The Role of Math Games for Children’s Early Math Learning: A Systematic Review

Math learning in early childhood is critical for later success, as it is predictive of mathematical and academic achievement through adolescence. Therefore, developing engaging and effective methods for early math instruction are important. Math games are a common method for teaching math in a way that is motivating and engaging for young children and are often used in early childhood classrooms. However, research on what games are effective and who can benefit from playing them often focuses on single elements or contexts of gameplay, and there is little research summarizing the effects of math games on children’s learning. The current systematic review presents research on the impact of math games on preschool through third grade children’s math development, examining what game contexts, types, and content areas are effective for math learning, who can learn from games, and what features of math games effectively promote learning in early childhood. Themes in the literature include the impact of game design factors, math outcomes studied, and dosage of gameplay for learning through games. The review reveals that future research is needed to compare the effects of gameplay across contexts and to examine additional factors influencing children’s learning from games.