
Children need to practice numbers and lots of counting before they can use them confidently and fluently. For children, this can be quite a challenge, especially if English is not their first language. An incredibly effective way to teach English numbers is by playing games.
On this page you will find ten incredibly fun number games that you can use in your classroom to teach children English numbers. If you like the game ideas on this page, check out oursanother post about guessing gamesfor more inspiration for your next classroom activity.
Related:Lesson Plan Numbers/Numbers 1 to 100 spelling table
Top 10 classroom games with numbers
1: One, two or three, game

This number counting game is incredibly fun and helps beginners practice basic numbers. First, choose a number to count to. A good number for this is 31, but you can use any number. Students take turns counting until they reach 31. When it is their turn, students have the choice to name one number, two numbers or three numbers. The student who says the last number (31) is out.
For example, the first student may choose to say two numbers and say "one, two." Then the next student can choose to say three numbers and say "three, four, five." The next student can then choose to say a number and say "six." The game continues until one student says the last number (31) and it's over. This game is great for practicing basic numbers, but can also be used withordinal numbers(first, second, third, etc.) and to practice the date.
2: One, two, three, stand-up game

This game is good not only for practicing numbers, but also for warming up. First select a number to count to. The number you choose depends on your class size and how difficult you want the game to be. Let's choose the number 5 for this example. Then tell the students that when the teacher says, "Go!", a student from the class must stand up and say the first number (one). Then another student has to stand up and say the next number (two). And so on until they get to five. Any student can stand up at any time. If two students stand up at the same time and say the same number, they lose.
Alternatively, if you have a large class, you can play this game by dividing the class into teams. Give each team 3 chances to get to five. If they are successful then they get a point for their team.
3: Zingo Numbers Bingo
Zingo is an award-winning game that develops children's counting, addition and number recognition skills. It's a fast and exciting bingo/matching game. A set can be played by up to 6 players. Each student has a different “Zingo card” to play with. Then the students will take turns sliding the "zinger" to reveal a number card. The student must then try to match that number card to a number picture on their Zingo card. The first student to refill their Zingo card is the winner. All materials that come with the Zingo game are durable and can be reused. So if you have a few sets of this game in your classroom you will have a fun and exciting numbers game to use in your class for years to come.
4: Number guessing games
How many games
A great way to practice numbers while teaching how many? and plural nouns is with a fun number guessing game. Here is one of Games4esl's "telepathy games" about animals and numbers.
In this game, students are asked, "How many (puppies)?" and then presented with two possible answers. You must choose ONE and write it down. To help them guess the answer, they can use Telepathy to read the teacher's mind.
This kind of game is so simple but kids love it! Especially if they guess it right. For more ESL activity videos, check out ourvideo page.
5: Liar game

This fun ESL deck of cards can be used to check numbers. For this game, prepare a set of number cards for each student (for this example we will use a set of 10 cards numbered 1-10). Give each student a deck of cards and divide them into 3/4 groups.
Next, ask the students to place all of their cards face down in the center of the group and shuffle them. Once the cards are shuffled, ask the students to pick 10 random cards and tell them not to show the cards to the other students. Now the liar game can begin.
Students take turns and MUST place the cards in numerical order. When they put the card down, they have to say that number out loud. For example, the first student should place the number one card face down in the middle and say "one". Then the next student has to put the card with the number 2 in the middle and say "two". If a student doesn't have the next number card, they must lie! So, in this example, the next number is 3. If the student does not have the number 3 card, he/she must discard another card while saying "three".
If at any point during the game a student thinks another student is lying about the discarded card, they can accuse them and shout "Liar!" If they are correct and the student lied, the student who lied must pick up all the cards in the middle. If a student accuses another student of being a liar, but he has not lied, then the student shouting "Liar! Liar!" must pick up all the cards in the middle. This game is a lot of fun and can be used with other themes, not just numbers.
6: exchange of numbers

This fun counting game helps students practice numbers while testing their concentration. To play, decide on a number to count to. Let's say 21 for this example. Then ask the students to form a circle. Next, point to a student to start counting. That student should say "One," then the next student should say "Two," and so on clockwise around the circle. The student who says "21" may swap one of the numbers for a silly word (e.g. number 3 = banana).
Next, the counting begins again, but this time the students should say "banana" instead of the number 3. If students forget and say number 3, they start counting again from 1. If they count to 21 correctly, they choose another number and replace it with a silly word.
Once you have 3 or 4 silly words, the game is incredibly fun and will really test your students' concentration.
7: Dice Game - Draw a monster

