10 Cool Math Games With Instructions For High Schoolers

High school math should not send shivers down the spine always. There are delightful ways of learning math too. One of those is playing math games. By way of playing math games, high school students can indulge in collaborative learning. They acquire knowledge by the process of active learning too. And most importantly, their attitude towards solving math problems improves. While trying to last long in the game, they are encouraged to solve the problems correctly as many times as possible; also, it helps them gain accuracy in the problem-solving process.

We strive to create a quick-to-use repertoire of games that you can start with and make learning hours super fun. So, enlisted here are some of the engaging games fit for high school students with instructions, that you can play in a class or at home. Let’s take a look.

High school math games with instructions

1. Single Digit Math Color Tic-Tac-Toe With Decimals

Tic-Tac-Toe is an engaging game that gets a learning-centric transformation in this classroom game.

Instructions to play:

  • Create a worksheet with addition problems.
  • Assign you and your opponent the colors red and yellow. The numbers must be with decimals to the hundredth place. For example, have questions like 5.56+6.75=? and similar ones, in the worksheet.
  • Start solving all questions turn by turn.
  • If the answer is correct, you can choose a tic-tac-toe cell and color it in red or yellow as assigned to you.
  • If you don’t answer any question correctly, you miss the chance to color the cell. It may help achieve all cells horizontally, vertically, or diagonally in the same color as yellow or red and win the game.

Since this game involves multiple activities, it trains the mind to improve cognition. Better focus, following of steps, and ultimately, the lucidity in doing the addition of numbers with decimals come as desirable outcomes of playing this game. Research points out an observation that friendliness of tic-tac-toe can also help improve the arithmetic competencies of high school students. It encourages them to think of the strategies beforehand to acquire more cells than the opponent.

2. Integer tilt balance

Among the list of the most entertaining math games, the high schoolers may love to put the integer tilt balance game. It is an online game available at Hoodamath and requires you to be swift in mental math.

Instructions to play: As the name suggests, the challenge is to achieve balance by mentally adding the numbers that flash on the screen in the least number of steps.

  • The dropping number is to be added in the black box provided on the two sides of the balance.
  • Integer-based calculations need to be done by the time the yellow numbered block reaches the balance..
  • The side is to be chosen for dropping it on the relevant black box.

This game improves mind-hand coordination, decision-making skills in addition to enhancing the mental math abilities of the high schooler.

Play it here

3. Math Baseball

It is a classroom game fit to play in the class of high schoolers. The class is divided into two. And, the baseball rules are brought into the math facts quiz. Teams made in the class decide the math questions first and classify them as per the ‘bases’ those deserve. Here is how it is played.

Instructions to play:

  • A volley of questions is created by both the teams. The questions are given the value from one, two or three bases depending upon the difficulty level.
  • First team announces the number of bases that the opponent team is playing for and shoots the question to them. The answering team tries to solve the question correctly.
  • Teacher acts as the score keeper and announces that team the winner, which scores 10 points the fastest.

This game improves decision-making abilities. The students can critically evaluate various math facts and categorize them as the easiest to toughest depending upon the steps involved or time taken. The bonus comes in the form of expertise in mathematical calculations. Students may tell in advance whether pen and paper are allowed or not as per the complexity of the question.

4. Trashketball Math Game

Trashketball mixes the math session with basketball, literally! It is a team game in which the classmates are divided into teams by the teacher. Math games can make learning math concepts a lot of fun. This game goes one more step ahead and brings in the class a gamified way of achieving competency in high school math.

Instructions to play:

  • Make a list of questions. The class is divided into 4 groups of 4-5 members or smaller groups.
  • Each team keeps with them a response sheet and chooses its leader who answers the question.
  • The team members solve the question using each other’s help and their leader answers the question.
  • For every right answer, the team gets a chance to shoot the ball into the basket or trashcan.
  • The teams’ score of shooting into the basket (trashcan) is recorded. Say, one right answer = two shoots.
  • In some cases, just to give a variety of challenges, the teacher may just say ‘Shoot!’ and the chosen team shoots the ball. It gives them a chance to equalize scores by using their sports skills.

Blending sport with math teaching and giving challenges of multiple varieties induces agility of mind. The students practice added alertness and display exceptional concept recall in order to excel in scores.

5. GoFish Trigonometry

Trigonometry and High School Math are unimaginable without each other. Learning it without pain can be made possible by including a gaming element in the class. In the GoFish Trigonometry, the learners can master the six trigonometry functions and their corresponding equation, graph, period, domain, or range.

Instructions to play:

  • The two sets of six trigonometric functions and their corresponding equations, graph, period, domain or range are mixed up and distributed among students.
  • The students read the trigonometric function and matches it with the person that has its corresponding presentation.
  • Those students who pick the wrong presentation are hooted at ‘GoFish!’
  • The student who gets the maximum matches correct is declared the winner.

