Looking for a unique way to engage students in math? Encourage your students to enter this year’s K-12 Game-a-thon challenge.

In this national challenge, students design, build, and share a game that features creative and unusual solutions to mathematical problems.

Game-a-thon helps students explore math outside of the traditional classroom environment and allows for a whole lot of fun!

Looking for inspiration?

Check out the awesome entries from last year's challenge and as well as some photos and tips from previous years below!

Idea #1: Get Moving with Math

Many games are played with cards, a board or on a device. But some of the most interesting games we've seen in past years had a physical or too-large -for-the-table component.

Idea #2: Use Interesting Materials

Encourage students to keep an eye out for interesting materials they can (re)use in their games. Cardboard, egg cartons, magnets, bubble wrap, clothespins, and paper cups are some examples of items that might have otherwise been thrown away.

Idea #3: STEAM Ahead and Include Coding

In the K-12 Game-a-thon students can design an app or digital game, taking inspiration from the digital games they play for entertainment or education.

Here's some go-to free coding tools:

Scratch Jr and Scratch (a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab)

Snap! ( presented by the University of California at Berkeley)

App Inventor (from MIT)

Godot Engine (for more advanced coders)

Idea #4: Collaborate with a Team

Two brains are better than one! Even if a student is designing a game on their own, they can ask others for feedback and play-testing at various points in the game design process.

We can't wait to see what students create! Share your progress with us via social media by tagging @MIND_Research and #Gameathon!