Building Math Skills with the Battleship Game

Playing board games can help children increase their math skills almost effortlessly. It's easy to see where Monopoly and similar games would be helpful but have you considered Battleship?

Most people have played Battleship when they were kids, whether it was the original or electronic version. You and your opponent set up ships on a grid and try to guess where the opponent's ships are. You then keep a record of the co-ordinates that you used until you have found the entire fleet. The game ends when one player sinks all of the other player's ships.

How does that relate to math?

Mathematics uses a different area of the brain than grammar or reading. It has a language of its own that your child needs to learn to succeed. Like any other skill, math should be learned and practiced as many ways as possible for the best retention.

While most parents would not consider teaching algebra to an eight year old that is exactly what is happening when your child plays Battleship. Not only does he learn strategy and thinking skills necessary to all of his studies, he is also learning about:

• Co-ordinates
• Columns
• Graphing
• Grids
• Logic
• Ordered pairs
• Points
• Probability
• Rows

Your child is assimilating math concepts that he will use throughout his lifetime as well as expanding his problem solving skills.

Children learn these principles well with Battleship because they are using all of their senses for learning in a relaxed and entertaining way. Although education, and especially arithmetic, is often presented as being boring and redundant it doesn't have to be. Most people have learned some of their most important lessons and skills outside of the classroom.

Teaching Higher Math Skills with Battleship

The major concept used throughout the game is knowing how to plot and name points along the co-ordinate grids. Playing Battleship allows you child to learn the following mathematic facts and skills:

• A point contains and x and a y co-ordinate
• Locating a point
• Naming a point
• Origin
• What are quadrants?
• X-axis
• Y-axis

There are several sites on the Internet where your child can play Battleship games that have certain mathematics skills interwoven in their play.

Advanced Battleship

Advanced Battleship is an online game that teaches co-ordinates, logic, and strategy. Your child will set up ships and play against the computer, which makes it great for home learning.

Battle the One Step Equations

Battle the One Step Equations is an online game the child will sink the opponent's ships by correctly solving one step equations. The student must have an understanding of positive and negative integers.

Classic Battleship

The Classic Battleship game, played online against the computer. Nearly any child age 7 or older can grasp the concepts and strategy of playing the classic version..

Hot Chalk's Lesson Plans

The Hot Chalk's Lesson Plans site has complete instructions for using Battleship as an aid to learning mathematics. You can even print off information that you will need.

Learn NC

Learn NChas a printable lesson plan with instruction for planning a unit around the Battleship game. It includes assessments and supplements.

Learn by Playing

Playing Battleship on a regular basis will help to reinforce mathematics skills for all ages. A child that can increase problem solving skills and understand the principles of strategy has a much better chance at future career success than those that struggle to use these concepts.

Add a game day to your homeschool or traditional classroom to encourage your students to learn in a friendly, low stress environment.

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