This game is great for practicing basic numbers and body parts at the same time. To play, write the body parts on the chalkboard. For example, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, head, arms, legs, etc. Then roll the die for each body part (or ask a student to roll the die) and write that number next to the body part word.
Next, tell the students that they need to draw a monster with the same number of body parts listed on the board. Give students about 10 minutes to draw their monster, and then students can show their monsters to the class.
Another way to play this game is to give each student a die. This way, each student has a completely different monster. Then, when students show the monster to the class, they can use phrases and numbers to describe their monster (e.g., "It has five eyes.” “It has three mouths.", etc.).
8: Do a group numbers game

This is a very active game to practice numbers that will knock your students out of their seats. You need a lot of space for this game, so play this game outside if possible. If not, you can play in the classroom if it's safe to do so.
In order to play, students must walk around while listening to music. When the music stops, the teacher calls out, "Make a group of (4).”, and the students must quickly try to get into a group with that number. The students who don't get into a group of that number are out.
9: Bingo Games

Bingo games are wonderfully easy to play and very effective at teaching numbers. Here are two variations of bingo you can try in your English class:
Classic bingo- Ask the students to draw a 3×3 grid of squares and then choose nine numbers between 1-20 (or the numbers you teach) and write them in the squares. Then the teacher will name a number, and if that number is on the students' bingo sheet, they should cross it out.
A student gets bingo when he crosses out all the numbers in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line. To make the game last longer you can tell the students to make 2/3 bingo lines to win. Alternatively, you can create a larger bingo grid of 12 (3×4) squares or 16 (4×4) squares to make the game more challenging.
Line Bingo- To play line bingo, you need to prepare some number cards for the students. Give each student a deck of number cards (about 8-10 cards is best). Then ask students to arrange their cards in any order in a horizontal line. Once the students have done that, the game can begin.
When the teacher calls out a number, students should check their row of cards to see where that number is. If the number is on the left or right end of the line, the student can turn over that card. If it is in the middle of the line, the student cannot turn it over. The object of the game is to turn over all the cards to get bingo.
10: number puzzle

