Making Maths Fun: A Practical Guide to Game-Based Lesson Plans for Years 1–6

Many primary pupils find maths a worrying subject—not because they can’t learn it, but because the experience hasn’t felt safe or enjoyable. As private tutors, we can change that. Using interactive maths games turns number work into exploration and play, helping even anxious learners engage without fear.

In primary maths tutoring, teaching maths through games keeps attention high, makes concepts concrete, and gives you rapid feedback on understanding. Crucially, the same activity can support both pupils who need extra practice and those ready for a new challenge.

This post shares practical steps, ready-to-use maths tutoring ideas, and a clear structure for building a maths games lesson plan that is effective, inclusive, and aligned with the UK maths curriculum.

Key Takeaways

• Learning games can help to reduce anxiety and increase enjoyment of maths
• Many maths games can be adapted to different age groups, abilities, and confidence levels.
• Different games can be used to explore, practise and build knowledge across various mathematical concepts
• Maths games can provide tutors with useful feedback, while helping students reflect on their learning

Why Use Maths Games in Primary Tutoring?

• Engagement: Games turn tasks into a positive challenge. Pupils focus for longer and practise more when lessons feel like play—leading to truly engaging maths lessons.

• Confidence building: Low-stakes competition or collaborative play can help reduce maths anxiety. Successes are frequent and visible, which boosts self-belief.

• Active learning: Dynamic, talk-rich activities require pupils to explain, justify, and correct mistakes, deepening their understanding of maths beyond worksheets.

• Adaptability: The same games can be scaled up or down by tweaking numbers, time limits, or rules, making them ideal for mixed-ability teaching.

• Curriculum alignment: With a little planning, you can create curriculum-aligned maths games for key skills across Years 1–6 (place value, number facts, fractions, measures, reasoning, and problem-solving).

Choosing the Right Maths Games for Your Lessons

Before you select a game, consider the following key points:

• Age group and year (KS1 vs KS2): KS1 pupils need simple rules, strong visuals, and short rounds; most KS2 students can handle multi-step rules and deeper reasoning.

• Learning objective: Be precise (e.g., “fluency with x÷ facts up to 12,” “comparing unit fractions,” or “two-step word-problem strategies”).

• Group size: One-to-one games favour turn-taking and coaching; small groups allow for collaboration, discussion, and peer explanation.

• Resources available: Decide whether you’ll use physical materials (dice, counters, number cards), printable activities, or digital tools. If you use online platforms, choose those that cover UK maths curriculum objectives and offer adjustable difficulty levels. 

Quick suggestions:

• Physical board or card adaptations: e.g., Snakes and Ladders with number challenge cards; memory pair flashcards with number bonds or fraction equivalences.

• DIY with household items: Dominoes for factors and multiples; a deck of playing cards for place value or mental arithmetic.

• Digital practice: Look for curriculum-aligned activities that provide immediate feedback and simple reporting.

How to Create a Maths Games Lesson Plan – Step by Step

1. Define the learning objective

   • Example: “Improve fluency with multiplication tables up to 12, focusing on ×6 and ×7.”

2. Select an appropriate game

   • Pick a ruleset that directly targets the skill and fits the pupil’s age and attention span.

3. Prepare resources

   • Cards, dice, spinners, counters, small whiteboards, or a chosen digital activity. Prepare variation cards (easy, intermediate, challenging) in advance.

4. Plan the structure

   • Warm-up (5–8 min): Quick number talk or flashcard sprint to activate prior knowledge.

   • Main game (15–25 min): Model 1–2 sample turns, then let pupils play. Circulate, question, and note misconceptions.

   • Reflection (5–10 min): “What strategy helped you win?” “Which facts were tricky?” Decide on next steps.

5. Adapt for different abilities

   • Provide tiered decks (e.g., ×2–×5 vs ×6–×12), add or remove rules, or incorporate hints and time limits.

6. Record evidence

   • Jot quick notes on fluency, reasoning, and errors. This keeps your maths games lesson plan purposeful and trackable over time.

Supporting Different Types of Learners Through Games

Struggling learners:

• Use clear visual supports (arrays, fraction strips, number lines).

• Keep rules short; practise with guided turns before independent play.

• Offer frequent small wins—bonus points for good reasoning, not only for speed.

Confident or high-attaining learners:

• Introduce challenge cards, time trials, or multi-step problems linked to the same concept.

• Ask for strategy explanations and generalisations (“When does ×9 feel easy?”).

• In small groups, encourage peer teaching and “coach mode” turns.

Practical Examples of Maths Games for Primary Tutors

1. Times Table Race (KS1–KS2)

   • Focus: Multiplication fluency.

   • How to play: Each player rolls two dice, multiplies, and moves a counter on a track if correct. Add “power squares” with trickier facts (e.g., ×6, ×7, ×8) that grant an extra turn.

   • Differentiate: Use a dice with targeted factors (e.g., 6–9) for learners who need stretch; allow support grids for those building fluency.

2. Fraction Pairs Match (KS2)

   • Focus: Equivalence and visual reasoning.

   • How to play: Lay fraction cards face down (e.g., 1/2, 2/4, 3/6) and matching visuals (area/length models). Pupils flip two cards to find an equivalent pair.

   • Differentiate: Include mixed numbers/decimals; or restrict to unit fractions for earlier stages.

3. Maths Bingo (KS1–KS2)

   • Focus: Flexible—addition, subtraction, multiplication, place value, or rounding.

   • How to play: Pupils have bingo boards with answers. Tutor calls questions; pupils mark answers if present.

   • Differentiate: Vary question complexity; add “explain your move” tokens where pupils must justify a choice to claim a square—great for engaging maths lessons.

4. Problem-Solving Treasure Hunt (KS1–KS2)

   • Focus: Reasoning and word problems.

   • How to play: Hide numbered question cards around the room (or various rooms). Each correct answer reveals the next location.

   • Differentiate: Use scaffolded hints or multiple-choice for support; multi-step problems or extra data for challenge.

5. Digital Escape Room (KS2)

   • Focus: Mixed-topic problem solving aligned to the UK maths curriculum.

   • How to play: Pupils solve puzzles to “unlock” stages (codes from calculations, patterns, or logic).

   • Differentiate: Offer optional clue cards; add timed stages for confident learners.

Quick Tips for Tutors Using Maths Games

• Tie every activity to a clear objective—game-based learning for maths should always move understanding forward.

• Teach rules explicitly; model 1–2 turns before independent play.

• Keep equipment simple and ready in a small game kit (dice, counters, whiteboard pens).

• Plan a quick backup fun maths activity in case the main game ends early.

• Use reflection questions to consolidate learning and plan next steps.

• Rotate formats (physical, printable, digital) to sustain novelty and motivation.

• Track progress so your primary maths tutoring remains curriculum-aligned and purposeful.

Study, Play, Succeed

Teaching maths through games is both effective and enjoyable. With a clear maths games lesson plan, you’ll see more participation, increased fluency, and calmer, happier learners. Start small: introduce one new game in your next session, adapt it for your pupil, and note the impact.

Over time, a toolkit of interactive maths games will give you reliable, flexible options for consistently engaging maths lessons—and pupils who genuinely look forward to maths!