Grid Games help kids practice counting, subitizing, 1:1 correspondence, and numeral identification. These are simple games that kids can learn to play independently.
You can place these in the Math Center, change them out with each theme or each month, and kids will automatically know how to use them.
There are more grid games at this link that use specific manipulatives. This set of grid games was made to finish out all of the themes. So now all of my themes have a grid game to go with it.
How to Prepare the Grid Games
They are so easy to prepare! Just print them out and slip into a clear page protector (or laminate). Get a game die or make one with a wooden cube. You can use a die with dots or numerals. Gather some manipulatives to use: flat floral marbles, plastic colored chips, Unifix cubes, mini erasers — there are lots of possibilities!
How to Play Grid Games
Roll the game die and either identify the number of dots or the numeral on it. Count out the same amount of manipulatives and place each manipulative on one picture on the grid.
Children will continue to roll the game die and cover pictures until the whole grid is full.
Each game includes a 10 space grid game (for beginners) and a 20 space grid game (for counting higher). I have begun re-making these games, and the new sets have an additional 30 space grid game as well as both color and blackline versions. A teacher asked me if I would make grid games with 30 spaces, so I will add a game with 30 for each theme as time permits.
How to Differentiate the Games for Different Learners
Make your own dice by using a wooden cube and permanent marker. You can also put sticker dots on the cube and draw on the sticker. That way, the stickers can be removed if you need to change it.
If you have a child who can only count up to 3, make a die with numerals 0-4 on it (or dots). That way they can practice counting higher than 3, but they can be more successful than they would with a 1-6 die.
You might want to make one game die per student and just change that student’s stickers as they progress. I store my dice in an ice cube tray.
Another way to differentiate this game is by printing two of the mats (say a 10 space game and a 20 space game), then place them back-to-back in a page protector. Kids can just flip the mat to the side they need.
Need more grid games? Click the link for more.
Download the Grid Games
To download, just click each image or the green button below. These are free printables.
