18 Easy Math Card Games for Kids
Gamifying math for kids is a great way to get your kids practicing their math skills. Math card games for kids are simple
Gamifying math for kids is an incredible way to get your kids practicing their math skills. Math card games for kids simply work wonders in improving children’s math skills and getting kids interested in math from an early age.

Math card games are perfect for making math more fun and engaging. These educational card games for kids help them learn to count without pulling out another sheet.
They’re quick to set up, require no pre-planning, and are portable, making them perfect for vacations, vacations, road trips, and day trips!
Content:
- Sorting and grouping games
- Counting and number recognition Game
- Addition/subtraction games
- Multiplication games
- Placement games
Sorting and Grouping Math Card Games for Kids
1. Color sorting
This is an easy math game for preschoolers who have just learned to sort. You will need two sheets of pastel/kraft – black and red.
Place the colored sheets on the floor a few inches apart. Place the deck of cards face down between the two sheets.
Have your child take one card at a time and place it according to color on the corresponding sheet. As your child learns to sort these cards, have them sort them by suit.
This simple, easy-to-set-up math card game for kids is great for developing concentration and motor skills, as well as observation.
Related: Try these 10-minute math games for kids to learn quickly while playing.
2. Matchmaker
As the name suggests, this is an educational card game where players have to find one of the following: value, color or suits! This is an easy, hands-on activity for kindergarten that makes sorting fun.
Take one card from the deck and keep it in the middle. Divide the remaining cards equally among the players. The goal is to get rid of all the cards by matching attributes.
To begin, the first player deals a card with the corresponding attribute to the card in the middle. The match can be between suits, color or value.
That card at the top now becomes the match point for the second player, and so on. If there is no matching card, the player must skip the turn.
The player who gets rid of all the cards first wins the game.
This is one of the funnest math games for kindergarteners learning to sort and match attributes.
Related: Make learning about literacy, science, art, and fine motor skills fun for preschoolers with these at-home preschool activities and Ideas.
Math card games for counting and number recognition for kindergarten children
3. Calculate!
There is nothing more interesting and better for teaching young people to count than counting games for kids.
This is a one-player math card game for kids who are learning to count. Although practicing counting with worksheets is quite boring, this card game for kids will bring a lot of fun and change to the number skills.
Remove all Jokers, Kings, Jacks, Queens and Aces from the deck.
Ask your child to think of a number and say it out loud. Afterwards, ask your child to draw a card from the deck.
The task will be to start the countdown from the number on the card and do it forward as many times as the child has chosen. So basically it adds the number your child came up with to the number on the card.
Let’s say your child says the number 5 and draws a card with the number 6 of any color/shape. Then she will have to count from 6 and take 5 steps forward in her count. So she will count 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11.
This game works wonders in building counting skills in children. Instead of counting from 1 each time, your kids will have to start with a random number. This will help them think and build logic.
Related: Add Some Cool, Fun Preschool Science Experiments For Full Learning!
4. I Spy…
Number games for preschoolers are always fun and a great hands-on way to develop early numeracy skills.
This is a card math game for two players that aims to develop number recognition skills in preschool and preschool age children.
Related: Also try Math Quiz Questions for Kids to improve your math skills!
To make this game more challenging, the player can name the cards by naming their numbers as well as the suits, such as “I see with my little eye, spade 9” and so on.
For this math game for kids you will need to remove all jokers, aces, kings, jacks and queens. To set up the game, arrange the cards face up in a 5X5 matrix.
Each player takes turns naming cards. The first player begins by exclaiming “I spy with my little eye…”.
Then the second player finds the card with the named number and leaves it. Players take turns playing the game until all the cards are gone.
This option is suitable for older children and uses 2 decks of cards. Place all cards from the deck face up on the floor to form a large row. Hold the other deck face down.
The task is to find the right card from an array of cards.
Take a card from the deck face down and call it. All players compete to be the first to find the same card from the array. Whoever sees the card first keeps it. Continue playing until all the cards are taken.
The winner is the player who collected the maximum number of cards at the end of the game.
Do you like these fun math games for kids? Now make them laugh out loud with these hilarious counter jokes for kids!
5. More or less
This card game makes training more than fun for kids. Comparing number values helps children develop number sense and is a necessary skill that precedes basic math operations such as addition and subtraction.
To play, you need a deck of cards without all the jokers, aces, kings, queens, and jacks. Ask your child to draw two random cards from the deck, hold them face up, and name the card that is bigger (smaller) than the other card.
Related: Make math fun for your child with Math Games for Kindergarten.
6. Card towers
Once your kids have mastered More and Less, it’s time to make things more exciting for them with card towers. This is a great hands-on way to teach children to arrange numbers in ascending and descending order.
Remove all Jokers, Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks from the deck. Shuffle the cards thoroughly so that the cards are in random order.
To play, ask your child to take five cards from the deck and place them face up next to each other.
The challenge is to arrange the cards in ascending (or descending) order to form a card tower.
Related: Add Easy Math Riddles for Kids With Answers to take the quiz. their conceptual knowledge and develop reasoning skills.
Addition/subtraction math card games for kids
7. Addition Quick Draw
This is a fast multiplayer game to practice math facts. Quick Draw is a fun math game that develops your child’s mental arithmetic skills. To play the game, deal the cards equally among the players.
One player calls out “Draw” and all players draw a card from their stacks and place them face up in the center next to each other.
The task is to add up the face value of the cards and first name the sum of the cards. The player who names the correct amount first keeps the cards in a separate safe pile.
The game continues until all the cards are gone. The player with the most cards wins the game.
Related: Take a playful approach to math practice with these Magic Squares puzzles.
