Math Board Games for Preschoolers: What Research Shows

Family game night may be one of the easiest ways to build your child's math skills, no worksheets required. When a preschooler rolls a die, counts the dots, and moves their piece along a numbered path, they are practicing counting, number recognition, and the idea that bigger numbers are farther along.

And this is not just a hunch. A well-known study published in the journal Child Development found that a simple number board game led to real improvements in preschoolers' number knowledge.

This guide explains what the research says about math board games for preschoolers, what makes a game good for early math, and how to make your own number board game at home in just a few minutes.

What the research says about board games and early math

In a 2008 study, psychologists Geetha Ramani and Robert Siegler worked with preschool children attending Head Start programs, which serve families with lower incomes. Children were randomly assigned to play one of two versions of a simple board game with an adult:

• The number game had a straight path of spaces marked with numbers.
• The comparison game looked similar, but its spaces were marked with colors instead of numbers.

Children played for roughly an hour in total, spread across about two weeks.

The researchers found that children who played the number game improved in four areas:

1. Counting
2. Identifying printed numerals
3. Comparing numbers to tell which one is bigger
4. Estimating where numbers go on a number line

Children who played the color version did not show the same gains. And when the researchers checked again nine weeks later, the number-game children had kept their improvements.

The researchers suggest the straight, numbered path is part of why it works. As a child moves farther along, the numbers get bigger, so the game shows children what “bigger” means in a way they can see and feel.

Source: Ramani, G. B., & Siegler, R. S. (2008). Promoting broad and stable improvements in low-income children's numerical knowledge through playing number board games. Child Development, 79(2), 375–394. doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01131.x

What this means for your family

One study can't promise results for every child, and this one focused on specific skills with a specific group of children. Still, the takeaway for parents is encouraging: short, playful number games with a grown-up can make a meaningful difference. And they cost almost nothing.

What makes a board game good for preschool math?

Not every game builds number skills equally. Look for these features:

• A straight path of numbered spaces. Numbers that increase in a line make the size of each number easy to see.
• Small numbers to move. A die, spinner, or cards with 1, 2, or 3 keep counting manageable.
• Moving one space at a time. Each hop matches one number word.
• Saying numbers out loud. Naming each space as you land on it (“seven, eight!”) connects the word, the numeral, and the distance.
• Short games. Five to ten minutes keeps young children engaged.

Many classic race-to-the-finish games for young children share these features. You can also make one yourself.

How to make a DIY number board game (1–10)

What you need

• A sheet of paper and a marker
• Two small toys or buttons to use as game pieces
• A coin, or a paper spinner divided into two halves labeled 1 and 2

Choose game pieces that are safe for your child's age, and supervise closely around small objects.

How to make it

1. Draw a straight row of 10 large squares across the paper.
2. Write the numbers 1 to 10 in the squares, from left to right.
3. Draw a “Start” box before 1 and a star or finish line after 10.
4. Make your spinner, or use a coin: heads moves 1, tails moves 2.

How to play

1. Each player places a piece on Start.
2. Take turns spinning or flipping, then move that many spaces.
3. Say the number of each space as you move: “I'm on 3. I spun 2, so four, five!” Encourage your child to do the same.
4. The first player to reach 10 wins. Then play again.

Make it easier: Use a path of 5 squares, and move only 1 space per turn. Make it harder: Stretch the path to 20 squares, or use a standard die.

6 more math games for preschoolers

1. Race to 10 with a ten frame

Draw two rows of five boxes. Take turns rolling a die and adding that many counters. The first person to fill the frame wins. Learn more in our guide to ten frames for preschoolers.

2. Dice match

Roll two dice and ask, “Which one has more?” Children quickly start recognizing dot patterns without counting, a skill called subitizing. Our guide What Is Subitizing? has more games to try.

3. Number card war

Use playing cards from ace to 5 (or 10 for older children). Each player flips a card, and the bigger number wins both cards. Ask, “How do you know your number is bigger?”

4. Number memory

Lay out pairs of number cards face down and take turns finding matches. Say each number as you flip it.

5. Roll and count

Roll a die and do that many claps, jumps, or toe touches. Count together as you move.

6. Hide and find numbers

Hide paper numbers 1 to 10 around a room. As your child finds each one, place it on a number line taped to the floor, in order.

Tips for playing math games with preschoolers

Play together. The adult's role matters. Count with your child, name the numbers, and ask questions.

Say the numbers out loud. Naming each space as you move connects number words to positions on the path.

Keep it short and happy. End the game while your child still wants to play again.

Let them win sometimes. A little success keeps young children motivated.

Ask “how do you know?” Questions like “How did you know you were ahead?” turn a game into a math conversation.

Repeat favorite games. Playing the same simple game many times is how skills become solid.

Bring numbers to game night

Draw a 1–10 game path tonight and play a few quick rounds. It takes five minutes to make, and it gives your child a fun, repeatable way to practice numbers.

For more ways to explore each number, the Numbers 1–10 Activity Bundle gives your child pages to meet, see, show, and build every number from 0 to 10. To start for free, try our Number Friends coloring pages for numbers 1–5.

Reference

Ramani, G. B., & Siegler, R. S. (2008). Promoting broad and stable improvements in low-income children's numerical knowledge through playing number board games. Child Development, 79(2), 375–394. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01131.x