20 best math games for kids (apps, web and board)

A race board game where you add, subtract, multiply and divide to move. The color-coded board shows prime factors, so kids absorb multiplication patterns while trying to win.

Watch for: Gets competitive; younger kids may need a partner.

A deck of number cards with dots, ten-frames and tallies, plus a booklet of games that grow from matching to adding. It grows with a child for years.

Apps that teach algebra, geometry and big numbers as puzzles, so kids solve equations before they know they are doing algebra. Each app takes on one big idea at a time.

Watch for: Now sold through a Kahoot! subscription or as separate purchases; check current pricing.

Kids model word problems with colored bars before solving them, the same method used in Singapore math. Free. Picturing a problem first is a skill kids will use all the way to algebra.

Watch for: Ads appear on the Math Playground site.

A fantasy adventure where each spell takes a math answer. It adapts to grade level and keeps reluctant kids going. Many schools assign it, so kids may already have a login.

Watch for: Free core game, but paid membership perks are shown to kids often.

Free digital manipulatives: fraction bars, algebra tiles, number lines and dice. Great for open-ended building and exploring. Try a fraction challenge or a tangram puzzle to give play a goal, then let kids build their own patterns.

Watch for: More a sandbox than a game.

A free graphing calculator teens use to make art and puzzles. Desmos's classroom activities include games like Marbleslides. Its free activities show teens that equations can draw pictures.

Watch for: Best for middle school and up.

A nonprofit K-8 math program with digital lessons and visual models. Many schools assign it, and it is free for families. Kids watch a short lesson, then practice with games and puzzles.

Watch for: Feels more like lessons than a game for some kids.

Free live multiplayer math games where a class, or a family, races through problems together. A parent can start a game, share the code, and have siblings play on separate devices against each other.

Watch for: Designed for classrooms; needs a host.

Racing and arcade games for addition, multiplication, fractions and more, played against other kids live. Games like Alien Addition and Grand Prix Multiplication have been classroom favorites for years.

Watch for: Ads on free version; speed-focused.

Grid puzzles like Sudoku, but each box needs arithmetic to solve. Daily free puzzles from easy 3x3 to hard 9x9. It builds number sense and logic together.

Watch for: Ads on the free site.

A board game where kids roll dice and add or subtract to move through a swamp. Short games and simple rules. Odd and even spaces add a little extra math to each turn.

A card game invented by a 6-year-old. Kids play simple equations to wake up queens, so addition becomes a winning move. Rounds take about 20 minutes.

Players add cards to a running total up to 100 while grabbing the Zeus figure. Quick mental addition. It also introduces Greek myths, and rounds take about 15 minutes.

A memory card game about getting the lowest total. Builds addition, memory and planning in about 10 minutes. It works with as few as two players.

Roll a target number, then combine other dice with any operations to hit it. A pocket-size game for restaurants and car rides. It works for one player, too.

A fast roll-and-write dice game. Kids add dice and weigh risk, and adults enjoy it just as much. The rules fit on a card, and a game takes about 15 minutes.

Quick puzzles for memory, counting, sorting and logic, with difficulty set per player so parents and kids can compete fairly. ESRB: Everyone. It also works for quick family tournaments.

Watch for: Light on deep math; more a mental warm-up.

A free nightly math story problem at three levels, from 'wee ones' to big kids. Two minutes, no screen needed if you read it aloud.

A fast, free times-tables and number-bonds game used in many UK schools. Kids can pick exactly which facts to practice. It works well on phones and tablets.

Watch for: Ads; timed play can stress some kids.