Mathematics games in the classroom

Games are fun, and it is important to have fun. Mathematical games in school are good because, in playing them, children have fun associated with a topic that in not always considered to be enjoyable. It is neither possible nor desirable to organize the bulk of mathematics instruction around games, but it is sometimes possible to develop games in such a way that they complement the regular mathematics instruction and thereby justify more classroom time. This article chronicles one classroom experience of the author in which a simple game was introduced to a fifth-grade class on a Friday afternoon.