Are you homeschooling little ones? Would you like to add more play-based learning? Are you interested in using early math games in your homeschool? Would you like to know the best math games for preschool, kindergarten, and the early elementary school years?
As a school psychologist, homeschool mom, and gameschooler, I know a little bit about using games for learning in your homeschool. If you’re looking for the best educational board and card games for the early years, keep reading!
The Best Early Math Games for Your Homeschool
Top educational games for homeschooling math in the early years via gameschooling…
Gameschooling is the art of homeschooling with play-based educational resources, especially board and card games. Play is the language of childhood and it can fuel learning. So much learning happens when we relax and let it!
As a school psychologist, homeschool mom, and gameschooler, I believe that homeschooling can be almost all fun and games.
Now, this doesn’t mean it’s going to be perfect. You’ll have some ugly gameschool moments, especially in the beginning. Children weren’t born understanding how to take turns, share, and collaborate. They need to learn how to win- and lose- with grace. Please know that even your ugly gameschooling moments are learning opportunities!
Before we get to the games, if you are homeschooling little ones, in preschool or kindergarten, check out these play-based resources:
When it comes to the early years, I highly recommend spending lots of time playing, both indoors and out in nature. Explore the world around you and have fun with it! And don’t forget to read-aloud to your children early and often. Reading aloud is the most important part of your entire homeschool day!
If you’d like to learn more about the importance of play in your homeschool, please bookmark the following resources:
Now, let’s discuss the best educational math games for homeschooling in the early years…
If you’re new around here, you should know that I am a huge resource junkie. As a school psychologist, avid gamer, and homeschool mom, I am always on the hunt for creative educational resources.
Today, I’ll be sharing my favorite early math gameschool resources for homeschool families organized by category/skill.
Roll and Play by Thinkfun works on a host of skills including color identification, counting, motor skills, and image and word recognition.
Almost every game on the market today includes a stealth math component.
In the early years, don’t be afraid to play what you love.
Before we tackle early math games that target specific skills, I’d like to share my favorite early math game: Tiny Polka Dot
I really wish this had been around when my kids were teeny-tiny!
One of the most versatile early math games, in my opinion, is Tiny Polka Dot by Math for Love. This game is colorful, engaging, and versatile. It will grow with your family. And you don’t have to take my word for it. Tiny Polka Dot has won oodles of awards!
Tiny Polka Dot was created by Math For Love (they are the creators of Prime Climb). This award-winning game is one of my top picks for working on early math skills in your homeschool.
When you grow out of Tiny Polka Dot (which will take a while!), you’ll be ready for its big brother, Prime Climb. Prime Climb is another award-winning game that will grow with you as your children and teens work on math facts, prime numbers, creative thinking, and more.
And while I just shared my top pick, I want you to know that the very best gameschool moments occur when we give our children space to play what they love.
The reason why play works so well when it comes to learning and skill development is that it is fun! And children learn through repetition. If there’s a game that your child asks to play over and over and over again, I can promise you they are learning something.
And that’s true for all games. A game doesn’t need to be Educational-with-a-capital-E for it to teach important skills!
Case in point:
See that game in the photo above? It’s called GUBS.
GUBS is a quirky card game that you’ll never find on any “educational card game” list. It doesn’t teach explicit skills. But it’s just plain fun.
And that little guy in the photo? He LOVED GUBS. He was obsessed.
I credit GUBS with making him a reader. It’s true. And GUBS is not a reading game.
So if your kiddos want to play something wacky or silly, don’t fret. They are learning something!
Now, let’s tackle the best early math games by category and skills targeted.
Here we goooooo!
Cooperative games are a wonderful way to grow gamers, practice early math skills, and learn to work on a team.
I promise I’ll get to colors and shapes and patterns and matching and place value and addition and subtraction, but I’d like to share some other “math” games that are often overlooked. One of my favorite recommendations for homeschooling math in the early years is to play more cooperative games.
- Blue Plate Scramble
- Busytown
- Cauldron Quest
- Count Your Chickens
- Feed the Woozle
- First Orchard
- Hanna Honeybee
- Happy Bunny
- Hoot Hoot Owl
- Lemonade Shake-Up!
- Mermaid Island
- Outfoxed
- Pick Me Up Piggy!
- Race to the Treasure
- Space Escape
- Stone Soup
- The Fairy Game
- The Little Orchard
- Yarrr Har Hunt
If you would like to view more of our top cooperative games for the early years, please click the image below:
Early Math Games for Homeschooling Little Ones that Focus on Motor Skills, Fitness, and Movement:
I sound like a broken record, but I want you to understand that –especially for younger children- all games include a math component. If you have wiggly kids, it might be a great idea to include games that allow for movement! When it comes to gameschooling and play-based learning, don’t be afraid to think outside of that [game] box!
If you would like to view more of our top games for the early years that focus on movement and motor skills, please click the image below:
Early Math Games for Homeschooling Little Ones that Focus on Color Recognition and Identification:
- 1-2-3 Froggies
- Birds in a Nest
- Building Site
- Colorama
- First Orchard
- Hanna Honeybee
- Nibble Munch Crunch
- Racoon Rumpus
- Robot Face Race
- Teddy’s Colors and Shapes
- The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Card Game
- The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game
- Trucks Match-Up Game and Puzzle
If you would like to view more of our top games that work on color recognition and identification, please click the image below:
Early Math Games for Homeschooling Little Ones that Focus on Shape Recognition and Identification:
- Colorama
- Dotty Dinosaurs
- Frankie’s Food Truck Fiasco Game
- Imaginets
- Smart Snacks Shape Sorting Cupcakes
- Teddy’s Colors and Shapes
If you would like to view more of our top games that target shape identification and recognition, please click the image below:
Early Math Games for Homeschooling Little Ones that Focus on Memory and Matching Skills:
- Animal Memory Matching Game
- Barnyard Matching Game
- Dr. Seuss Matching Game
- Eric Carle Matching Game
- Frankie’s Food Truck Fiasco Game
- Life on Earth Memory Game
- Petit Collage Memory Game
If you would like to view more of our top games for the early years that focus on memory and matching, please click the image below:
Early Math Games for Homeschooling Little Ones that Focus on Pattern Recognition:
- Imagination Magnets
- Koala Capers
- Sophie’s Seashell Scramble
- Qwirkle
- Tangrams/Pattern Blocks
- Zimbbos!
