1st Grade Math Games:

Free Online Math Games

Take a look at our free online math games for 1st grade students! All you have to do is pick your category and rock math!

Math can be one of the class subjects that students, especially first graders, are most hesitant to study. Therefore, finding a fun way to motivate students is essential to help them.

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Math Activities for 1st Grade

A first grade student can learn digits, counting numbers, 3D shapes, and many more about math through various fun games and activities. Below you will find printables, adapted card games, and easy DIY games that will make your children love math!

Printable Math Games

Printable math games are one of the most convenient ways to mix fun and learning for 1st grade students.

1. The Matching Game

Are you ready for a trip to the toy store? Counting coins is helpful to teach your children math. These printables will help them do just that 😊

All your children have to do is match the correct number of coins in each wallet with the price tag on each toy. Go ahead and download our free printables and help your children master counting.

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2. Subtraction Games

Solving equations can be hard for 1st grade students and these easy subtraction games will help them learn how to do it in the most fun way.

All you have to do is encourage your children to solve the easy equations that are also visualized with little objects. Feel free to download our free printables and start right away.

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3. Clock Games

Learning how to tell time is one of the many topics that first graders study in math classes. These fun printable clock games will help them practice.

All your children have to do is trace the stated time on the digital clocks to the correct visualization on analogue clocks. Go ahead and give them a try!

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4. The Counting Game

Here is another fun counting game with a brain teaser twist!

This game will help your children learn to count and meanwhile promote their focusing skills by encouraging them to stay on the path to write the correct number in the correct circle.

All you have to do is download our free printable game and have your children enjoy math!

Download

Math Card Games

We all have a deck of cards laying around somewhere. It’s time to make the most of them with fun math card games for your 1st graders. Don’t know how? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.

1. Total of Ten

This game is very simple yet fun to play and can be adjusted to the age or grade of your children. Plus, it can be played by one or turned into a great source of fun for both adults and children when played as a group.

How to Play

1. Lay down the cards on a flat surface in a 5x4 array.
2. Start collecting cards that add up to “10”. The Ace is equal to “1” and the faces (King, Queen and Jack) are equal to “0”.
   For example, a card of “9” and an Ace make a total of “10”.
3. Ask your children to continue until there are no available matches left.
4. Give a check when your children can’t continue. The goal of the game is to make the most possible amount of matches but clearing the table is near to impossible.
   If there is an available match, encourage your children to continue by saying something like “I see a match! Let’s see how fast you’ll find it!” If not, congratulate them for their success.

These kinds of addition games will not only promote 1st grade students’ math skills but also greatly improve their concentration skills.

2. Tens Go Fish

This game is an adaptation of the original game Go Fish.

The difference it has with Go Fish is that you ask the opponents for a card that will help you get a total of ten with the cards in your hand. Like the game Total of Ten, the Ace is equal to “1” and the faces (King, Queen and Jack) are equal to “0”.

For example, if your child has a “2” he/she can ask, “Do you have an 8?” to add up to “10”.

For ones that don’t know how to play Go Fish, here are the instructions:

How to Play

The game is played with 2-6 players and is great to play. When playing with 2, each player is dealt seven cards. For 3 or more players, each player is dealt five cards. The remaining cards are placed in a pile between all the players.

1. Starting with the dealer, the game moves clockwise.
2. Players take turns asking another player if they have a specific card rank (e.g. “Laure, do you have any eights?” or “Mike, do you have any Aces?”). Keep in mind that in order to play Tens Go Fish, you must ask for cards that will help add up the card in your hand to ten. So if you have a seven, ask for a three.
3. If asked for a rank the player has in his/her hand, the player must hand over all of the cards of that rank. The asker then gets to take another turn.
4. If a player doesn’t have the requested rank, he/she responds, “Go fish.”
5. The asker then draws a card from the pile. If the asker happens to draw the card he/she was requesting, the asker shows the card to the group as proof and takes another turn.
6. The game differentiates from the original game as the asker should set aside the pairs that add up to ten when received from the other player or pulled from the pile.
7. The game ends when there are no cards left in the pile. The player with the most pairs of tens wins.

3. The Comparison Game

Comparing numbers made fun! Here is a game that will help your children understand the concept of “greater than, less than”!

How to Play

1. Separate the Ace and Faces in the deck leaving only the number cards.
2. Take a large construction paper and draw on five greater-than signs (>) in one row, leaving enough space to place a card in between.
3. In another row, draw five less than signs (<), leaving enough space to place a card in between.
4. Shuffle the cards and ask your children to place cards on both rows according to the signs. Keep in mind that for greater than, each number placed should be bigger than the one before and vice versa for less than.

This game will not only help your children with letter recognition, math and comparisons, but it will also help effectively with their strategic and logical thinking skills.

DIY Math Games

Math activities are perfect for 1st graders to learn their math and DIY math games are one of the best.

1. Caterpillar Math

Let’s put your children’s basic math skills to a test with this fun DIY math project!

What You Need

• Colored papers (light-colored)
• A pair of googly eyes
• Black marker
• Glue
• Pencil
• Child-safe scissors
• 2 dry beans
• Timer

How to Play

1. Ask your children to draw 11 circles on different colored papers and cut them out. Make sure the circles are big enough to toss beans in them from a distance (about 20cm wide).
2. Count with him as he goes along. Later, ask them to write down numbers 1-10 on each circle.
3. Next, have them glue the googly eyes in the middle of one circle and draw a smile underneath.
4. After all the circles are ready, have your kid glue all the circles starting with the head, and overlapping the edges of each one until they form a long caterpillar. Make sure the numbers are in numerical order.
5. Now it’s game time! Place the caterpillar on a flat surface and ask your children to take a few steps away from it.
6. Encourage to lightly toss two dry beans until each one lands on (or reaches very close to) two numbers. Each time, ask them to add or subtract the two numbers and ask your child to solve the equation without using paper in 10 to 30 seconds.

2. Roll the Dice

How cool is it that you can play math games for 1st graders with only two dice? Plus, it’s very easy to play and has almost no requirements so it’s perfect to play at home, garden or classroom.

How to Play

1. Each player takes turns rolling the dice.
2. Each turn the players add up the two numbers that appear on the dice.
3. The player with the highest sum wins the round!

To spice up the game, you can add another dice.

3. Scavenger Hunt Math Edition

Who doesn’t love a scavenger hunt? This fun adaptation of it will surely make your children love math!

What You Need

• Newspapers and magazines
• Child-safe scissors
• Glue
• Piece of paper

How to Play

1. On a piece of paper, write down what you want your child to hunt for. For example:
   0 in the ones place
   3 in the tens place
   6 in the hundreds place
   And so on…
2. Ask your children to scavenge, cut and glue the numbers in the magazines and newspapers that fit the place values written on the paper.