Math for summer break can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you are a teacher who wants to encourage your students to keep practicing their math skills or a parent who wants your child to keep the skills they have learned, these summer math games will help you. They use simple items that you have around the house and are easy to play. Although they aren’t fancy, they are powerful tools to help children practice math skills.
Children love games, and summer is a great time to play them. One benefit of games is that children can practice skills in a fun way that keeps them engaged. A boring worksheet doesn’t keep them focused, but a game will keep them focused and practicing the same skills that may be on a worksheet. Put your name and email address in the boxes, and I will send you a game to practice addition or subtraction within 20. You may have played it as a kid, and your children will love playing it!
Summer is a fantastic time to build math fact fluency. Here are 5 fun and simple math fact games you can play at home using everyday items that are perfect for summer practice with addition and subtraction within 20.
Math for Summer Game: Flashcard War
Materials:
Deck of playing cards (remove face cards) or homemade number cards 1–10 with at least 50 cards.
How to Play:
- Each player flips over two cards and adds (or subtracts) the numbers.
- The player with the higher answer keeps all four cards.
- If there’s a tie, have a mini “war” with another flip until one player is the winner.
- Play until time is up or until one player has won all of the cards.
Dice Race to 20 (or Down from 20)
Materials:
1 or 2 dice
Paper and a pencil
How to Play:
- Players take turns rolling the dice and either adding the total to a running score (Race to 20) or subtracting from 20 (Race Down).
- First to reach exactly 20 (or 0) wins.
Math for Summer Activity: Paper Plate Toss Math
Materials:
paper plates with numbers 1–10 written on them
soft ball or bean bag
How to Play:
- Scatter plates on the floor or lawn.
- Children toss the ball onto two plates and either add or subtract the numbers.
- Have them call out and record the fact before tossing again.
Get 10 correct facts or see how many they can do in 2 minutes.
Egg Carton Math Shake-Up
Materials:
Empty egg carton
Small counters (beans or buttons,etc).
Paper and pencil
How to Play:
- Label the bottoms of the egg cups with numbers 1–10 and repeat 2 numbers or label with numbers 1-12
- Drop two counters in the egg carton, close it, and shake.
- Open and add or subtract the two numbers the counters landed on.
Record answers on paper or tally how many they get correct in 5 rounds.
Math For Summer Scavenger Hunt
Materials:
Sticky notes or index cards with math facts (e.g., 7 + 6 = ?)
Answer cards with just numbers
How to Play:
- Hide the answer cards around the house or yard.
- Give children a stack of math problems and have them search for the correct answer card.
- For each match, they earn a point.
Variation: Do add one day and subtraction the next day!
The best part of these games is their simplicity! They can be repeated numerous times and still be engaging! Share them with your students for their summer break or use them at home as a parent. Your children will love playing them and will forget they are practicing their addition and subtraction facts!
Here are some other games that you might like to try.
