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Content Collection: Storybooks, Picture Books, and Board Games with Mathematical Content
Choosing a gift can be quite an adventure. Every year, as the holidays approach, both teachers and families ask us for advice to find gift options related to math learning. Well, here it is! Today, we bring you a selection of ideas that will allow you to foster learning situations and have fun with the whole family. Let’s dive in!
Literature and Mathematics
Storybooks for Children Ages 3–6
- Anno’s Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno
An illustrated story where we’ll work on cardinality, graph-quantity relationship, and relative position in space.
- The Gigantic Turnip by Alexei Tolstoi & Niamh Sharkey
This story highlights the importance of collaboration and effort to achieve a common goal: pulling up the turnip. Through exploration and play and by asking various questions, we can work on concepts such as quantity, order, and measurement, among others.
- Press Here by Hervé Tullet
In this interactive adventure, we’ll explore concepts such as the relationship between numbers and quantity, various attributes, and more.
- Who What Where? & Who Done It? by Olivier Tallec
In these stories, we will need to focus on different qualities (such as size, shape, and position) to discover which character is being described. We can also look for various solutions to develop our argumentation skills.
- Enigmath Workbook, by Innovamat
Enjoy this new collection of math challenges designed for family fun! “The Crics, the Bmath, and the Sweetest Mystery” is ideal for children in Kindergarten. With over 40 pages of activities, it encourages you to ask questions, discover, and go further!
Storybooks for Children Ages 6–9
- Lift-the-Flap Sizes and Measuring by Hannah Watson
To help familiarize students with the basic concepts of measurement. This resource-rich book is packed with tools and activities that will make learning enjoyable while we understand and visualize the different ways to measure length, temperature, speed, and much more.
Enigmath Workbook, by Innovamat
A series of math challenges designed for family fun!Tailored for Primary/Elementary School: A dedicated workbook for each grade level, fostering reasoning outside the classroom.
Packed with Activities: Over 60 pages of activities to encourage questioning, discovery, and deeper exploration.
Engaging Storyline: Follow the Bmath characters on an exciting mathematical adventure!
Interactive Puzzles: A series of enigmas that will make you jump from page to page.
Reading Companion: Includes a dedicated bookmark to collect clues along the way.
Supportive Answer Key: An attached answer key
Storybooks for Children Ages 9–12
- Tangram Cat by Maranke Rinck
This book offers a variation of the classic Tangram, the famous Chinese puzzle game that consists of forming figures using the seven pieces without overlapping them. Through a story full of imagination and beautiful illustrations, the reader will have to solve challenges based on various figures.
- Lift The Flap Multiplying And Dividing by Lara Bryan
With a fun and innovative approach, this book is full of exciting adventures that will teach us how to solve multiplication and division problems. In the over 130 flaps, the best is saved for last: among activities on number sequences, fractions, doubles, and halves…
Books for Young Adults Ages 12 and Up
- The Man Who Counted: A Collection of Mathematical Adventures by Malba Tahan
Don’t miss this exotic journey where the universe of numbers helps to settle disputes, give wise counsel, overcome dangers, and make a fortune! A book full of stories and riddles that you won’t forget!
- The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets by Simon Singh
Are you a fan of The Simpsons? Do you know how many math references there are in the show? Their writers have a devotion to this discipline! We invite you to read this book, where you will discover mathematical concepts in a fun and engaging way!
- The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Magnus Enzensberger
Can you imagine dreaming about the devil 12 nights in a row? It sounds spooky, but this story will surprise you.
A small devil will teach and share the importance of mathematics with a 12-year-old boy. Do you think he will be able to convince us?
Math board games for family fun!
There is nothing better than learning through play, especially when the whole family is involved. Here are a few board games that will delight both kids and adults.
Games for Children Aged 3 to 6
- Little action
This book helps us work on spatial relative position through images and figures of animals.
- Day & Night
Featuring two different types of challenges, this game—full of fun, colors, shapes, and silhouettes—will allow the little ones to develop skills such as observation, hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, logical reasoning, and more.