The game teaches high school students trigonometric functions without them realizing the pain of learning these. Students can gain competence in using the trigonometric functions and internalize the presentations by using gamified way of practice offered in GoFish.

6. Math Tank Algebra

Math Tank Algebra is available to play at Math Nook. This online game offers double fun wrapped in a single game. The students require to practice solving the algebraic equations first before they start playing this game. Its gameplay is as explained below:

Instructions to play:

  • You are given the challenge of keeping the tank moving as long as possible.
  • There are algebraic equations placed as hurdles on the tank’s path.
  • You need to select the right answer to equations and align the direction of the tank to the answer’s slot using the direction keys.
  • If the answer is correct, the tank keeps moving else it collides with the hurdle and that marks the end of the game.
  • Between the hurdles, there are coins to be collected which you can pick by maneuvering the tank as per their location.

This game is designed to enable students to think fast and solve multiple challenges. It offers ample teasing of the brain and demands students to be alert and engaged. Also, the task of collecting coins during the gameplay offers a suitable pretext to improve hand-mind-eye coordination.

Play it here

7. Pass the Ball

High school math needs a lot of practice. The gamified problem-solving sessions can drive kids to practice more with a positive attitude. Pass the Ball is one such game that can make the classroom session more participative and engaging for all.

Instructions to Play:

  • Make a list of questions to be solved. Try to keep questions that can be mentally solved. You may also include formula, or terms used in high school math as the theme of the questions’ sheet.
  • Next, you make a human circle of 4-7 students and start the game.
  • The teacher may ask the question to the first student chosen by a draw. If the student answers the question correctly, he is entitled to take the ball. Else, the ball is passed to the next in the circle clockwise.
  • The student who takes the ball asks the question to the next student and passes it on to him/her only if the answer is correct, else the next student takes the lead.
  • The winner is the one who takes the ball most number of times.

This game is best suited for practicing mental math and other math facts that need more memorizing than strategizing. High school students can use this game to brush up on formulae, facts, definitions, etc., and also to practice solving easy-level algebraic equations and other similar problems.

8. Sums Ball

This offline classroom game is suitable for brushing up on computation skills. The sums ball actually is prepared beforehand using a marker to write integer, fraction, or decimal on it. Labels are prepared and given to the students. These labels contain numbers.

Instructions to play:

  • Hand over the labels to all students randomly
  • Ball is passed on to the student who has lowest number with him.
  • Starting student chooses out of integer, fraction or decimal to transform the number and passes the ball to the next student.
  • The next student says the number allotted to him or her aloud and multiplies with or adds to the number that previous student had announced.
  • The challenge is to reach the highest number possible while performing operations in the shortest time possible.
  • This game can be played with multiple teams. The team that reaches the highest number the fastest is declares the winner.

This exciting game helps students become fluent in mathematical calculations. The added advantages of alertness and agility of mind make this game quite meaningful for high school students. They can modify the instructions, too, to up or ease the challenge.

9. Missing Multipliers

It is an engaging online game available at Nrich. This game requires the students to guess the multipliers hidden behind the cells. The challenge is to solve the grid within 10 cell reveals.

Instructions to play:

  • Reveal the answers by tapping the cells.
  • Drag and drop the multipliers that contribute to answers correctly.
  • You will win the game when the answers and the multipliers match perfectly.

This game offers an entertaining way of brushing up on the math facts. It is suitable for mastering mental calculations and teaches the virtues of strategizing, decision-making, and applying math fact skills correctly.

Play it here

10. All In a Jumble

By the time you reach high school, you can understand various facts about your surroundings in terms of numbers and units of measurement. This online game is quite interesting and requires you to have certain facts about the objects, animals, etc. correct. It is quite suitable to increase math-based general knowledge.

Instructions to play:

  • Keep moving the cells corresponding to the locations that match the fact (such as train speed) correctly with the standard number and unit.
  • You are required to fill all cells correctly by dragging and dropping the numbers and units to relevant locations.

This game is a quick reckoner of various facts you gather over the years of studying. It helps you apply the knowledge of the area, mass, weight volume, temperature, etc., and their corresponding units. Thus, it helps you appreciate the use of math in real life.

Play it here

Conclusion

High school math games can make the math class more eventful and exciting for students. They will look forward to attending the class and giving their best in the concept mastering process. The elements of suspense, score-keeping, and throwing challenges add to the class’s excitement level. By bringing better engagement levels with the help of games, teachers can make the path of mastering math easier for high school students. The instructions can be modified, too, to bring a new twist in the games already known.

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