8. High Low
This is a great math game for kids who are just getting into addition and subtraction. A fun way to practice these basic operations. Hi Low is a competitive game between two players.
Remove all face cards from the deck. To play the game, deal the cards equally to two players. Each player gets a pencil and a rough board to add/subtract.
The game begins with each player drawing two cards from their stacks and holding the cards face up for all to see.
The task is to add (or subtract) the numerical values on the card and find the answer. The player with the higher (lower) score can keep all the dealt cards in a separate pile.
The game continues until all the cards are gone. Whoever gets more cards in the end is the winner.
Allow your children to use paper and pencil to begin with until they are ready to do mental calculations. This card game makes practicing operations fun and engaging, promoting better engagement.
Similar: Take a break from studying with these fun indoor activities for kids.
9. Once Through The Deck
We understand that practicing math facts with flashcards or worksheets isn’t all that exciting. But you definitely don’t want your child making mistakes with basic math facts. Here’s a cool math card game that will get your child practicing math facts.
Similar: Check out math games and activities for kids to make learning math fun!
10. Nifty 50
Practicing adding and subtracting two-digit numbers doesn’t get much more fun than this. This math game for kids not only makes your kids develop their math skills.
This is a great way to develop critical thinking and logical analysis.
Deal all the cards equally between the players. All aces are worth 1, face cards and tens are worth 0, and jokers can be any value between 0 and 9.
To play, each player chooses four random cards from their respective stacks. Using these 4 cards, they must add two two-digit numbers so that the sum (or difference) of the numbers is closest to fifty.
Players who get exactly fifty get 5 points. The score closest to fifty is worth 2 points. Discard used cards and start the next round until all the cards in the pile are gone.
The winner is the player with the most points at the end of the game.
Related: Don’t Just Build Your Math Skills! Work on their memory too with these fun games for kids.
11. Break At 36
Here’s another “extra” math game for kids that can be played with multiple players. The object of the game is to get a total of 36 (or any other number of your choice!).
Deal all the cards equally between the players. All aces are worth 1; face cards, jokers, and tens are 0. The first player chooses a card and places it in the center.
The next player places a card on top of the first card and calls the total of both cards.
The game continues until 36 or more are reached. The player who placed the last card, the sum of which is 36 or more, keeps all cards in a separate pile.
The game continues until one player runs out of cards. The winner is the player who at the end of the game has the maximum number of cards in a separate stack.
12. Make Ten
Bring math practices to life with this fun math card game for kids. This is a great way to practice math operations and introduce children to simple math equations.
13. Pyramid
If you loved playing solitaire, you will definitely love playing pyramid with your kids. This is a solitaire-style addition game that makes practicing addition fun.
Beginner Math Multiplication Card Games
14. Maximum!
This fun math multiplication game for kids is sure to captivate everyone. This fast-paced card game challenges players to quickly guess and find the biggest product.
Remove all face-up cards from the deck. Each player takes 5 cards from the deck and places them face down.
When all players have drawn their cards, turn them over and place them face up. Quickly calculate the product of any two cards to get the highest number. All aces are worth 1.
The player with the most product wins.
Related: Develop your logical thinking skills with this fun logic puzzle set that includes 20 NVR puzzles and 20 VR puzzles.
15. Target match
Target Match is played the same way as Max It Out, except the top product is not the target here.
Instead, you pick a number, say 24, before dealing the cards, and players must use a maximum of 3 cards from their decks to get the product closest to the chosen number.
16. Multiplication Snap
This basic math card game for kids is an easy way to get kids to practice their otherwise boring multiplication tables.
Remove all face cards from the deck. Aces are worth 1. Deal the cards to the players equally. All players hold their cards face down.
Choose the number whose multiplication table you want to practice and write it down on a piece of paper. Keep this paper in the center.
When you say draw, players draw a card from their decks. The task is to multiply the number on the card by the number written on the paper.
The first player to multiply correctly can discard their card. The winner is the player who runs out of cards the fastest.
Related: Also check out Math Critical Thinking Puzzles to develop arithmetic skills and logical thinking.
Place Value Math Card Games for Kids
Place value is an interesting concept that often confuses children. But here are some fun and easy ways to get your kids to really understand the concept of place.
17. War Value War
This simple card game for kids makes practicing place value easy! All you need is a deck of standard playing cards with the face cards removed.
Shuffle the cards properly. Each player in turn takes three cards from the pile and holds them face down.
When all the players have drawn their cards, the players turn over their cards and try to arrange them to get the highest number possible.
The winner is the player with the highest three-digit number.
You can deal more than three cards to level up the game. Alternatively, you can also customize the original game to allow players to trade a single card (without revealing its face, of course!) with each other to add more fun.
18. Make it Big!
This is a strategy game for kids that is sure to encourage them to think critically. Make it big! forces players to come up with as many numbers as possible from their cards, but doesn’t give any second chances.
To play this game you will need a deck of cards and paper.
To play this game you need to first make place value sheets. On a piece of paper, draw five dashes to represent the bit values. At the beginning of the game, each player receives one sheet with a place value.
Next, remove all face cards and jokers from the deck. Deal 5 cards face down to each player. Each player turns over their cards in turn.
After rolling, the player must decide where to put them on the value sheet. Once placed, a player cannot change their position on the sheet. Players must think carefully about where to place a card.
After everyone has placed their cards, players turn over another card from the cards provided and place them on the sheet. This continues until all five cards have been placed on the place score sheet. The player who gets the highest number is the winner.
We’re sure these card games for kids will make math so fun for kids that they’ll never hate practicing their math tables and sums again!
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Source: 18 Easy Math Card Games for Kids