- Spacio
This allows us to explore spatial orientation in a very fun way, with animals and nature! This book fosters learning through educational play, developing logical reasoning with fun 3D rubber figures.
- Tiny Polka Dot
This versatile card deck offers 16 games that build foundational math skills through playful, hands-on activities. Featuring multiple visual representations of numbers, “Tiny Polka Dot” helps young children develop skills like subitizing (instant number recognition), one-to-one correspondence (counting), and number sense. As children progress, the deck supports early addition and subtraction skills too.
Games for Children Aged 6 to 9
- Camelot Jr
A game of ingenuity and construction that captivates both children and adults. Featuring adaptive challenges, from first-time builders to the most expert architects, we will develop concepts like measurement, spatial perception, and problem-solving, among others.
- Valley of the Vikings
A game that helps us reinforce the process of reasoning and justifying by solving mathematical challenges, starting with very interesting learning scenarios from the outset.
- Blokus
Based on spatial reasoning and strategic thinking, Blokus is a highly competitive, abstract geometry game. The objective is to place the maximum number of unique polyominoes on the board by following one simple rule: pieces must only touch at the corners. This restriction forces players to develop skills in forward planning, territory expansion, and problem-solving, all while preventing opponents from using their own pieces.
- Qwirkle
This highly engaging tile-laying game requires players to match tiles based on either color or shape to score points. The objective is to create lines of six tiles sharing a common attribute. Qwirkle is excellent for developing skills in pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, logical deduction, and strategic planning. It is often praised for being easy to learn yet challenging to master, offering a unique blend of creativity and structure.
- Shut the Box
A traditional game of luck and skill, “Shut the Box” requires players to use the numbers rolled on two dice to “shut” (cover) corresponding numbered tiles. The core objective is to practice rapid mental addition and number combination skills. Furthermore, the game subtly introduces concepts of probability and risk assessment as players decide which numbers to combine to maximize their chances of clearing the board.
Games for Children Aged 9 to 12
- Ubongo
This is the ideal game for working on Space and Shape content in a very engaging and fun way. It’s a dynamic game with simple rules, packed with mathematical substance, that will make us think in terms of axial and rotational symmetry.
- SET
This is a card game for developing logic, concentration, and visual perception. The game includes a deck of cards featuring symbols, colors, numbers, and backgrounds. The objective is to be the first to find a SET, meaning a “group or collection” of cards.
- Secret Code 13+4
We will put ourselves in the shoes of special agents who need to deactivate alarms, numbered 1 to 20, to get the loot. How will we do it? With six dice numbered 1 to 9 and the four basic mathematical operations!
- Quarto
If “Connect Four” is already addictive, this game will challenge us and ensure we can’t put it down. “Quarto” presents us with a mathematical reasoning challenge, adding the variables of color, size, shape, and texture. The objective? To align four pieces that share a single common attribute.
- Prime Climb
Explore mathematical structure in multiplication, division, and prime numbers in a fast-paced, dynamic game of strategy and luck.
- Mancala
Mancala is a classic “count and capture” game played across the globe. Simple to learn, yet strategically deep, the objective is to collect more stones than your opponent by skillfully distributing your pieces across the pits. Mancala dramatically enhances strategic thinking, mental math (specifically addition), forward planning, and concentration. It offers a tangible way for children to practice counting and grouping while engaging in a competitive, fun challenge.
Board Games for Teens and Young Adults (Ages 12+)
- King of Dice
A dice game where we’ll have to play with chance and strategy. The numbers and colors rolled on the dice will determine who takes the best inhabitants to their kingdom.
- Catan
A new world on the island of Catan, full of resources for each player to discover. We’ll work on strategy, probability calculation, and the ability to reason and negotiate—skills we’ll need to build and define the best move.
- Exit
A game series, similar to an “escape room,” that fosters teamwork and strategy. The ability to solve problems will be key to gaining an advantage.
- Tantrix
A combination of luck and skill, based on strategic thinking. With the objective of creating the longest continuous path, “Tantrix” allows us to develop spatial reasoning, problem-solving, and memorization, among others
