#HallsStrong Mathematics
October 14, 2020
Why Play Games in Math?
According to the National Teacher of Mathematics, games are an important tool for learning in elementary school mathematics classrooms:
• Playing games encourages strategic mathematical thinking as students find different strategies for solving problems and deepen their understanding of numbers.
• When played repeatedly, games support students’ development of computational fluency.
• Games present opportunities for practice, often without the need for teachers to provide the problems. Teachers can then observe or assess students and work with individuals or small groups of students.
• Games have the potential to allow students to develop familiarity with the number system and with “benchmark numbers” (such as 10s, 100s, and 1000s) and engage in computation practice, building a deeper understanding of operations.
• Games support a school-to-home connection. Parents can learn about their children’s mathematical thinking by playing games with them at home.
To read more from NCTM about how games build mathematical thinking visit Teaching Children Mathematics.