As we approach the end of the school year, we all face a common challenge: keeping our students engaged in learning. Math, in particular, can get a bit heavy, but I’ve found that turning review lessons into fun games can work wonders! Here are six of my favorite end of year math games that not only make math review fun but will also bring your students together in some friendly competition. Make those last weeks count, and send your students off with smiles and confidence in their math skills!
Task Card Bingo
Who doesn’t love Bingo? It’s so easy to whip up your own bingo games using task cards you already own. To quickly create bingo cards that can be used year after year, use an online bingo card generator. Task card bingo is great for a quick review of operations, fractions, or even geometry.
Trashketball
There’s nothing like the allure of Trashketball to get the whole class excited! Organize the kids into teams, ask a math question, and if they get it right, they earn a chance to shoot a basket for bonus points. It’s a blast and really pumps up the energy in the room. Trashketball can be played with any set of task cards or with premade digital games and is guaranteed to be one of your students’ favorite end of year math games.
Math Jeopardy
Math Jeopardy is a classic for a reason—it transforms review time into an exciting game show! You can use ready-made digital Jeopardy games or play with the task cards you already own. Watching students strategize which questions to pick based on point values adds an extra layer of fun and learning. It’s a fantastic way to cover a lot of material and keeps everyone on their toes.
Game rotations
Revisit old favorites from your math centers. It’s a great way to leverage games that your students love and find beneficial. Set up stations around the classroom with different games from previous math centers. Have students rotate through the stations, spending about 20 minutes at each one. This rotation keeps energy levels up and gives students a chance to play each game.
Treasure Hunt
Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned treasure hunt? Place problems around the classroom or outside, and have each solved clue lead to the next. Ending with a little treasure (maybe some stickers or a no-homework pass) makes it even more exciting. This game is brilliant for making math feel like an adventure and gets kids moving. Search for math treasure hunts on TPT to get started.
Board Games
Another way to get students excited about math review is by letting them create their own board games. This is a great way to combine art and math. If you’re short on time, pair student-created game boards with your favorite task cards. If you’re looking for a longer-term project, have students create their own questions and answer keys to go along with their game boards.
End of Year Math Games
Incorporating these games into your end-of-year routine can really change your students’ opinions about review time. It’s about making those last weeks as engaging and enjoyable as possible, giving your students a strong finish and a positive outlook on math.
