• Help students improve their math skills through the use of educational games.math image by jaddingt from Fotolia.com
  
  Math can be quite a frustrating subject for some students. However, teachers can help to remove the frustration and mystery surrounding math by introducing fun math games to their students. Educational games can capture students' attention and allow them to have fun while they learn. Use some educational math games to teach, while using others to review concepts that you've already discussed with your class.
  
  

Addition Game

• This game offers students a chance to practice their addition skills. Divide your class into pairs and give each pair a standard deck of cards. Let your students know that in this game, face cards all count as 10 points each and aces count as one point. Instruct your students to shuffle the cards and to deal the deck so that each person in the pair has half of the deck. Give each pair a sheet of paper and pen or pencil to keep score. Decide which person will go first, and have the students each flip up one card from their half of the deck. Have the students take turns adding the sets of cards. If a student's answer is correct, he gets a point. If he is incorrect, the other student gains the point. Play continues, alternating between individuals within each pair, until one person reaches a certain score or time is up.
  
  

Fraction Game

• This game is a fast-paced way to help your students to better understand fractions. Draw small- to medium-sized pie charts all over your board. Shade in various sections of each chart. Prepare a stack of index cards by writing fractions on the cards that correspond with the pie charts on the board. Write one fraction per card. Place your class into two teams, and line the teams up. Give the first player from each team a fly swatter. Call out a fraction from your deck of index cards and blow a whistle or yell "go." Once the students hear your signal, they must race to the board and try to swat the picture that correctly represents the fraction that you announced. Since there may be more than once picture that represents the fraction, the student who correctly swats a picture first earns a point for her team. Play continues as the first two students pass the fly swatters to the next individuals in line.
  
  

Multiplication Game

• This game is another pair activity that helps students to brush up on their multiplication tables. Have your students pair up and give each pair an empty egg carton, two marbles or buttons, a marker, and a pen and paper for keeping score. Have the students write the numbers one through 12 in their cartons (one number per section of the carton). Then have them place the two buttons or marbles into the cartons and close the cartons. One person shakes the carton for a few seconds and then opens it. That student must then multiply the two numbers on which the buttons or marbles have landed. If the student gets the multiplication problem right, he earns a point. If he is incorrect but the other student can correctly solve the problem, then the other student gains the point. Have the students take turns until someone reaches a certain score or you run out of time. You might want to have an answer key available for each pair in case they are unsure about a certain multiplication problem.