Number Board Games and Early Math: What the Trials Found

By Laura Lurns · Reviewed by Philip Weaver · Last reviewed 2026-10-30

What a number board game is

In the first trials, the board had ten numbered squares in a row. A spinner showed 1 or 2. The child said each number out loud while moving.

The trials also had a second game to compare. It was the same game, with colors on the squares instead of numbers.

In our view, saying the numbers is what makes it a number game. To us, numbers on the board are not enough without saying them.

What the trials found

In one trial, preschoolers played a number board game one-on-one with a researcher (Ramani and Siegler, 2008). They played for about an hour in all, over two weeks. They got better at counting, naming numbers, comparing numbers and placing numbers on a line. The gains were still there nine weeks later. Children who played the same game with colors instead of numbers did not improve. The children came from low-income families. The authors did not test whether parents get the same results.

A second trial with low-income preschoolers compared two board shapes (Siegler and Ramani, 2009). Numbers in a row worked better than numbers in a circle. That was on tasks about how big numbers are. We could read only its summary.

A third trial used a board from 0 to 100, in rows of ten (Laski and Siegler, 2014). The players were kindergartners from low- to lower-middle-income families. Some were taught to count on from their square: "6, 7." Others counted from 1 each turn. The kindergartners who counted on learned more.

Playing at home: one home trial

One small trial asked families to play a number board game at home (Ribner and colleagues, 2023). They were asked to play twice a week for eight weeks. Their children scored higher on early math than children whose families got no game. Children given a shape board game did not differ from the no-game group.

Eight weeks after the games went back, the difference had faded. The authors call the results exploratory. Most families in it were white and college-educated. Parents logged about half of the sessions they were asked to play.

The authors think the play may need to keep going. They note earlier parent-run games mostly found no clear gains. They say number games may work less well with a parent than a trained partner.

What the research we hold says, and where it stops

A 2025 review pooled 18 studies of number board games (Nelson and colleagues, 2025). The studies ran from preschool to second grade. The review found a positive effect on math overall. We could read only its summary. All the games were number boards, not board games in general. Results varied with things like how much children played, and with whom. The summary does not say which way.

A federal early-math guide suggests games for math practice, with minimal evidence (Frye and colleagues, 2013). That guide is for preschool and kindergarten classrooms.

We hold no number board game trial in children with dyscalculia. Nor do we hold one beyond second grade. We hold no trial of a store-bought number board game, played as sold. That is a gap in what we hold. It is not a finding that number board games do not help.

Nothing in the studies on this page tested a Learning Success program.

How to make and play one at home

In our view, a home board can be very simple. Here is one way to make one.

• Draw ten squares in a row on paper. Number them 1 to 10.
• Make a spinner with 1 and 2 on it. Or put stickers marked 1 and 2 on a die.
• Give each player a token, like a button or a coin.
• On each move, your child says the numbers out loud.
• Count on from the square you are on: "6, 7." Do not start again from 1.
• Take turns. Play to 10, then play again.
• When 1 to 10 is easy, try a longer board in rows of ten.

These steps are our own practice, not a tested method.

Play these games alongside your child's math instruction, not in place of it. Our page on number line activities has more ideas.

When to ask for help

Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.

• Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
• Math well below your child's other schoolwork.
• A teacher who raises a concern about math.
• Extreme upset about math.
• Complete avoidance of math.
• Worry about math that spreads into the rest of learning.
• Sadness or worry that lasts.
• A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.

If no skill has gone, start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.

Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.