Puzzles can be a great way to review numbers and practice reading and writing the words. An easy way to quickly create your own jigsaw puzzles for the classroom is to use a jigsaw puzzle maker. To create your own word searches, just enter the number of words you want to practicethis word search engine. To create a number crossword, just enter your words and cluesthis crossword puzzle maker.
Thank you for reading. I hope you found some fun number games for your next class.Before you go, don't forget to check out our free teaching resources, includingGames in the classroom,PPT games,worksheets, and more.
FAQs
What is a fun game to play in class? ›
Charades
In the game of charades, students can study vocabulary words and learn public-speaking skills by doing physical exercise. One student performs actions or movements associated with a word while their classmates guess it out loud. The person who guesses the correct option receives the next word to perform.
Pictionary
Pictionary is like a charade, but your students will draw, instead of acting the words out. Use the cards from the actual board game for this activity. Similar to charade, you also need to divide the class into two teams. One person from Team A come up to the front and draws a card/word.
21, Bagram, or Twenty Plus One is a drinking game. The game progresses by counting up from 1 to 21, with the player who calls "21" suffering a drinking penalty before the next round starts. The loser may add one new rule to the game, and starts the new round.
What are some fun game ideas? ›- Paper telephone. In this paper-and-pencil version of the telephone game, everyone sits in a circle and writes down a straightforward phrase (something like “My dog is chewing a bone”)[1]. ...
- Balloon tennis. ...
- Indoor hopscotch. ...
- Indoor bowling. ...
- Movie-themed forts. ...
- Paper plane contest. ...
- Charades. ...
- Taboo.
The oldest player is IT and goes first. Have them think of a person, place or thing, without saying it aloud. Each other player can ask up to 20 yes or no questions to try and guess the answer! After asking 20 questions or guessing the correct answer (whichever comes first, switch turns at being IT.
What is a fun indoor game? ›Fun Indoor Educational Games
Secret code scavenger hunt is a favorite after school indoor game for my boys. Frozen word hunt can be done in the bath, or on a tray. Rhyming games are great for any time and an excellent literacy builder. Sift-n-Spell adds a lot of learning into a sensory hunt.
- 1 Big Brain Academy.
- 2 Civilization 6. ...
- 3 National Geographic Challenge. ...
- 4 Endless Ocean. ...
- 5 The Oregon Trail Series. ...
- 6 Scribblenauts Unlimited. ...
- 7 Democracy 3. ...
- 8 Wordscapes. ...
- Sylla-balls. ...
- Letter Sound/Sight Word Road. ...
- Letter Sound Hopscotch. ...
- Sight Word/Letter Stomp. ...
- Numbers Bowling.
Top Games on PC in November 2022
In November 2022, the top PC games in the world by monthly active users were Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II/Warzone 2.0, Overwatch, and Minecraft.
The best-selling video game to date is Minecraft, a sandbox game released by Mojang in May 2009 for a wide range of PC, mobile and console platforms, selling more than 238 million copies across all platforms. Grand Theft Auto V and EA's Tetris are the only other known video games to have sold over 100 million copies.
What is the Top 30 games? ›
- Super Mario Bros. Release Date: September 13, 1985. ...
- Fallout 3. Release Date: Oct. ...
- Resident Evil 4. Release Date: January 11, 2005. ...
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. ...
- Super Mario Galaxy 2. ...
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. ...
- Grand Theft Auto 5. ...
- Super Smash Bros.
The object of the game is to be the first one to say "20". The first person must start at "1". Each person may say one, two, or three numbers per turn, and the numbers must be in counting order. Each person must start with the number after the last one that the other person said.
How do you play count the fruit? ›How to play. Count the fruit. Avoid the rising slime. When the screens show the quantity of a type of fruit, stand on the tile matching that fruit to survive!
How do you play killer 21? ›The goal of the game is to be the first person to say “21”. The rules are that you can only add 1 or 2 to whatever the other player says. For example, the first player can say “1” or “2”. If he said “2” the second player can say “3” or “4” and so on.
What are simple games? ›A simple game is one that you can finish the core code in a couple of weeks. The easiest way to test this is to try. If it takes you more then a couple of weeks, or you get bogged down, then the game is too complex. If it takes you a day, then its too simple.
What is the five indoor game? ›For example, Ludo, Carrom, Puzzle, Card games, Chess, Table tennis, and board games. Play is a part of education and important for our life.
What is a creative game? ›Creative games for generating new ideas
Whether it's using games that draw on traditional creative skills like drawing, exercises that challenge you to think outside the box, or simply creating space for fast ideation, these creative exercises are a great way to kickstart any brainstorming session.
- How many people have you kissed?
- Do you ever think about me?
- What have you done sexually with someone else?
- What attracts you to people?
- What are your thoughts on sex?
- Are you a virgin?
- Do you think you're a good kisser?
- What turns you on?
A student draws a card out and keeps it hidden from the class. The class then takes turns at asking yes/no questions to discover the type of litter on the card. For example, “Is it made from paper?”, “Do you drink out of it?”, etc. If the answer is “yes” then the student who asked the question has another turn.
What are some good 21 questions? ›- What's the weirdest dream you've ever had?
- If you could travel to any year in a time machine, what year would you choose and why?
- If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
- What's one of the most fun childhood memories you have?
What is the popular indoor game? ›
Chess: Chess is a most popular indoor game played by two people. This improves thinking capability and keeps the brain active.
What are Indoor games answer for kids? ›Indoor Games are played within a closed environment and a number of them are played by sitting at one place. They include chess, card games, games played with gamesmen, dice, and carrom.
