Nim-7 game for an adult and child. Who will be the one to take the last counter?
Can you work out how to win this game of Nim? Does it matter if you go first or second?
A game for 2 players with similarities to NIM. Place one counter on each spot on the games board. Players take it is turns to remove 1 or 2 adjacent counters. The winner picks up the last counter.
An article for teachers and pupils that encourages you to look at the mathematical properties of similar games.
This article for teachers describes several games, found on the site, all of which have a related structure that can be used to develop the skills of strategic planning.
A game for two people, who take turns to move the counters. The player to remove the last counter from the board wins.
Got It game for an adult and child. How can you play so that you know you will always win?
This article supplies teachers with information that may be useful in better understanding the nature of games and their role in teaching and learning mathematics.
Gillian Hatch analyses what goes on when mathematical games are used as a pedagogic device.
A game for 2 players. Take turns to place a counter so that it occupies one of the lowest possible positions in the grid. The first player to complete a line of 4 wins.
A game for 2 players. Draw a daisy with at least 5 petals. Shade 1 or 2 petals next to each other. The winner shades the last petal.
In this game for two players, the idea is to take it in turns to choose 1, 3, 5 or 7. The winner is the first to make the total 37.
A game for two people, or play online. Given a target number, say 23, and a range of numbers to choose from, say 1-4, players take it in turns to add to the running total to hit their target.
Solve this Sudoku puzzle whose clues are in the form of sums of the numbers which should appear in diagonal opposite cells.
This article, the second in the series, looks at some different types of games and the sort of mathematical thinking they can develop.
Can you spot the similarities between this game and other games you know? The aim is to choose 3 numbers that total 15.
Advent Calendar 2010 - a mathematical game for every day during the run-up to Christmas.
Here are some more upper primary strategy games for you to play.
A game for 2 players that can be played online. Players take it in turns to select a word from the 9 words given. The aim is to select all the occurrences of the same letter.
This article outlines how strategy games can help children develop logical thinking, using examples from the NRICH website.
Here are a collection of games from around the world to try during the holidays or the last few weeks of term.
A game for 1 person to develop stategy and shape and space awareness. 12 counters are placed on a board. Counters are removed one at a time. The aim is to be left with only 1 counter.
You'll need two dice to play this game against a partner. Will Incey Wincey make it to the top of the drain pipe or the bottom of the drain pipe first?
The game uses a 3x3 square board. 2 players take turns to play, either placing a red on an empty square, or changing a red to orange, or orange to green. The player who forms 3 of 1 colour in a line. . . .
What might your first lesson with a new class look like? In this article, Cherri Moseley makes some suggestions for primary teachers.
This is a game for 2 players. Each player has 4 counters each, and wins by blocking their opponent's counters. A good follow-on from two stones.
In this article for teachers, Liz Woodham describes the criteria she uses to choose mathematical games for the classroom and shares some examples from NRICH.
This is a challenging game of strategy for two players with many interesting variations.
Here is a version of the game 'Happy Families' for you to make and play.
Use your knowledge of place value to try to win this game. How will you maximise your score?
A game for 2 players. This could be played outside with people instead of counters. Try to trap or escape from your opponent.
Everthing you have always wanted to do with dominoes! Some of these games are good for practising your mental calculation skills, and some are good for your reasoning skills.
Totality game for an adult and child. Be the first to reach your agreed total.
Spiralling Decimals game for an adult and child. Can you get three decimals next to each other on the spiral before your partner?
Try to stop your opponent from being able to split the piles of counters into unequal numbers. Can you find a strategy?
Incey Wincey Spider game for an adult and child. Will Incey get to the top of the drainpipe?
A game for two people that everybody knows. If you play correctly you never lose!
Who said that adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing couldn't be fun?
Have a go at this game which has been inspired by the Big Internet Math-Off 2019. Can you gain more columns of lily pads than your opponent?
A shunting puzzle for 1 person. Swop the positions of the counters at the top and bottom of the board.
Hover your mouse over the counters to see which ones will be removed. Click to remove them. The winner is the last one to remove a counter. How you can make sure you win?
A train building game for two players. Can you be the one to complete the train?