Movement Mathematical Games For Actiive Learning

Teacher Nadica Mitevska and her students from 3rd grade joined the international project, Movement Mathematical Games For Active Learning Project. One of the games they play gets children out of their seats to practise place value and mental arithmetic.

Game description: The game is explained to the students. Three small boards with the units of numbers are placed in several places in the classroom, namely the "hundreds", "tens", and "units". Next to each board are cards with numbers from 0-9.

Two chairs are placed in front of the board and marked with player no. 1 and player no. 2. A white sheet for writing down the numbers is also placed on the chairs.

A table divided into two columns is drawn on a green board; each player has his own column. In each row is written a question: how much should be added or subtracted from the written number: + 10, + 100, + 5, - 10, -100, -5.

At a given signal, the students run and take one card from the three different places. When they reach the chair, they form a three-digit number on the sheet. They arrange the digits correctly, then write down their place value. Then each student writes the number in their part of the table and calculates, according to the requirement, whether and by how much they will add or subtract from the formed three-digit number.

Why It Works

Place value is one of the most important ideas in early maths, and one of the hardest to grasp from a page alone. This game makes it tangible. Students build a number from separate hundreds, tens and units cards, so they see for themselves that a digit's value depends on its position.

The movement matters too. Running to collect cards burns off energy, sharpens focus and turns practice into play, which helps students who find sitting still difficult and lowers the anxiety some children feel around maths. Adding and subtracting 5, 10 and 100 then builds mental arithmetic and helps children spot patterns, such as +10 changing only the tens digit.

The game also builds skills beyond maths. Students practise taking turns, working quickly without losing accuracy, and supporting classmates. The short rounds give everyone frequent chances to succeed, which builds confidence.

For teachers, it needs only simple, low-cost materials, and each student's written work shows at a glance who understands place value. It is also easy to adapt: change the operations or extend it to four-digit numbers as students progress.