Maths Games for Thinking and Strategy Games

These are simple, printable Maths games that make great partner activities for your Maths centres. These games are the perfect way to encourage students to think, plan and strategise. You’ll remember an old paper and pencil version of the first game: it is called Boxes, and is for two players who take turns drawing lines and hope to complete a closed box shape.

This is a printed version, to make it an activity for Maths groups, free time, wet lunch activity, homework etc. Print and go! But if you laminate you can re-use many times. I found the children tried harder and gave more value to the game, when it wasn’t on a scrappy piece of paper.

I’ve added variations, so difficulty increases as students gain experience. Students must plan ahead and use strategies: so these arethinking games.

The Games

• A original game using square pattern.
• The next game is similar, but players need to draw triangles, which is a little more difficult.
• The third game, the goal is to complete hexagons, so much more to think about and organise.
• In the fourth game, the goal is completely the opposite! Players need to draw but avoid closing shapes. This requires different thinking. You can throw this into the rotation to introduce a different concept and to keep students thinking and learning.

This is a printable game with instructions.