In this session, you'll learn about several games & activities that you can do with students to show them that math isn't yucky! You'll have a chance to see several games and activities in action from Mathigon, Math for Love, and more. The games and activities are easy to integrate into your existing class to keep students excited about math. ​
Presentation Slides (PDF 1.7 MB)
Session Resources:
  • Yucky! - children's book
    www.kevindsmith.org/yucky.html
    This is the children's book I wrote about a girl that doesn't like math because...
    If you would like to me to read the book to your students and do math activities with them, reach out to me.

  • Solve Me Mobiles - great for developing problem solving and algebraic thinking skills

  • Solve Me Mystery Grid - similar to Sudoku except it is simpler; a great way for students to use logic and reasoning skills

  • Cube Conversations - great math routine to get students talking and thinking; helps develop counting, adding and multiplication skills

  • All Ten - daily challenge to build equations

  • Nerdle - similar to Wordle, but with equations; there are different levels - micro, mini, classic

  • Area Maze - these are challenging puzzles in which students have to find the missing value (either area or dimensions)
  • Ultimate Tic Tac Toe - this is just like Tic Tac Toe, but you play with 9 games going on at once; play it online or on paper

  • Pips - this is a logic puzzles that uses dominoes
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  • Hex - simple connection game where players build continuous paths across a hexagonal grid, creating a rich mathematical challenge involving topology, graph theory, and strategic planning.
2025 Resources

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  • All Ten - daily challenge to build equations
     
  • Balance the Scale - put dice on the scale to make it balance

  • Guess my rule- gets students talking thinking about patterns and equestions; This link takes you to Polypad. You can build whatever function machine you want and have students guess the rule.
Other Resources:

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Background:
I developed this presentation to help teachers create positive, engaging math experiences that build curiosity and confidence. I've presented this session at national and regional conferences, as well as professional development events for K–12 educators. Together, we explore hands-on games and activities that help students discover that math is about much more than getting the right answer—it can be creative, playful, and fun.
Contact:
Kevin Smith
Professor, Dakota State University
Instagram: @KevinSmithSD