Design your own scoring system and play Trumps with these Olympic Sport cards.
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?
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.
This article, the second in the series, looks at some different types of games and the sort of mathematical thinking they can develop.
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?
Here is a version of the game 'Happy Families' for you to make and play.
Solve this Sudoku puzzle whose clues are in the form of sums of the numbers which should appear in diagonal opposite cells.
A game for 2 people. Take turns placing a counter on the star. You win when you have completed a line of 3 in your colour.
Gillian Hatch analyses what goes on when mathematical games are used as a pedagogic device.
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 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.
Advent Calendar 2010 - a mathematical game for every day during the run-up to Christmas.
An interactive game to be played on your own or with friends. Imagine you are having a party. Each person takes it in turns to stand behind the chair where they will get the most chocolate.
A game for two people that can be played with pencils and paper. Combine your knowledge of coordinates with some strategic thinking.
Here are some more upper primary strategy games for you to play.
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.
Play this well-known game against the computer where each player is equally likely to choose scissors, paper or rock. Why not try the variations too?
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.
Use your knowledge of place value to try to win this game. How will you maximise your score?
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.
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?
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.
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 challenging game of strategy for two players with many interesting variations.
A shunting puzzle for 1 person. Swop the positions of the counters at the top and bottom of the board.
Calculate the fractional amounts of money to match pairs of cards with the same value.
A game to make and play based on the number line.
Basic strategy games are particularly suitable as starting points for investigations. Players instinctively try to discover a winning strategy, and usually the best way to do this is to analyse. . . .
Can you spot the similarities between this game and other games you know? The aim is to choose 3 numbers that total 15.
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. This could be played outside with people instead of counters. Try to trap or escape from your opponent.
Can you make the birds from the egg tangram?
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.
An article for teachers and pupils that encourages you to look at the mathematical properties of similar games.
Use your addition and subtraction skills, combined with some strategic thinking, to beat your partner at this game.
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. . . .
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.
Use the tangram pieces to make our pictures, or to design some of your own!
How long does it take to brush your teeth? Can you find the matching length of time?
Practise your tables skills and try to beat your previous best score in this interactive game.
A game for two people, who take turns to move the counters. The player to remove the last counter from the board wins.
Totality game for an adult and child. Be the first to reach your agreed total.
Board Block Challenge game for an adult and child. Can you prevent your partner from being able to make a shape?
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.