15 no-prep math games for kindergarten you can play at home

Quick answer

The best kindergarten math games are short, hands-on and need almost no setup: Roll and Cover, Ten-Frame Flash, Make-10 Memory, Dot Card War, Number Line Hop, Shape Hunt and Hide-and-Count under a cup. Each takes 5 to 10 minutes with cards, dice or snacks, and practices a core kindergarten skill: counting, comparing numbers, adding and subtracting within 10, or making 10.

The best math games for kindergarten need nothing more than a deck of cards, two dice, a cup and a handful of cereal. Each game below takes 5 to 10 minutes, practices a skill kindergartners work on this year, and can be made easier or harder in seconds.

What kindergarten math games should practice

By the end of kindergarten, children are expected to count to 100, count and compare groups of objects, add and subtract within 10, know facts within 5 quickly, find the partner that makes 10, and see teen numbers as ten and some more (Common Core K.CC, K.OA and K.NBT). The games are grouped by those skills. Our kindergarten math checklist has the full list.

Your no-prep math kit

• A deck of playing cards with the face cards removed (ace = 1)
• Two dice; dot dice are best at this age
• About 20 small counters: cereal, buttons, coins or LEGO bricks
• A plastic cup, paper, crayons or sidewalk chalk
• Optional: our free printable ten-frames

Small counters can be a choking hazard for babies and toddlers, so keep an eye on younger siblings.

Counting games

1. Counting Collections

You need: a bag of 10 to 30 small things. Skill: counting objects one by one and answering “how many?” (K.CC.B.4, K.CC.B.5).

1. Dump the bag out and ask your child to guess how many.
2. Count together, moving each item into a “counted” pile.
3. Line the items up in rows of 5 or 10 and count again to check.

Easier: 5 to 10 objects. Harder: 20 to 30 objects grouped in tens, then write the number.

2. Missing Number

You need: number cards 1 to 10 (or numbers written on paper). Skill: number order and counting on from any number (K.CC.A.2).

1. Lay the cards in order.
2. Your child closes their eyes while you take one away.
3. They name the missing number, then you swap roles.

Easier: 1 to 5. Harder: 11 to 20, or tens from 10 to 100.

3. Number Line Hop

You need: sidewalk chalk or painter's tape and one die. Skill: counting on and adding (K.CC.A.2, K.OA.A.2).

1. Draw a number line from 0 to 10.
2. Roll the die and hop that many spaces, saying each number out loud.
3. The first player to reach 10 wins.

Easier: re-roll any 4, 5 or 6 so hops stay small. Harder: a 0 to 20 line, or start at 10 and hop backward to subtract.

4. Simon Says Counting

You need: nothing. Skill: counting out an exact number (K.CC.B.5) and counting by tens.

1. Give commands with numbers: “Simon says clap 7 times.”
2. Mix in two-step moves: “Simon says jump 3 times, then 2 more.”
3. Anyone who does the wrong number sits out one turn.

Easier: numbers up to 5. Harder: count jumping jacks by tens, “10, 20, 30…”

Comparing games

5. Bigger Number Wins

You need: cards from ace to 10. Skill: comparing numbers from 1 to 10 (K.CC.C.7).

1. Split the deck. Both players flip their top card at the same time.
2. The bigger number wins both cards. Say it: “8 is more than 5.”
3. On a tie, flip again.

Easier: cards ace to 5, counting the pips to check. Harder: smaller number wins, or flip two cards each and add.

6. Dot Card War

You need: index cards with 1 to 10 dots drawn on them, or one die per player. Skill: comparing groups (K.CC.C.6) and recognizing small amounts at a glance without counting, called subitizing.

1. Each player flips a card or rolls a die.
2. Whoever has more dots wins the round. Try to say the number before counting.

Easier: up to 5 dots. Harder: scattered dots, which are harder to see at a glance.

7. Snack Graph

You need: a handful of colored cereal or mixed snacks, and paper. Skill: sorting and counting groups (K.MD.B.3), comparing.

1. Sort the snack by color into columns on the paper.
2. Count each column. Which has the most? The fewest? How many more?
3. Eat the winning column.

Easier: two colors. Harder: four colors, and write the number under each column.

Adding and subtracting games

8. Hide-and-Count Under a Cup

You need: a cup and 5 to 10 counters. Skill: the parts of a number and subtraction within 10 (K.OA.A.2, K.OA.A.3).

1. Count 7 counters together.
2. While your child's eyes are closed, hide some under the cup.
3. They count the ones showing and figure out how many are hiding, then lift the cup to check.

Easier: 5 counters, which builds fluency within 5. Harder: 10 counters, and write it down: 7 = 4 + 3.

9. Roll and Cover

You need: one die, counters, and paper with the numbers 1 to 6 written a few times each. Skill: recognizing dice patterns and numerals; adding with two dice (K.OA.A.2).

1. Roll the die and say the number.
2. Cover a matching number with a counter.
3. The first player to cover a whole row wins.

Easier: write fewer numbers. Harder: roll two dice, add, and cover sums from 2 to 12.

