Maths games without a screen: cards, dice and paper

Some of the best maths games need nothing but a pack of cards, a pair of dice or a sheet of paper. They cost nothing, they work during a power cut or on a train, and they put a child opposite a person and not a screen. Here are twelve, from class 1 to class 8. For cards, take out the kings, queens and jacks and let the ace count as 1.

With a pack of cards

1. Make Ten

Classes 1 to 3. Lay nine cards face up. Players take turns to pick up any two cards that add to ten, or a ten on its own. Fill the gaps from the pack. The player with the most cards at the end wins.

2. Addition Snap

Classes 1 to 4. Each player turns over a card at the same moment. The first to say the total takes both. For older children, multiply.

3. Biggest Number

Classes 2 to 5. Each player draws three cards and arranges them to make the largest three-digit number possible. The largest wins a point. Next round, the smallest number wins. It is place value in thirty seconds.

4. Fraction War

Classes 4 to 7. Each player turns over two cards and makes a fraction, smaller number on top. The larger fraction wins all four cards. Players must say why, which is where the learning is.

5. Twenty-Four

Classes 5 to 8. Turn over four cards. Using each number once, with any of +, −, × and ÷, try to make 24. Not every set can be done. If nobody finds a way in two minutes, deal again.

With dice

6. Race to 100

Classes 1 to 3. Take turns to roll two dice and add the total to your running score. First to reach 100 wins. Writing the running total is practice in adding with carrying.

7. Pig

Classes 3 to 6. On your turn, roll one dice as many times as you like, adding up as you go. Stop when you choose and bank the total. But if you roll a 1, you lose everything from that turn. First to 100 wins. It teaches addition and, quietly, risk.

8. Product Bingo

Classes 3 to 5. Each player draws a three-by-three grid and fills it with numbers that can be made by multiplying two dice, such as 12 or 30. Roll two dice, multiply, and cross off the product if you have it. First full line wins. Children soon learn that 12 is a better choice than 25.

With paper and pencil

9. Guess My Number

Classes 2 to 6. One player thinks of a number from 1 to 100. The others ask yes-or-no questions: "Is it even?" "Is it more than 50?" "Is it a multiple of 5?" Count the questions. Good players learn to halve the possibilities each time.

10. Nim

Classes 3 to 8. Draw 15 sticks. Players take turns to cross off one, two or three sticks. Whoever takes the last stick loses. After a few games, ask whether there is a way to always win. There is, and finding it is real mathematics.

11. Dots and Boxes

Classes 2 to 6. Draw a grid of dots. Players take turns to join two neighbouring dots. Completing the fourth side of a box wins it and earns another turn. At the end, multiply or add scores written inside the boxes for extra practice.

12. Think of a Number

Classes 6 to 8. "Think of a number. Double it. Add 10. Halve it. Take away the number you first thought of. Your answer is 5." Let the child try it with several numbers, then work out with algebra why it always gives 5.

Why these games work

A good maths game has many small calculations, a reason to get them right, and some choice. Choice is what makes the mind work: deciding which two cards to take or when to stop rolling is thinking, where a worksheet of sums is only doing. Losing sometimes is useful too. A game gives failure without shame, which the classroom rarely does.

Keeping it fair

• Between players of different ages, give the younger one a head start or easier numbers.
• Let children explain their answers. A wrong answer explained is worth more than a right one guessed.
• Stop while it is still fun. Ten minutes a day is plenty.

For games on a screen, see all the games. Each one also describes how to play the same idea on paper.

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