Having a sense of numbers is vital for the understanding of numerical aspects of the world.
Students can be helped in improving their number sense at this level.
It requires exploring and playing with numbers, and being encouraged to think about patterns and relationships between numbers.
In school mathematics this element of playing and having fun with numbers is important.
The following games are suggested with this purpose.
These are expected to stimulate engagement, participation and mathematical reasoning.
It needs to be remembered that students learn to apply the concepts learnt faster while playing games.
A good game should have an element of competitiveness; this can be achieved by having two or more players who take turns to achieve a ‘winning’ situation of some kind. an element of choice and decision making about the next move throughout the game an element of interaction between the players in that the moves of one player affect the others.
It should be accessible for all, with good colour contrast, language choice, Braille, large font etc.
The following games will help in making students revisit numbers and also allow them to have a deeper look at them.
This will help in their further learning about numbers.
Give a copy of the hundred grid as shown to the students or it can be drawn on the Board. (Make this grid in Braille also)
Eight clues are given below:
1. The number is greater than 9.
2. The number is not a multiple of 10.
3. The number is a multiple of 7.
4. The number is odd.
5. The number is not a multiple of 11.
6. The number is less than 200.
7. Its one’s digit is larger than its tens digit.
8. Its tens digit is odd.
The game is played as follows
Tell the students that you have a number in your mind
To know this number the students have to use four clues out of the eight clues given above
One student may say the clue one by one; your response will be either Yes or No.
After the fourth clue the student has to think about the clues, he/she asked and the corresponding response given by you.
Based on this the student has to guess the number
If the student is not able to guess the number, the process is repeated with another student
The game proceeds in this way.
It may happen that there could be a group of numbers that come under one category.
The number supposed by you will have properties shared by many other numbers.
The students will be led to think about the properties of numbers.
After all the four clues are exhausted by one student,
discussion may be held about the clues given and the corresponding response given by you.
The students may be asked to locate a clue which is not useful.
Guess the secret number using any 4 clues!
This game can be played by two students or two pairs of students.
Dice used for playing the game should be tactile/accessible and the boxes drawn on board should also be accessible.
● The following pairs of boxes may be drawn on the Board
Student A rolls the dice four times.
In each turn they have to fill up one of the boxes.
In four turns student
A forms a number by filling the four boxes marked A Similarly,
student B fills up the boxes in B by successively rolling the dice four times.
Students may compare the four-digit numbers so formed.
The student who forms a larger or smaller number is the winner.
It can be extended to five digits also.
This will strengthen their learning of the numbers.
Teachers may use similar games/puzzles/activities in the classroom and
encourage students to device such activities.
To strengthen students’ understanding of place value and number comparison by forming multi-digit numbers using dice rolls.
Setup:
This game can be played by two individual students or two teams.
Each student/team gets a set of four boxes labeled A1, A2, A3, A4 (for Student A) and B1, B2, B3, B4 (for Student B).
Use a tactile or accessible die if needed.
Draw or print the boxes on paper, or display them on a board.
Steps:
Student A rolls the die 4 times. After each roll, they must immediately choose one of their 4 boxes to place the number.
Once a number is placed, it cannot be changed.
Student B does the same using their own 4 boxes.
Once all boxes are filled, both students read their 4-digit numbers aloud.
The winner is determined by comparing numbers:
Option 1: Highest number wins (default mode).
Option 2: Smallest number wins (challenge mode).
Roll 1: 🎲 4 → Places in A2
Roll 2: 🎲 6 → Places in A1
Roll 3: 🎲 1 → Places in A4
Roll 4: 🎲 5 → Places in A3
Number A forms: 6415
Roll 1: 🎲 2 → Places in B3
Roll 2: 🎲 6 → Places in B1
Roll 3: 🎲 3 → Places in B2
Roll 4: 🎲 1 → Places in B4
Number B forms: 6321
Winner: Student A (6415 > 6321)
Try the lowest number wins rule.
Increase to 5-digit numbers.
Add bonus rounds for drawing or writing number names.
Ask students to estimate who might win before all rolls are complete.
Understand place value (thousands, hundreds, tens, ones)
Practice strategic decision-making
Compare multi-digit numbers
Strengthen number sense in a game-based context
Use a simple 2x4 table (or image) like this to show students' boxes:
| A1 | A2 | A3 | A4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| B1 | B2 | B3 | B4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
What would you do differently next time?
