7 Decimal Math Games To Help Your Students of All Grade Levels

Decimals, fractions and percentages can be difficult concepts for students to understand, especially when it’s first introduced at lower grade levels. 

Add in the thought of adding, subtracting and multiplying decimals and, oh boy, do you have a headache. 

Math with whole numbers can be tricky for some students, so breaking down the numbers even further can be downright frustrating. 

But when math is made into something fun to do, learning happens naturally. There are tons of interactive math games (both online and in person) that can help your students grasp all of these concepts. 

And there are options to help no matter what grade level your learners are at.

This article will focus on games that will help students learn how to understand and use decimals. But since decimals, fractions and percentages are so closely related, many games work on multiple concepts. 

We’ve gathered together 7 great games, ones sure to hold your students’ interest and keep them learning. In this list, you’ll find digital single-player games, games that are easy to adapt and use with your whole class at once, and worksheet ideas.

No matter what learning styles or ability levels you have in your classroom, you’re sure to find an option that will work for everyone. 

7 Decimal games to help your students understand decimal numbers & fractions

Decimals, fractions and percentages are often first introduced in math class starting in 1st grade. Because of the complexity and depth of the topic, decimals, fractions, and percentages are taught up to 6th grade math class.

After introducing what decimals, fractions and percentages are, you then have to teach how to add, subtract, multiply and divide them. Eventually, students progress to word problems and real-life applications. 

In order to teach decimals more easily, many teachers choose to employ digital learning tools, like games. These games are better at capturing (and holding) students’ attention and make hard lessons a lot more fun. 

Here are seven of the best math games for teaching students in any grade level how to use decimals.

1. Prodigy Math

Prodigy Math is a great way to teach decimals at a variety of grade levels. Decimal, percentage and fraction content is covered in the 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade levels. 

This interactive, fun game will allow students to engage with decimal word problems that have been designed with their exact grade level and curriculum in mind.

Some of the skills that they’ll work on include:

• Ordering decimals
• Multiplying decimals
• Subtracting decimals
• And more!

And Prodigy encourages students to go further. With each correct answer, the challenges get just a bit more difficult, pushing their skills to new heights.

From your free teacher dashboard, you can easily set engaging decimal assignments that require no grading and quickly get reports on each student’s progress. Each student will have the assignment catered to exactly where they are without extra work from you. It’s a win-win!

See how it works below!

2. Fraction Matcher

Fraction Matcher is an online game that can help students understand how fractions fit into whole numbers. This is a great game for younger grade levels, like 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade.

Players are tasked with matching a numerical fraction with a shape that is colored in the same amount as the fraction. For example, a circle is divided into two pieces and only one piece is filled in. This would be matched with ½.

This is a great exercise for visual learners. 

While this game is online, it can also be easily replicated with printed shapes and fractions if you don’t have the resources for your students to play it online. 

You would simply print off sheets with various shapes that are colored in like what is seen in the game. Then students could match fractions that are printed on the page or just write in the fraction next to each shape.

3. Target The Decimal Number Line

Target The Decimal Number Line is a decimal game geared towards 5th grade and 6th grade students. 

Players point a cannon and shoot a bomb at a number line across the top of the screen. The number goes from 0 to 1, and the game gives prompts such as 0.7. Students need to fire the cannon at the proper spot on the number line. 

This game helps students learn both the tenths and hundredths of a decimal point. It also provides a great visual for seeing how decimal points fit into a whole number.

4. Fruit Splat Fraction & Decimal Addition

The Fruit Splat Fractions to Decimals game has fun, floating fruit that appeals to younger students. The matching in this game shows students of how fractions can be represented as decimals. 

There are two different modes in this game, slow and fast, depending on how fast you want the fruit to move. And there are five different levels of difficulty. So, even if your classroom has learners with a variety of skill levels, this game is easily adaptable. 

The higher levels will challenge students to use decimals to the tenths and hundredths place. It also has fractions with whole numbers to sharpen their mental math skills. 

If your students really enjoy this game, there are other Fruit Splat games that they may enjoy as well. There are options for addition, subtraction, and multiplication skills.

5. Puppy Chase Fractions to Decimals

Puppy Chase Fractions to Decimals is a puppy-themed game that can help students convert fractions to decimals. Players need to convert fractions to decimals quickly in order to spur their puppy to run around the racetrack. 

This game is suitable for students in a number of grades but is particularly ideal for those in 4th grade. 

Students will want to compare the decimals to fractions quickly in order to have their puppy win the race, so this game is great for working on their mental math skills with using single-digit numbers. 

The slightly competitive aspect and the fun design make this game a fantastic way to get your students engaged in learning about decimals.

6. Decimals Basketball Game

The Decimals Basketball game involves multiplying decimals. It is more appropriate for older grade levels, like 5th and 6th grade, or those with advanced decimal skills. 

This game is really nice because you can involve multiple players or it could just be a single-player game. While the game shows a red and a blue team competing for more points, a student could play as both teams. 

It can be a great option for centers, individual learning time, or a whole class activity when projected at the front of the classroom. Just split the group in two and have some fun! 

It is available to play on Mac and PC along with smart boards, iPads, and other tablets. And it aligns with Common Core standards.

7. Decimal Place Value Cards

Decimal place value cards are an easy and inexpensive game for teachers to make. There are tons of templates available online (both free and paid), or you can choose to just make your own.

With this activity, you can choose to focus on understanding the tenths, hundredths or thousandths place depending on what your students need practice with. 

This activity can also be tweaked and used as an engaging way to practice rounding to the nearest whole number.

While place value cards are great for younger students, they may not be as fun or effective for older grade levels.

See your students grow their math skills

Understanding what decimals are and how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide them can be a daunting task. But with the right tools and support, every student is capable of it. 

If you’re needing a way to make learning decimals more fun, incorporating games into your lesson plans is a great way to start. There are amazing game options no matter the age or skill level of your students. 

And when you’re ready to move on to the next topic, like mean, median and mode or long division, there are effective games to help support your students’ learning.