Make Reviewing Math an Interactive Game

     Reviewing math as an activity can sound extremely boring and uninspiring. In some peoples minds it could rank up there with folding laundry and washing dishes - something that is not very enjoyable, but inherently needs to be done.

     Nevertheless, since we are aware of the importance of reviewing the various math standards and concepts that have been taught to our students throughout the year, why not attempt to make the review process as pleasant and enjoyable as possible?

     In my opinion, when it comes to reviewing material the students have already learned and are decently
proficient with, turning the activity into a game/fun activity will work wonders for participation and effort.

     The best part is you can practically find or create a game for any math standard/concept that you want the students to review. If your students/class have access to computers, then the Internet is literally littered with free educational games that can be found from a quick search on Google.

     If your school does not have access to the Internet, then you can create traditional board games using
dice/spinners at little or no out-of-pocket expense on your part.

     However it is extremely important the games you choose to have your students play MUST BE explicitly
taught. Guide the students step by step through the entire process from start to end.

     Address important points such as how and where do they get the materials. How do they set it up. The game'sinstructions on how to play. Who goes first. How they keep score. What to do if they get stuck or have aproblem. What do they do if they finish early. How they are supposed to clean up. The noise level which theyshould maintain throughout the entire time.

     All these questions to us adults might seem simple and mundane, nevertheless to the mind of a child, if they are not given directions and examples on HOW to do something and in what manner to do it, then they will come up with their own way of solving it. And that way could easily be a loud and disruptive one.

Math Games Ideas and Possibilities
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     Here's a list of possible math games you can use in your classroom that are practically free. All they will take is a bit of preparing on your part.

Note: The websites listed below are not mine or connected to me in any way. I found them by simply doing a google search and browsing a few of the interesting ones that popped up. I believe they will be good starting points for you to get some ideas of the possibilities out there for your class.

* Custom Made Math Board Games: Tons of paperback books from Scholastic can give you lots of ideas of what is possible. You can also find ideas here www.toolsforeducators.com/boardgames/ andwww.mathsphere.co.uk/FreeResourcesBoardgames.html

* Online Games: A quick Google search for whatever math standard you want will turn up lots of relevant
results. Some of the ones I've used with my class throughout the year are:
www.mrnussbaum.com/geniusboxing1.htm
oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/mathmagician/maths1.html
www.mathplayground.com/spaceracer_multiplication.html
funschool.kaboose.com/games/game_action_fraction.html
www.funbrain.com/brain/MathBrain/MathBrain.html

* Mix N MatchUp: Make your own flash cards on colored index cards. One with the problem and another
with an answer. Maybe 10 or 20 total. Then mix them. Students have to solve each problem to match with the correct answer

* Who Am I Strips: This is a fun way for students to not only read, but match questions to answers about
math. You can create fancy ones if you'd like but basically on a sentence strip you write a math question like: I am the sum of six hundred thirty two, and six thousand, seven hundred three. Who am I? All the answer
choices can be on different colored sentence strips which the children have to match, or you can simply have
them solve the problem.

*Crossword Puzzles: You can make your own crossword puzzles where the numerical answer or word
answer goes in the puzzle, and the clues/questions are what the students have to solve. You can find various
crossword puzzle makers online which can do a fairly neat job. Here is a link to a math specific crossword
puzzle makerwww.armoredpenguin.com/math/

About the Author
Gregory L. Gomez

Gregory L. Gomez, M. Ed, has been teaching 5th grade in the Los Angeles Unified School District for 12 years. He created10Quickies.com to help teachers and parents provide children with a fun and creative way to review grade level math standards and concepts. Get valuable teaching strategies and teaching tips along with FREE math worksheets samples to download