10 super fun classroom games with numbers | Games4esl (2023)

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

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.