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Domino Math Games

Students learn through repetition, but repetition can be fun. Pre-math skills such as sorting and matching are learned while playing domino games. Dominoes help older students practice simple equations, including addition, subtraction and multiplication. Creative teachers find ways to use toys and games to engage students and help them memorize and learn.

Matching
- Give young children dominoes and ask them to sort and match the ends. For example, five pips must be paired with a domino with five pips, three with three and so on. There are domino sets with pictures of animals, colors or simple graphics that are used for this purpose. You can also use traditional dominoes to teach matching and sorting.
Addition
- Use a bag or box of dominoes. Children take turns pulling out a domino. Instruct your first-grade class to write an equation based on the domino. For example, if a student pulls a domino with three pips on one side and five pips on the other, she would write: 3 + 5 = 8. Play the same game with subtraction, instructing students to subtract the smaller number from the larger. Older students play this game with multiplication.
Patterns
- This game requires a large amount of dominoes, perhaps a few matching sets. Challenge students to put together dominoes in a pattern. For example, double six, double one, double six, double one, or whatever pattern you choose. They will only be able to make a pattern as long as there are dominoes.
100 Dots
- Challenge students to make a domino train whose pips add up to 100.

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