10. Ten-Frame Flash

You need: a ten-frame and counters, or index cards with ten-frame dot patterns. Skill: seeing numbers as “5 and some more” and finding the partner that makes 10 (K.OA.A.4).

1. Show a filled ten-frame for about two seconds, then hide it.
2. Your child says how many dots they saw.
3. Ask, “How many more make 10?”

Easier: numbers up to 5, shown longer. Harder: show two frames for teen numbers, like 10 and 4 for 14.

11. Make-10 Memory

You need: cards from ace to 9. Skill: partners of 10 (K.OA.A.4).

1. Lay 12 to 16 cards face down, making sure they include pairs like 6 and 4.
2. Flip two cards. If they make 10, keep them. If not, flip them back.
3. The player with the most pairs wins.

Easier: make 5 with cards ace to 4. Harder: use more cards, or say the matching subtraction fact: 10 − 6 = 4. See the make ten strategy for why these pairs matter so much.

12. Shake and Spill

You need: a cup and 5 to 10 coins (or beans colored on one side). Skill: breaking numbers into pairs in more than one way (K.OA.A.3).

1. Shake 6 coins in the cup and spill them.
2. Count heads and tails: “6 is 4 and 2.”
3. Spill again and try to find every way to make 6.

Easier: 5 coins. Harder: 10 coins, and record each spill as an equation.

13. Ten and Some More

You need: two ten-frames (or an egg carton cut to 10 cups plus a few loose counters). Skill: teen numbers as ten ones and some more ones (K.NBT.A.1).

1. Call out a teen number, like 16.
2. Your child fills one frame and puts the rest in the second.
3. They say it: “16 is 10 and 6 more.”

Easier: 11 to 13. Harder: you build it, they say and write the number.

Shape and measuring games

14. Shape Hunt

You need: nothing. Skill: naming flat and solid shapes and describing where they are (K.G.A.1 to K.G.A.3).

1. Name a shape: “Find three circles!”
2. Your child hunts around the house: a clock, a plate, a button.
3. Switch to solids: a can is a cylinder, a ball is a sphere.

Easier: circles, squares and triangles only. Harder: count sides and corners, or describe positions: “The clock is above the door.”

15. Taller or Shorter?

You need: household objects. Skill: comparing lengths directly (K.MD.A.2).

1. Pick an object, like a spoon.
2. Your child finds something longer, something shorter and something about the same, lining up the ends to compare.

Easier: compare just two objects. Harder: put three objects in order from shortest to longest.

Tips to keep math games fun

• Say the math out loud: “You rolled 5 and 2. That's 7!”
• Play the same game several days in a row. Familiar rules free up attention for the math.
• Let your child be the teacher and explain the rules to you or a grandparent.
• Stop while it's fun, and go back to real objects whenever your child gets stuck.

For older siblings, see how to make math fun at home. If you also use apps, our guide to learning apps shows what to look for, and the free Mathing demo runs in your browser.

Frequently asked questions

What are good math games for kindergarten?

Good kindergarten math games are short, hands-on and focused on one skill. Favorites include Roll and Cover (dice and numbers), Bigger Number Wins (comparing with cards), Hide-and-Count under a cup (subtraction), Ten-Frame Flash and Make-10 Memory (partners of 10), Number Line Hop (counting on) and Shape Hunt. Each needs only cards, dice, a cup or household objects.

What math games can I play with my kindergartener at home?

Use what you have. With a deck of cards, play Bigger Number Wins or Make-10 Memory. With dice, play Roll and Cover or Number Line Hop. With snacks, play Hide-and-Count under a cup or make a snack graph. With nothing at all, play Simon Says Counting or go on a Shape Hunt around the house.

What are no-prep math games?

No-prep math games are games you can start in under a minute with things already in your home, such as playing cards, dice, coins, cereal or a cup. There is nothing to print, cut or laminate. They are ideal for busy evenings, waiting rooms and car rides because you can stop and restart them anytime.

How long should a kindergartener play math games?

About 5 to 10 minutes at a time is plenty for most kindergartners. A short game most days does more than one long session on the weekend. Stop while your child is still having fun, so they ask to play again tomorrow.

Can I use a regular deck of cards for kindergarten math games?

Yes. Take out the jacks, queens and kings and use the ace as 1. For beginners, keep only the cards from ace to 5, then add 6 to 10 as your child gets comfortable. The pips (suit symbols) on each card double as dots your child can count to check an answer.

Are math apps good for kindergarteners?

They can be a useful extra when they are ad-free, have no pressure timers, adapt to your child's level and use pictures like dots and ten-frames. Hands-on games with you should still come first at this age. Keep app sessions short and play together at first so you can talk about the math.

Sources

• Common Core State Standards: Kindergarten, Counting & Cardinality — CCSSI
• Common Core State Standards: Kindergarten, Operations & Algebraic Thinking — CCSSI
• Common Core State Standards: Kindergarten, Number & Operations in Base Ten — CCSSI

Written by The Mathing Team for parents and teachers. Grade expectations follow the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics; your state or school may sequence skills a little differently.