Making Board Games in Math

 In the day of technology and digital devices, students and teachers no long consider using board games in math.  Teachers tend to automatically look for digital apps to provide the practice students need to learn new material.  What is wrong with reverting to having students create and play board games.  There are apps that replicate many of the most famous board games such as backgammon and others.

There are several reasons to look at having students make their own games.  First, it can make practicing mathematical skills fun, second they can be used to develop mathematical reasoning, third it can be used to teach new concepts, and lastly, it can be used as a method of hands-on learning.  Furthermore, it can increase student involvement when they make their own learning activities or games.

Before they begin the process of actually making the game, students need to figure out what math concept they want to incorporate in the game and how will they do that.  These games are based on math so they need to figure out how to do that.  I've actually had kids play the 5 dice game where they rolled the dice and used the operations to make a certain number.

If you have students create their own board games, there are certain steps to follow to ensure a good game.

1.  Select a game style for the game.  Will it resemble something like Candyland, Scrabble, Backgammon, or will it be something totally new, or a hybrid of both?   Will it require dice, a spinner, a bunch of cards?  What type of board will there be?  Will it have shortcuts, places to send you back?  Do you need the exact number to go out?  These are some questions to think about when selecting the game style.

2.  Next break down all the rules, the movement, everything, so students know exactly how the game is played.  This is the point where the design is worked completely out so they can build it and share it with others to play.  This is where students make a list of what they need for the game from pieces, to cards to dice.  This is also where they have worked out all the rules from starting the game, to movement, to playing it, to ending it.

3. Then the student is ready to build the board.  The board can be made of a manilla folder, piece of cardboard, thick construction paper glued to cardboard or thick card stock.  Students can use permanent markers to create squares or mark the area between colored construction paper squares or painted squares.

4.  If the game requires pieces to move around the board, then the students make them.  If the game does not require pieces, the student can move on.

5.  This last step has students putting everything together, trying the game to make sure it all works, and then playing it with other students to ensure it works exactly the way they thought it should.  This is the "Beta" testing stage, where students discover any adjustments they need to make.  Do the rules need clarifying?  Did they goof and forget to put some sort of obstacles in the way?  What can they do to make it better.

Now it is ready to play with other students to see how it goes.  Try it with other classes, or other grades. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.