Setting Up a Maths Games Club

If you follow me on Instagram/Facebook you will know that I love playing, and encouraging parents and children, to play board and card games.

Literally, I am yet to come across a game that doesn’t involve maths in some way! 

So, I wanted to share another way that I promoted numeracy at my school. I set up a Games Club.

Once a week, at lunchtime, I would open the library and spend my lunchtime supervising the Maths Games Club.

The games were set up, monitored and packed away by Year 6 students. They were in charge of making sure everyone was included and knew how to play.

The Year 6s were also in charge of promotion and even set up tournaments for those who wanted to be involved in competitions. 

This was a great opportunity for our Year 6s to develop their leadership skills, and for the other students in the school, particularly those that struggled making friendships or weren’t interested in sport to meet like-minded friends.

We purchased Chess, Connect 4, Uno, Snakes and Ladders, Set, Qwirkle and Blockus and all students, no matter their year level, could come and play.

This was a great way to encourage students to see the fun link between maths and games

The games club was particularly popular in winter when it was freezing outside, but as long as they were seeing the fun in maths- I didn’t mind how many joined in…the more the merrier!

I would have Foundation students playing against a Year 6 and the conversation, thinking and problem solving was priceless.

Every student left feeling happy, having had fun and having made new friends.

There were such cool interactions between students of all ages in our school.

SO, there you have it… why not try setting up a Maths Games Club at your school?