Free Homeschool Math Games You Can Do With Everyone

Five Minute Homeschool Math Games You Can Do With Everyone

Looking for ideas to help your kids with basic math skills? Try these five-minute homeschool math games. You can do these free math games with everyone in the family and it will make math fun!

Because math is a skill, it is a subject that should primarily be taught individually. Since each child will progress at their own level and ability, homeschool math lessons are not easily taught in a group.

There are, however, some fun math games that I have practiced during Morning Time or at the lunch table during our school day with all of my kids together to sharpen math concepts and problem-solving skills. Our kids love this! They often compete to get the most correct at their level. I will occasionally throw in fun games like these and the kids have lots of fun, each begging to be next.

Number Sense and Basic Operations

These mental math exercises are a great way for younger kids to learn number sense and addition facts in a way that makes learning fun!

Younger Children-toddler, preschool, early elementary

Count as high as you can.
Count backwards from …10, then 20, then 30 and so on.
I will say a number and you say the number that comes after.
Next, I say a number, you say the number that comes before.
I will say a number and you say the number that comes 2 after. (Me: 5, Child: 7)
I say a number, you say the number that comes two before.
As they progress, you can ask addition and subtraction facts, making it a game.

Elementary Children

Flash cards can be great for teaching multiplication facts, but another fun way to learn is through skip counting.

Teach young children to skip count. Starting with 0, what is two more? Then two more after that? Skip count 2’s to 20. They have learned even numbers and multiples of 2.
Starting with the youngest who can skip count, have them say multiples of a number (skip counting) by level, according to their ability, 2’s to 20, 3’s to 30, 4’s to 40 …up to 9’s to 90.
Extension: Say the multiples backward, starting with the highest number. (ie. 90, 81, 72, 63, etc.)

They may not realize it, but these are all their multiplication tables and division facts.

Making Change for All Ages

For Young Children

Easy: I say a one-digit number, you say the missing number that makes 10. (Me: 3, Child: 7) Use all the number combinations and see if they guess all the different ways to make ten. This is preparing them to be able to make matching numbers for 100.

Elementary and Middle Children

Progressing: I say a number, you say the other number that makes 100. (Me: 27, Child: 73) We do this one over and over until it becomes automatic. It’s actually a challenge for me as well to be able to think of it before they do!
Medium: I say an amount of change. You say the opposite amount that would make a dollar. ( Me: $0.43, Child: $0.57)
Hard: I say a dollar and change amount. You say the change if you give a $10 bill. $20?

Probability (For All Ages)

Using a pair of dice and a white-board, list all the possible roll combinations. These hands-on math games help young minds grasp the concept of probability. Ask kids these questions.

What is the lowest number you can roll?
What is the highest number you can roll?
Starting with 2 and going up to 12, list the combinations for each number on the white-board. Ask them what number has the most likelihood of being rolled? (7)

Middle School and High School

You may not know anything about Algebra or quadratic equations, but you can still prepare your older children for the kinds of problem solving that they will have to do in Algebra I and II by trying this simple game.

Factoring is the basic skill used in solving quadratic equations. To help prepare high school students for solving quadratic equations (example below), this is a great game to help sharpen their factoring skills! It is super easy and involves basic addition and multiplication skills.

Factoring quadratics: leading coefficient = 1 (article) | Khan Academy

I begin with a number with several factors, for example, 24. Look at the factors in the number 24 and ask these questions. (They will eventually see the pattern, but do not tell them beforehand that you have picked the number 24!)

-What two numbers multiplied together make 24, but added together make 25? (1×24)

-What two numbers multiplied together make 24, but added together make 14? (2×12)

-What two numbers multiplied together make 24, but added together make 11? (3×8)

-What two numbers multiplied together make 24, but added together make 10? (4×6)

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Play this fun game over and over again with numbers that have a handful of factors like 20, 30, 36, 40, 42, 48, 60, 72.

This favorite game will quickly sharpen their multiplication and factoring skills. After playing several times, solving quadratic equations will seem easy peasy!

At our house, I keep a lot of games like these in my back pocket and when we need something different in our routine, I will pull them out to mix things up.

For example, at lunch, we will sometimes have math game time. We might go around the table, starting with the youngest child, asking questions according to their level, and going around up to the oldest. They all can’t wait until it’s their turn again to get a question! They like to be challenged and to show that they can get the correct answer in front of other siblings.

Although our kids spend time each day consistently making progress in their math curriculum, I think the best way for kids to learn math facts is to develop a love of learning through life skills and cool math games.

Playing fun math activities like these is the perfect way to make math a favorite subject quickly!

Have you tried any of these educational games with your whole family? I’d love to hear your feedback!