If you would like to view more of our top games for the early years that focus on pattern recognition, please click the image below:
Early Math Games for Homeschooling Little Ones that Focus on Number Identification and Recognition:
- 100s board
- 1-2-3 Froggie
- Counting Cookies
- Math Marks the Spot Floor Game
- Sequence Numbers
- Sophie’s Seashell Scramble
- Spot It 1 2 3
- Sum Swamp
- Tiny Polka Dot
- Zingo! 1 2 3
Tiny Polka Dot is one of my top early math game recommendations!
If you would like to view more of our top games for the early years that focus on number identification and recognition, please click the image below:
Early Math Games for Homeschooling Little Ones that Focus on Place Value:
If you would like to view more of our top place value games for the early years, please click the image below:
Early Math Games for Homeschooling Little Ones that Focus on Addition and Subtraction:
- 24
- Check the Fridge
- Check the Oven
- Clumsy Thief
- Clumsy Thief in the Candy Shop
- Clumsy Thief Junior
- Countdown!
- Dino Math Tracks
- Math Sprint
- Parcheesi
- Qwixx
- Sleeping Queens
- Sums in Space
- Sum Swamp
- Yahtzee
This is Math Sprint by Byrons Games.
If you would like to view more of our top addition and subtraction games for the early years, please click the image below:
The Best Early Math Games for Your Homeschool
In the early years, I truly believe you can homeschool with your library card and a play mindset!
Homeschooling can be almost all fun and games… especially in the early years! All you need is a playful mindset and a couple of tried-and-true resources.
I’ve shared oodles of math games for little ones, and now I’d like to share more of my favorite math resources for littles, including delicious books.
Additional resources for teaching early math skills in your homeschool
Here are my go-to resources for homeschool parents teaching math in the early years:
- Addition Facts that Stick by Kate Snow
- Bedtime Math (series) by Laura Overdeck
- First Grade Math with Confidence by Kate Snow
- Kindergarten Math with Confidence by Kate Snow
- Let’s Play Math by Denise Gaskins
- Preschool Math at Home by Kate Snow
- Sir Cumference (series) by Cindy Neuschwander
- Subtraction Facts that Stick by Kate Snow
Supplement your current homeschool math routine by reading aloud fantastic math books:
I’ve compiled our family’s tried-and-true math picture books here:
And here’s a story of what can happen if you read a math book to your kiddos and then just relax:
Listen to these podcast episodes that focus on homeschooling math (and more) during the early homeschool years
Kara and I have had lots of questions from listeners about little ones… and math! Here are some of my top picks just for you:
- Homeschooling with a New Baby, with Anne Guarnera {Episode 99} | The Homeschool Sisters Podcast
- Learning with Little Ones, with Erin Loechner {Episode 72} | The Homeschool Sisters Podcast
- Math with Little Ones, with Kate Snow {Episode 98} | The Homeschool Sisters Podcast
- Questions and Quandaries: Deep Dives, Busy Toddlers, and the S-Word {Episode 30} | The Homeschool Sisters Podcast
- The Big, Bad Math Episode, with Kate Snow {Episode 48} | The Homeschool Sisters Podcast
- Your Math Questions, with Kate Snow {Episode 79} | The Homeschool Sisters Podcast
Learn more about using games for learning in your homeschool with this gameschooling course:
If you’d like more help learning how to use games and play to promote learning in your homeschool, I’ve created an entire gameschooling course just for you. I said it before and I’ll say it again- I believe homeschooling can be almost all fun and games. Play has the power to transform your homeschool and family life! I poured my game-loving heart and soul into it because I want you to play more.
Join Gameschooling 101 today and have more fun in your homeschool tomorrow!
Join Never Board Learning, where homeschooling is *almost* all fun and games:
What’s your gameschool personality?
Gameschooling by age and grade level:
- Gameschooling by Age: How to Homeschool with Fantastic Educational Games
- Academic Gameschooling: How to Homeschool with Amazing Games
- Gameschooling by Subject: The Best Games for Your Homeschool
- How Gameschooling Elective Subjects Can Add More Fun to Your Homeschool
Are you homeschooling little ones? Check out this post:
Tips for a Successful Family Game Night:
Additional homeschooling courses from My Little Poppies:
- How to Rock THE MOST IMPORTANT PART of Your Homeschool Day
- The Lazy Homeschooler’s Guide to Unit Studies
Now, it’s your turn! Tell me: What do you think are the best early math games for homeschool families? Share here!
Cait has created several courses for homeschool parents. Cait co-hosts The Homeschool Sisters Podcast and is co-founder of Kindred Collective. Cait is also founder of the Family Book Club at My Little Poppies, a fantastic community of book-loving parents and the Gameschool Community at My Little Poppies, a vibrant community of gameschoolers.
Cait is a contributing writer for Simple Homeschool. Her work has also appeared on The Huffington Post, The Mighty, Scary Mommy, GeekMom, and many others. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
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