Maths Games Without Screens: Cards, Dice and Kitchen Fun

By the Success Tutoring team · 4 October 2026

You only need a deck of cards, a couple of dice and a few things from the kitchen cupboard to play great maths games. Card games build number bonds, adding and times tables. Dice games practise counting, place value and chance. Kitchen games bring in measuring, fractions and money. Here are tried-and-tested games with simple rules, the ages they suit and the skill each one builds.

Card games

Remove the picture cards to start (or count them as 10), and use the ace as 1.

Make Ten (ages 5–7)

Lay out 12 cards face up. Players take turns finding two cards that add to 10, such as 3 and 7, and keep them. Refill the gaps. The player with the most pairs wins. For older children, play Make Twenty with three cards. This builds instant recall of number bonds.

Addition or Times Table War (ages 6–11)

Each player turns over two cards. Younger children add them; older children multiply them. The biggest answer wins all the cards. Keep it friendly by letting players check each other's answers.

Closest to 100 (ages 7–10)

Deal six cards to each player. Each player picks four to make two 2-digit numbers that add as close to 100 as possible. For example, 4, 7, 5 and 2 could make 47 + 52 = 99. This is a brilliant place value and mental addition game.

Target Number (ages 8–12)

Turn over two cards to make a 2-digit target, then deal four more. Use adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing to reach the target. With target 18 and cards 2, 3, 5 and 6, you could do (5 − 2) × 6 = 18. Not every card has to be used. It builds flexible thinking and order of operations.

Dice games

Race to 20 (ages 4–6)

Roll one die and move a counter along a 1–20 number track drawn on paper. Say each number as you move. First to 20 wins. Children learn to count on from where they are, not from 1.

Place Value Dice (ages 6–9)

Draw a hundreds, tens and ones chart for each player. Roll a die three times. After each roll, decide which column to put the digit in. Biggest number wins. Once a digit is placed, it can't move, so there's some strategy and risk.

Doubles and Halves (ages 6–8)

Roll two dice and add them, then double the total. Or roll and halve even totals. It's a quick warm-up that builds doubling fluency, which supports the 2, 4 and 8 times tables.

Pig (ages 7–12)

Roll one die as many times as you like, adding each roll to your running total for the turn. Stop whenever you like to bank the points, but if you roll a 1, you lose that turn's points. First to 100 wins. Children practise adding on and start thinking about chance.

Kitchen games

Recipe Doubler (ages 7–12)

Choose a recipe and ask your child to double or halve it. “It needs 150 g of flour for 6 muffins. How much for 12?” Then cook it together and measure carefully. Halving amounts like 75 g brings in fractions and decimals.

Shop Till You Drop (ages 5–9)

Put prices on a few tins and packets. Give your child some coins and let them buy items and work out change. Start with whole amounts, then move to amounts with cents or pence.

Fraction Snacks (ages 5–9)

Cut a pizza, sandwich or orange into halves, quarters and eighths. “Would you rather have 1/2 or 3/8?” Children love finding out which is more when it's their snack.

Estimate Jar (ages 5–10)

Fill a clear jar with pasta, beans or grapes. Everyone writes an estimate, then count together, grouping in tens. Closest guess wins. This builds estimation and counting in groups.

Which game for which skill?

Tips to keep it fun

• Play, don't teach. Let the game do the work. Avoid turning each turn into a lesson.
• Adjust the rules so everyone has a real chance of winning. Older siblings can use harder versions.
• Let children check your answers too. Catching a parent's “mistake” is a thrill and keeps them alert.
• Keep games where you'll see them. A deck of cards in the kitchen drawer gets used far more than one in a cupboard.

Screens as a complement

Screen-free games are wonderful for talk and family time. Online games add instant feedback and let children practise on their own. A mix works well: a card game after dinner, and a few minutes of the Times Tables Challenge or Speed Maths Challenge when they have a moment. You'll find printable practice on our worksheets page too.

Frequently asked questions