Benchmark testing can cause a lot of stress and anxiety in both students and teachers. As a teacher, you’ve done your very best to teach every single math skill and standard while students have done their best to learn and retain them.
However, we all know that students learn best when they are engaged and excited. Which is why I love incorporating games into each and every day (and especially around testing season). Here are 10 of my favorite and free math test prep games for elementary kids!
Fun & Free Math Test Prep Games for Elementary Students
From reviewing telling time to practicing multiplication facts, the following games cover a variety of standards and lessons. Your students will forget they are even reviewing for the upcoming math test.
Let’s dive into these10 fun and free math test prep games for your elementary students!
Telling Time Games
Telling time is best taught through hands-on games (isn’t everything?). I find that my students get the most confused on differentiating between the minute and hour hand and determining which space belongs to which hour. The following games can help!
1. Time Flies Game
This engaging and easy-to-play game helps students practice telling time to the nearest hour, half hour, or five minutes. With two levels included, it’s easy to differentiate based on student needs. To set up, simply print a game board for every two players, grab some dice, and have students create their own game pieces.
Players take turns rolling the die and moving forward that many spaces. To stay on their spot, they must correctly read the time on the space (verified by their partner). Adding to the excitement, some spaces feature flies—if a player lands on one, they lose a turn!
Grab the FREE game printables here!
2. Blast off To Hour Space
This is a great game to play after first introducing students how to locate the hour space. It can be played as a whole group or in pairs. Start by printing the game board and cards on cardstock then grab some connecting cubes (or any small items).
Partner 1 will then read a card while Partner 2 locates the space that belongs to the number. You can let your students be creative a bit with the rules as to who is the “winner”.
If you have a competitive bunch, you could always print off duplicates of the cards and then have each player have different color cubes. The winner would be the student who has the most cubes on the game board.
Get Blast Off To Outer Space Game
3. Color My Space
Color My Space is a great way to check for understanding of individual learners. After introducing the hour space and playing the above game (Blast Off To Hour Space), you can have students complete this Color My Space worksheet independently.
They will have fun coloring, while you will be able to quickly check to see who needs additional help.
4. Make a Hook
This Make a Hook game is the perfect hands-on game for your tactile learners. You start by cutting pipe-cleaners/chenille sticks in half or quarters (depending on the size of your practice clock). Then, form a hook with your finger to look like a backward J. The straight end will be placed on the hour hand while the hook points to the correct hour space.
You can then place the clock cards around the room or in a center (depending on small group or whole group instruction) and students can use their hook to help them solve.
Tip! As students gain mastery, have them use their index finger as an imaginary hook as they read the correct time past the hour!
Grab all three of the above games here!
Array Games
When beginning to teach multiplication concepts, arrays are the perfect way to bring them to life. The following games have fun themes and help students grasp the abstract topic.
5. St. Patty’s Day Arrays
If you happen to be teaching multiplication concepts in March, these St. Patty’s Day Array games are low-prep and engaging! All you need are dice, counters, and a printable game board for each pair.
Bonus points if you can find gold coins or other themed counters! The Dollar Tree always has plenty of themed and affordable options.
6. Farmer Brown Arrays
Does anyone else always try to plan a farm field trip in the springtime?! This farmer-themed array activity is great for students who struggle with visualizing multiplication problems. It has students connect math to real-life scenarios by “planting” arrays in a cornfield.
With the use of two printables, real-life pictures (included), and yellow connecting cubes, this game gives students a concrete way to see how arrays are used in the world around them while also building their understanding of multiplication.
Free Online Math Games That Are Perfect For Test Prep
While hands-on, team-based math games are my top choice, there’s no denying that kids love online games! Some are great for learning and give you valuable time to work with a smaller group.
However, I know that finding digital resources that are free and still engaging for students can be tough. You need something that keeps kids focused without breaking the bank. Here are some of my favorite online math games that I use inside my classroom.
7. Multiplication Mine
Multiplication Mine is an online game that helps students practice their multiplication facts in a fun, interactive way. It’s free to use on a computer, and the mining theme keeps students engaged.
They’ll work on identifying products of multiplication expressions while navigating through the “mine.” This game is a great way to reinforce multiplication facts and build problem-solving skills.
Note: The ABCya website is free to use on a computer, but the app requires a subscription to play the games. Ads support the free version of the website, while the app subscription removes ads and gives users access to more games. I use the free version inside my classroom and we have not run into any issues with the ads. It’s a definite fan favorite!
8. Boddle
Boddle is an interactive and super engaging online learning platform that is free for teachers to use! Teachers will need to create an account and set up your class beforehand. Then, your students will be able to play fun games that address their needs.
The games are standard-aligned and teachers have the ability to assign certain tasks and monitor progress from their dashboard.
9. Prodigy
Prodigy combines your student’s love of video games with important math skills. Throughout this free game, they will explore magical realms, battle with friends, and of course complete quests (or math problems) to keep advancing.
Trust me, your class will forget they are reviewing for an upcoming test with the help of this game!
10. CoolMath
Although the sheer number of games on CoolMath Games can be a bit distracting for your students, some of the math games can be extremely beneficial. I mostly use it to allow my students to practice fact fluency (addition, subtraction, or multiplication).
More Engaging Elementary Math Resources
It’s no secret that math can quickly become a student’s favorite or LEAST favorite subject depending on how you teach it. The concepts can be tricky to learn, but if taught in an engaging way, students will approach it as a challenge or puzzle.
Here are some fun math ideas to help!
- Butterfly Math and Science Ideas
- Gingerbread Math Activities
- Holidays Around the World Math Party
- Family Math Night Ideas
Do you have any other engaging and fun math games that are perfect for test prep? I’d love to hear them in the comments! Be sure to save this post and the free math test prep games for testing season!
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