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Because who says math is boring?
We Are Teachers; Math File Folder Games; Math Game Time
By Jill Staake, B.S., Secondary ELA Education
May 1, 2024
In 3rd grade, math students really have to step up their game. Multiplication, division, and fractions are all part of the standards, along with basic geometry, rounding, and more. Keep your students motivated to learn with these fun 3rd grade math games!
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Hands-On 3rd Grade Math Games
Teach Beside Me
1. Count dots to learn multiplication
Multiplication is a new skill for 3rd grade math students, but it builds on concepts they’ve mastered in earlier grades. This card game helps them make the connections. Each player flips two cards, then draws a grid and makes dots where the lines join. They count the dots, and the person with the most keeps all the cards.
Arrays are a popular way to teach multiplication skills, and this is a fun activity that uses the concept. Pull out some scrap paper and cut out squares or rectangles. Then use a hole punch to make dot arrays to represent multiplication equations.
This is so fun! Set up a “store” with small toys and give kids a “budget” to spend. To make purchases, they’ll have to write out the multiplication sentences for their picks.
Eventually, kids will have to memorize multiplication facts, and this quick and easy dominoes game can help. Each player flips a domino and multiplies the two numbers. The one with the highest product gets both dominoes.
Multiplication and division go hand-in-hand in 3rd grade math. This free printable game has kids rolling the die, trying to be the first to correctly answer all the problems in one row. Get the printable at the link.
Think Go Fish, but instead of matching pairs, the aim is to match two cards in which one can divide evenly into the other. For instance, 8 and 2 are a pair since 8 ÷ 2 = 4.
It’s so fun to use Jenga in the classroom. Create a set of division-facts flash cards using colored paper that matches the Jenga block colors. Kids choose a card, answer the question, and then try to remove a block of that color from the stack.
Once kids know all four types of arithmetic, they should be able to work backward to see which sign is missing in an equation. The free printable board game at the link challenges them to do just that.
Give students a series of numbers on sticky notes along with a target number. Then see if they can make an equation (or multiple equations) that meets the target.
Third grade math students learn about rounding numbers. This card game has them facing off to flip two cards each and round the resulting number to the nearest 10. The one whose number is largest keeps all the cards.
Use adhesive stickers to label the wells of a mini-muffin tin. Then give kids a handful of pom-poms. They toss one into a well, then try to land a matching color into the appropriate number for rounding. For instance, if they throw a blue pom-pom into 98, they’d try to throw another blue one into 100.
Use this free printable board to play Roll It for more rounding practice. Students roll three dice, then arrange them into a number. They round to the nearest 10 and mark it off on their board. The goal is to be the first to complete a row.
In 3rd grade math, students start learning fractions in earnest. Playing with LEGO makes it fun! Kids draw cards and use colored bricks to represent the fraction shown. Check out even more ways to use LEGO bricks for math.
Try a different kind of egg hunt to practice equivalent fractions. Write fractions on each half, then have kids find them and make the proper matches. (Make this harder by mixing up the colors!) Check out our other ways to use plastic eggs in the classroom.
Deceptively Educational
20. Play fraction match-up
Grab the free printable cards at the link and work to make matches between the pictures and the fractions they represent.
Each player flips two cards and lays them out as a fraction. They decide which fraction is greatest, with the winner keeping all the cards. Comparing fractions gets a little tricky, but if kids plot them on a fraction number line first, they’ll be practicing two skills at once.
You’ll need some polyhedral dice for this 3rd grade math game. Kids roll the dice and race to be the first to represent the proper time on their toy clock.
Geometry takes on more importance in 3rd grade math as students learn area and perimeter. This fun and simple game covers both, and all you need to play is graph paper and some dice.
25. Build LEGO puzzles for more area and perimeter practice
The challenge: Build a 10 x 10 puzzle from LEGO bricks for your friends to solve. Have kids figure out the perimeter and area of each puzzle piece too.
First, students roll dice and add the two numbers, writing the equation in the correct sum column. Repeat as many times as you like. Then, ask questions to analyze the data. Which sum did they roll most often? How many more times did they roll the highest than the lowest? It’s an interesting way to review addition facts and work on graphing. You can also try this with multiplication.
Creating good graphs is important, but so is knowing how to read them and interpret the data. This free printable asks kids to answer questions based on the information shown in a simple bar graph.
Click and drag the puzzle pieces to answer the double-digit math questions, revealing a cool picture at the end. There are multiple versions for different skills and levels, and you can change the target sums too.
Classic arcade game meets math! You’ll have to think fast to solve the equation and eat the right ghost. Try this one in pairs with one student solving and the other moving Pac-Man as fast as they can.
