Map Multiplication Tables Game

By Ellen Dean

Practice math while learning the geography of the the U.S. in this fun, competitive game. Using a deck of cards, players multiply two cards they draw from a deck. If they get them correct, they can then say the name of the state they are going to color in. If they get the multiplication problem correct, their turn is over and it's the next player's turn. Whoever completely colors in their map of the U.S. first wins!

What You Need:

• Deck of playing cards with the face cards (jacks, queens and kings) removed
• Photocopied black outlined map of the US, one per player
• Colored pencils, or markers
• 2 or more players

What You Do:

1. Ask one of the players to shuffle the deck and place it face down in the center of the table. Have another player pass out maps and either colored pencils or markers to the players.
2. Have the kids label each of the states with their correct state names.
3. Then, in each of the states, have the kids write in different products they'll encounter while multiplying the different cards in the deck together.
4. Have the players determine the value of the face cards. Tell them that for the purpose of the game aces = 1.
5. Choose one player to start. Ask her to draw two cards and place them face up so the other players can see. She must correctly state the product that results when the two cards are multiplied together.
6. If she answers correctly, she should find the state containing that product.
7. Before she can color it in, she must correctly identify the respective state's name.
8. If she doesn't come up with the right product, and follow up with a correct state name, play moves on to the next player.
9. The player who's first to successfully color his map in completely is the winner.

Helpful Tip: Make this game even more challenging by asking players to name the capital city of each state before coloring they're allowed to color it in.