Hidden Treasure Math Fact Zap Game

Chances are if you have a child in elementary school they have math facts they need to practice at home each week.

Flashcards are boring.  But there are fun ways to practice math facts with the kids.

Since kids love treasure hunts, we decided to mix math facts and hunting into a few St. Patrick’s Day math activities. 

One of our favorites was this treasure hunt zap math game. 

It’s a fun way to practice math this March.

Learning becomes more fun when you use games for kids.  

Using the plastic coins and rainbow colored water beads turns this twist to the craft stick Zap! game into a fun St. Patrick’s Day math activity.

Your child will also love this Nerf gun math activity.

St. Patrick’s Day Math Activity

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Materials Needed:

• Water Beads
• Plastic Coins (Try gold coins!)
• Fine Tip Permanent Marker
• Shallow Plastic Container

Use the permanent marker to write a math fact on one side of each of the plastic coins.  This is the perfect opportunity to pick the math facts your child needs to focus on.

On one or two coins write the word “Zap!”

Spread the water beads into your shallow container.

Flip the coins upside down and hide them among the colored water balls.

Challenge your child to “hunt for the treasure.”

When they find a coin, they must solve the math problem correctly in order to keep it.  If they get the answer wrong, they have to put it back to try again later.  

How many can they find and solve before they pull a “zap” coin?

Zap Math Game

You can easily modify the activity to be used with 2-3 players.  

Have players sit around the container and take turns finding coins and answering the math facts.  

If they solve the problem correctly, they get to keep the coin.  If they pull a “zap” they must put all their coins back into the water beads.

Whoever has the most coins a the end of 5 minutes wins.

Looking for a way to make math fact practice at home fun?

Make your own St. Patrick’s Day Math Facts Zap Game and get ready to watch your child have fun while working on math.

You may also enjoy:

• Using Cootie Catchers to Practice Math Facts
• Math Fact Races
• Hands-On Activity to Explore Measurement and Volume
• ABCs & 123s: 40+ Hands-On Learning Activities for Letters and Numbers

Originally published March 6, 2017.