There are many fun and engaging maths games for nursery children out there, which can provide entertainment whilst also helping to develop crucial skills. Whilst the majority of us learn our maths in a traditional school environment, it is possible to introduce children to some fun and games that teach them the ABC’s as well as basic math facts at home. By taking an active role, you can begin to develop the essential skills that will help them throughout school and life.

One of the most popular of these games is hide and seek. Using a set of matching cards, you will form a picture of someone and then hide them in the pile of cards. Every time you see your child’s name written over a card, they must find the hiding card – if they do, they win! There are many variations on this theme, including bingo games and matching tiles. A popular game for children in the nursery is hide and seek with objects, such as toy trains and toy boxes.

Another great game for nursery children puzzles. This is a good introduction to learning mathematics and can also act as a fun activity for young children to enjoy, with rewards for successful answers. There are many different types of puzzles available, including word searches, pattern matches and word finds. Puzzles can also be made more challenging with objects – wooden blocks for example can be used to make spatial puzzles, making it more difficult to solve.

Games which help children to develop their problem solving skills are also a lot of fun. Tetris is a classic example of this, using the game pieces to build up straight lines and shapes within a grid of two rows and three columns. These can then be turned over so that the squares form a cross, which has to be solved in order to move to the next row. Games like Hide and Seek are a similar concept, where a child must find the exact spot on the grid by searching for a letter or a shape within a range of nine, by matching the correct answer to a letter.

Colouring books are a great way for children to learn to color in the lines, as well as learn how to recognise certain shapes. Older children can get into more complex games, such jigsaw puzzles, where they work together as a team to see that they form the right picture. Another favourite game is hide and seek, where children have to find the other players clues and use them to help them get to the next clue. These can all help children to develop their problem solving skills and learn more about how the world works.

It’s also a great idea to have games where children have to ‘think’ of the answers by using deduction techniques. For example, one game may be a child thinking of the number seven, and having to come up with a number from a list. The first player to reach a logical conclusion from the clues given will win the game. Older children can learn how to do some advanced mathematics with addition, subtraction and multiplication tables, and even work out ways to combine these methods. Flash cards can also be used to teach children’s addition and subtraction by showing them how to associate different coloured items on a card.

One of the most popular math games for children that you can play in the early years is hide and seek. Again, this is a game which can be played at any age and is sure to bring enjoyment for all concerned. In the standard game, two children are presented with a picture, in this case a room full of things. One child hides, whilst the other child seeks. If the hiding child finds out that there are no items in the room, they win. However, if they cannot find the item, they need to guess what it looks like, until eventually revealing it hidden behind something else.

Some other excellent learning activities for children include word finding games, as well as musical chairs and musical puzzle. By using musical chairs, you get two people to sit in a circle, and you ask them to sing a tune. The first person finds the word, whilst the other simply sits and does nothing. The first person that finds the word wins a prize. A musical puzzle is similar to musical chairs, but here, the music must be played in time, and only one player is permitted to perform it. These are a few ideas of the many fantastic maths games for nursery children that you can choose from.