Which roll was most important?
Did strategy help or was it just luck?
Activities like games play an important role not only in physical development but also in the mental development of an individual.
They are helpful in the development of mathematical abilities of a student.
Playing tag games makes students more aware of space.
They learn strategies that can be applied to other games, sports, or activities.
It allows everyone an opportunity to play.
In most variations of tag, everyone is participating at the same time, and no one is waiting for their turn.
Kho Kho is a tag game of India. Its origins are as old as Mahabharata, with strategies and tactics likely derived from Mahabharata itself.
This game fosters many desirable traits such as sportsmanship, teamwork, loyalty, competitiveness, and self-esteem as well as speed, agility, strategy and quick thinking.
The qualities of strategy and quick thinking are essential for the development of mathematical thinking of a student, as they will be gradually exposed to higher layers of abstraction in mathematics.
Two teams face each other in this game (Team A and Team B).
The game starts with a toss between the two team captains.
The winning captain decides who will chase the other team. Both the teams consist of 12 players.
If Team A won the toss and decides to chase.
9 players from team A enter the playground.
All 9 players sit/kneel in the middle of the court facing the opposite direction in a straight row.
A match consists of two innings of running and chasing turns of 9 minutes.
From Team B, three players can enter the ground as the runner.
All 9 players of the team sit in a row with both the ends having a pole.
The 3 runners can go between two players of Team A who are sitting in a zigzag alignment.
The chaser team member is not to go through their sitting team members failing to it is a penalty.
They can only turn back and chase after
They touch the pole at either end of the line.
These are the basic rules to follow on the ground.
Students can be encouraged to devote some time for playing this game and discussion can be held on winning strategies.
Games like Kho Kho are not only vital for physical development but also contribute significantly to the mental development of students. Playing such games enhances spatial awareness, strategic thinking, quick decision-making, and teamwork — skills closely linked with mathematical abilities.
Kho Kho is a traditional Indian tag game dating back to the era of the Mahabharata. It involves two teams (Team A and Team B), each with 12 players. The game starts with a toss, and the winning captain decides whether to chase or run.
Team A and Team B each have 12 players.
If Team A wins the toss and decides to chase, 9 players from Team A sit in the middle of the ground in a straight line facing opposite directions.
3 runners from Team B enter the ground and try to avoid being caught.
The runners run between the sitting players of Team A arranged in a zigzag pattern.
Chasers cannot cross over their teammates sitting in the line.
Chasers can only reverse direction after touching a pole at either end of the row.
A match consists of two innings of 9 minutes each for running and chasing.
Spatial awareness: Understanding and navigating space between sitting players.
Strategy and planning: Deciding when and how to chase or evade.
Quick thinking: Reacting swiftly to opponents' moves.
Abstract thinking: Applying strategies developed here to complex problem-solving.
Q1: How does Kho Kho help develop mathematical thinking?
Answer: Kho Kho requires players to plan moves, anticipate opponents’ actions, and use spatial reasoning—all of which build skills useful in mathematics such as logic, problem-solving, and abstract thinking.
Q2: What strategies can be used to chase effectively?
Answer: Chasers can use teamwork, communication, and knowledge of the rules (e.g., not crossing teammates, reversing at poles) to corner the runners efficiently.
Q3: How can understanding space and position help runners avoid being caught?
Answer: Runners must estimate distances and use gaps effectively to avoid being tagged, applying concepts of measurement and spatial reasoning.
If Team A won the toss and chose to chase:
9 players sit in a straight line.
3 runners from Team B try to pass through gaps.
Chasers cannot cross teammates; they must touch poles to turn.
Teams plan strategies to maximize tagging success or evade capture.
Diagram of the Kho Kho playground setup: Showing the sitting line of Team A players, poles at both ends, and paths available for runners.
Illustration of a chase: With arrows showing runners' paths and chasers’ movement restrictions.
Historical depiction: Artwork or a traditional image referencing Kho Kho's origins in the Mahabharata.
Team play image: Photograph or cartoon showing teamwork and sportsmanship in Kho Kho.
Kho Kho: A Traditional Game Enhancing Math Skills
Tag and Think: Learning Math Through Kho Kho
Kho Kho – Strategy, Space, and Speed
From the Mahabharata to Math Class: The Story of Kho Kho