What game should every kid play in school? ›2. What was the game that every child in the school had to play? ANS: The 'game' that every child in the school had to play was that each term every child had one blind day, one lame day, one deaf day, one injured day and one dumb day.
Which game is played by most number of students? ›The correct Answer is Kabaddi is played by most number of students i.e. 7.
What are games that schools allow? ›- Armorgames.com. Armorgames.com is a website that specializes in flash-based, browser-based, and downloadable games. ...
- Unblocked Games 24h. ...
- Subway Surfers. ...
- Unblocked Games WTF. ...
- Unblocked Games Pod. ...
- Unblocked Games 66. ...
- Unblocked Games 77. ...
- HoodaMath.
- Switch | Foursquare | Wall Ball | Three Lines Soccer | Three Lines Basketball | Knockout.
- Kickball | Rock Paper Scissors Relay | Castle Ball | Tag Games | Band-Aid Tag | Watch Your Back Tag | Hungry Fox | Hula Tag | Magic Tag.
Categories of Games
The model can be applied to four categories to games. These categories are: Target Games, Net/Wall Games, Striking/Fielding Games and Invasion games.
- PUBG.
- Minecraft.
- Apex Legends.
- Fortnite Battle Royale.
- Counter-Strike.
- HearthStone.
- League of Legends.
- Call of Duty Mobile.
- Pacman. ...
- Tetris. ...
- Wii Sports. ...
- Sonic the HedgeHog. ...
- The Sims. ...
- Diablo III. ...
- Super Mario Bros. ...
- Super Smash Brothers.
Grand Theft Auto V is the world no. 1 mobile game and reimagines the open-world game in a number of ways.
What are popular games in USA? ›
- 4.1 Overview.
- 4.2 American football.
- 4.3 Baseball.
- 4.4 Basketball.
- 4.5 Soccer.
- 4.6 Ice hockey.
- Minecraft.
- Fortnite.
- Fall Guys.
- League of Legends.
- PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.
- CrossFire.
- Roblox.
- Lost Ark.
First to 100 is a dice game played on the 100 square to help develop children's reading and counting skills with numbers up to 100. The aim is to be the first player to get to number 100. top right. - Each player starts at number 1.
How do you play the fruit salad game? ›This running game is popular with children and requires a group of about 8 or more players. To play, children sit in a circle. The person who is "it" walks around the circle of children and taps each one on the head givng them a name of a fruit, e.g. peach, apple or plum.
How do you play fruit bingo? ›One person will be the “Farmer.” They will choose one card at a time and call out the veggie or fruit. Each player places a button or bean on that veggie or fruit. The farmer continues calling out cards until one player gets 5 in a row across, up, down or diagonally. The player must shout “BINGO” to win!
How do you play dirty minds game? ›A player draws a card, and reads one of the facts about the word (they may choose). Then the other player gets to make one free guess. If they're right, they get three letter cards. If they're wrong, the other players get a chance to steal.
How do you play crazy 8? ›How to Play: Players try to get rid of their cards by placing them on top of the flipped up card in the center. Players may do so if the card they want to get rid of is the same number or suit of the card flipped up. 8s are wild and if a player plays an 8, they must state what suit the 8 will be for the next player.
What to play in class when bored? ›- Casino. Divide students into groups and give each a budget of, say, 100€ of mythical money. ...
- Pictionary, charades, and celebrity heads. ...
- Taboo. ...
- Twenty objects. ...
- Categories. ...
- Bingo. ...
- Tongue twisters. ...
- A twist on Twister.
- Hangman. Hangman is a fun and interactive game for students, which you can play in the classroom or online. ...
- 10 Questions. ...
- 101 And Out. ...
- Don't Answer. ...
- Trivia. ...
- Simon Says. ...
- Charades. ...
- Blindfold Conversation.
- How To Keep Class Interesting / Fun Learning. ...
- 1) Turn the classroom into the interactive session A traditional classroom is like a teacher standing in front of all the students and giving lectures. ...
- 2) Incorporate some mystery into your lessons: When you don't know what to expect then learning can be more interesting.
How to pass 10 minutes in class? ›
- 1 Listen actively and take notes.
- 2 Interact in class and ask questions.
- 3 Illustrate your notes.
- 4 Complete your homework for another class.
- 5 Organize and create a to-do list.
- 6 Doodle in the margins of your notebook.
- 7 Read something interesting.
- 8 Engage in some creative writing.
- Dodge Ball. ...
- Double Dutch. ...
- Heads Up Seven Up. ...
- Hopscotch. ...
- I Spy. ...
- Jacks.
- Another great game to play on the playground is jacks. ...
- Jump Rope.
1. Tetris – 520 million. Arguably the most timeless video game ever created, Tetris sits comfortably atop the list of all-time bestsellers with 520 million copies sold, according to The Tetris Company.
What is the number 1 popular game? ›1. PUBG. PUBG is the most popular online game in 2022, with a huge fan following. Inspired by armor and H1Z1, PUBG has swept the internet and now has more than 100 million players.
What is the top 1 game? ›- ROBLOX. Roblox Corporation. -
- Minecraft. Mojang Studios. +2.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II/Warzone 2.0. Activision Publishing. -1.
- Fortnite. Epic Games. -1.
- The Sims 4. Electronic Arts. -
- League of Legends. Riot Games. -
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Valve. +1.
- Valorant. Riot Games. +2.
- Boredom Jar. One creative parent told us she made a “boredom” jar for her house. ...
- Build a Fort. Who doesn't love a fort on a stormy day? ...
- Indoor Obstacle Course. ...
- Write a Letter. ...
- Sock Puppets. ...
- Dress Up. ...
- Imaginary Creatures. ...
- Tea Party.
- Bring a water bottle to class.
- Sit at the front of the class.
- Be active.
- Take deep breaths.
- Chew gum/bring a snack.
- Go to bed early.
- Get some exercise before class.
- Keep a good posture.
Silent ball begins with players spread out in view of each other. Players throw the ball to any other player, who must catch it. If a player drops the ball when it is thrown to them, or talks at any time, they are "out" but most remain silent. If a thrown ball is uncatchable the player that threw the ball is out.
What are the 5 learning activities? ›- Content Focus (and Interaction) Whether the learning outcomes for a session or module include declarative or functioning knowledge, almost all of them will be supported in some way by the presentation of information to students. ...
- Interactivity (with Others) Focus. ...
- Critical Thinking. ...
- Production. ...
- Problem Solving. ...
- Reflection.