A quick look at my gift guides (for 3 year olds, 4 year olds, 5 year olds, and 6 year olds) will tell you that I love games! As a homeschooling mom, I sometimes stress over math. I want them to understand it and enjoy it, so I put a lot of pressure on myself to make it engaging and fun! The easiest way I’ve found to do this is with board games.

There are several great games out there to help kids practice and hone their math skills so I have broken down the best math games for grade 2 by category to help you get the perfect game to help your child practice math and have fun! If you don’t want to wait to read the full write up below here are the award winners!   

*drumroll please*   

The best all around math game for grade 2 is Sums in Space Game

For travel and quick game play, the best game is Math Dice Jr.

Learning about money value, the best game is Money Bags

The best game for advanced mathematicians is Prime Climb

Read the full descriptions below to make sure you are getting the correct skill level to keep your child entertained and make math fun with a game!

Best All-Around Math Games for Grade 2

Sums in Space Game

Sums in Space is a great game focused on simple arithmetic (addition, subtraction, even/odd numbers, and comparatives >/<). Use the 10 sided dice to move around the board and get back to your rocket!

Great for kids learning: on honing their foundational math skills. Practicing addition, subtraction, even/odd numbers, and comparatives (greater and less than).

Why I love it: Simple to learn, yet random enough to keep their attention while they continue practicing math. The 10 sided dice improve problems to be more comprehensive than a simple 6 sided die. There is also an option to play together as a co-operative team or play against each other in a competitive game.

Math Noodlers Game

This was a close 2nd for our top pick because it is so great for education. Use the dice and cards to move around the board. The cards ask math question in different ways – excellent practice for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and story problems.

Great for kids learning: A mix of easy and challenging math questions in varying forms – written answers, drawing concepts, using manipulatives or choosing multiple choice answers,

Why I love it: Math Noodlers recreates a variety of math concepts in game form. Plus, there are more advanced versions of the game as your child progresses beyond these questions.

Sum Swamp

A great game we have played for a while, Sum Swamp keeps it more basic than Sums in Space. Sum Swamp is a great simple arithmetic game where kids roll dice to add and subtract their way around the board.

Great for kids learning: Basic addition and subtraction. The 6 sided die keep the numbers small to help early learners

Why I love it: Simple to play, easy to understand. It is a board game with a loop at the end keeping it exciting until the finish.

Money Bags

Use the dice to add/subtract and move yourself around the board to the finish line while adding money and making change. The spinner on the board helps them use different value coins to achieve their goal.

Great for kids learning: Money values and addition and subtraction with larger numbers.

Why I love it: Great way to introduce kids to the value of money while reinforcing math skills.

Check the Fridge Game

Check the Fridge is a game where kids add their cards up to 25 to ‘go out’ while trading cards back and forth and sometimes bluffing.

Great for kids learning: Adding up to 25 while learning the idea of a poker face while trading cards.

Why I love it: A great game that helps to teach the concept of bluffing while passing cards. The cards allow for addition of multiple numbers together. Make sure they can hold several cards in a hand or this might not work so well for you.

Clumsy Thief

Clumsy Thief is a fast paced, open-play style game. Stack the cards ($10-$90 in $5 increments) to add to $100. It is a fast paced game that reinforces quick thinking for addition.

Great for kids learning: Addition faster and moving away from finger counting. The more they play, the faster the action – and the faster the addition.

Why I love it: The frantic activity of multiple people playing at the same time forces kids to add faster, reinforcing their foundational math skills. The numbers are multiples of 5, making the addition easier to do quickly and give confidence of adding in their heads.

The Best Travel Math Games for Grade 2

Math Dice Jr

Math Dice Jr is a great game for travel or home. By rolling a 12 sided ‘target’ die, you then roll 5 more dice and add them up to get to the target. The number of dice you have to use is how many spaces you move.

Great for kids learning: Adding multiple simple numbers in a quick manner

Why I love it: The easy to play game can be addictive, and it serves as a great travel game. It can be brought in a travel bag to play in the back of a car or at the park. Additionally, see the full version below for more complex problems including multiplication and division.

Shut the Box

Shut the box is a centuries old game that is still a lot of fun for kids and adults. Simple adding of 2 dice, reinforces the basics of arithmetic as players can use multiple number combinations to reach the target number.

Great for kids learning: Simple addition in a different format than a board game.

Why I love it: Easy to travel with, shut the box can go and be played anywhere for short games. Hint: check out these endless variants of it to keep everyone engaged over a long duration.

The Best Advanced Math Games for Grade 2

Prime Climb

A more complex mathematical game full of strategy. Prime Climb has slightly more complex ideas of multiplication, and division while reinforcing addition and subtraction. The board itself is beautifully designed and the pretty colors aren’t just pretty colors, they are coded to indicate multiplication factors.

Great for kids learning: More advanced math. If they are ready to practice multiplication tables, this is a great way to practice.

Why I love it: The game is challenging and has multiple playing options to introduce challenging strategy.

Math Dice

A step up in math level from the Math Dice Jr game, Math Dice involves 2 target dice and 3 scoring dice. Use the scoring dice to multiply and divide your way to the target.

Great for kids learning: More advanced mathematics – multiplication, division, powers.

Why I love it: A quick way to challenge students who have moved beyond the simple arithmetic and are ready to find the next challenge.

The Best Games for Grade 2 that are light on math, but heavy on fun!

These are the games I love so much but they are more focused on fun than math. Sometimes mixing these in can keep Friday game night a fun activity that keeps everyone entertained.

Ticket to Ride – A family favorite, there are multiple ways to play with all levels at the same time! You can read about when we took ticket to ride to the Grove Park when we were snowed in and it was a hit!

Sequence – A great introduction to cards, this uses two decks to essentially connect 5 across a large board. Wonderful for developing strategy and learning the cards in a deck. This was introduced to us from our cousins at Thanksgiving several years ago and we have loved it ever since!

Dr. Eureka Speed Logic Game – This is a great learning, logic puzzle type game that can be played individually or together. Move the balls in the test tubes to match the order shown.

Rummicube – Strategy and number line best describe this game and it can be as competitive or relaxed as you like.

Monopoly – A classic! I was tempted to include this on the math list, but it is a little heavier on fun!

Now share with me- what is your favorite family game?