheet each week so students get a fresh opportunity to have their names posted.
If you have no classroom computer, perhaps you can book some time in a computer lab. Introduce a single game and provide time for students to master it and record their high scores.
The Games
Take a look at the list of online math-facts games below. Give each one a try. You'll see how much fun these games can be and how they will motivate students to practice and learn their math facts. These also are great resources to include in your classroom newsletter. Parents will love to encourage their children to use their home computer to do real math practice, and students can practice at home each night with the goal of being one of the week's high scorers in the classroom.
Math Magician Games
Choose +, -, X, or /. Can students complete 20 math fact problems with 100 percent accuracy in less than 60 seconds? If they can, they might print out an award certificate or ask a classmate to verify the total and record it on a chart.
ArithmATTACK
Choose +, -, X, or /. Set the greatest number to be used in a problem. (For example, set 12 as the high number and no addition or multiplication fact will include a number greater than 12. Of course, the answers might be greater.) At the end of one minute, the total number of correct responses is recorded on the screen. Have a classmate verify the total and record it on a chart.
Math Baseball
Choose +, -, X, or /. Choose the level (easy, medium, hard, or super brain). See how many runs you can score before getting three outs. Have a classmate verify the run total and write it on a chart. (This game can be played solo or in pairs.)
A+ Math's MATHO
Choose +, X, or /. As the math facts pop up, click the answer on the MATHO card. How many seconds does it take to get MATHO? Have a classmate verify the time and record it on a chart.
Saxon Publishers' Basic Math Sheets
Choose +, -, X, or /. This flexible tool enables you to choose a range of number facts and a timed or un-timed version. If you use the timed version, then have a classmate verify the overall percentage score and record it on a chart.
AAA Math
Click your grade level. Then click Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, or Division. For each operation, you will find several games, including How many correct answers can you get in 60 seconds? and How fast can you get 20 more correct answers than wrong answers? Have a classmate verify the score and record it on a chart.
Just for Fun!
These online math facts games are just for fun. Most do not record a score, but they still offer great practice and lots of math fun.
Quia Concentration
Match all the addition or subtraction facts with their answers. (This game does provide a final score, but it is really more a test of memory than a test of math-fact knowledge.)
Quia Matching
Easy level. Match each addition or subtraction fact card to its solution.
A+ Math's Concentration Game
Match the problem on the left card with the correct answer on the right card. (This game does provide a final score, but it is really more a test of memory than it is a test of math-fact knowledge.)
MATHEMATICS: Number and Operations GRADES Pre-K - 2 NM-NUM.PK-2.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another NM-NUM.PK-2.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates GRADES 3 - 5 NM-NUM.3-5.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another NM-NUM.3-5.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates GRADES 6 - 8 NM-NUM.6-8.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another NM-NUM.6-8.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates
TECHNOLOGY GRADES K - 12 NT.K-12.1 Basic Operations and Concepts
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