Maths Games for the Summer Holidays

What strategies can you use to keep maths learning moving forwards over the summer holidays? The summer holidays can be detrimental to a child’s maths as most children experience up to 30% learning loss during a prolonged time away from school. 

This blog discusses my Top 5 games to keep maths learning present and enjoyable during the school holidays. 

1. Countdown

Based on the Countdown Conundrum on Channel 4’s popular programme, this interactive game allows children to utilise and develop their maths agility. 

The game is based on using the four operations (multiplication, division, addition and subtraction) to reach a generated target number. As part of the game, children learn to spot patterns and deploy learnt number facts at speed. There are 5 difficulty levels to work through throughout the holidays. 

Internet access if required to play this game, which can be enjoyed solo or as a competitive challenge - perhaps even against parents!

Click here to access the game on the nRich website. 

2. Rummikub

This physical resource is an excellent game for developing pattern recognition, logic and reasoning for 2+ players. Rummikub is a game of strategy that requires focus for the duration of the game. 

When teaching full time, I felt so passionate about the benefits of this board game, that the school bought enough sets for a whole year group to regularly play all at once. Furthermore, when it came to naming my dog, there was only one clear choice: meet Rummikub (Rummy) the Beaglier! 

The classic game and also a travel sized version can be found on Amazon. 

3. Number Plate Game

The Number Plate Game is a classic holiday activity that keeps children entertained through car journeys. The game not only enhances numeracy skills but also helps in imprioving the ability to hold and process information effectively amidst distractions.

The main objective of the game is to reach a certain target number by adding up the digits on number plates within a set parameter (e.g. cars directly in front). Numerous versions of this game exist, and children often develop their own variations and rules using number plates in no time.

4. Sneaky Surveys

Children can engage in their own mini research projects in this activity by creating a tally chart and a graph to present their unique findings.They may choose to document shell size at the beach, frequency of foods at holiday meal times or how often parents and siblings wear certain colour shirts. 

This activity has always been a highlight of my post-holiday homework marking as, as you can imagine, children can be very creative! The holiday challenge empowers children to take ownership of a task, and apply statistical concepts in a practical way, which is not often explored in the curriculum.

5. Give your Child a Budget

Even though we commonly rely on cards and Apple Pay in our daily lives, many school worksheets and exam questions still require a knowledge of handling cash. The school holidays present a perfect opportunity to introduce children to managing a cash budget, helping them understand the value of coins, change and the real world prices of items.

I intend to write a blog post in the importance of teaching money concepts in primary school mathematics soon, as this is an area where children often struggle. Children enjoy receiving pocked money, making summer an ideal time to teach them practical money management skills and associated value.

Bonus:  Follow my instagram!

Each Monday, I post a maths challenge aimed at those preparing for the 11+. These challenges visit all areas of the maths curriculum and are often rooted in problem solving and reasoning. The solutions are revealed weekly. It has been delightful to see families enjoying these challenges together (often with adults struggling more!).

To the right is this week’s Monday Maths Challenge, can you solve it? Click here to go to my instagram.

This is just a small selection from my own experience as a teacher and tutor. Feel free to share any other suggestions that you have for enhancing maths learning during the summer holidays in the comments below.