** Disclaimer: This article does not have interactive games, but has suggestions on how math games and puzzles can be solved.** When I was in school, math wasn't exactly my cup of coffee (Why should it be tea always?) I used to burn my lips, every time I thought of it. For me, Math has been a M- Mind-boggling, A- Agonizing, T- Tiring, H- Horrible subject. I used to get confused by the formulae, the theorems and what not. Algebra!!! I never understood why they used x, y and z every time when there were so many alphabets remaining. It was a never-ending agony, a traumatic experience. Pythagoras theorem looked so meaningless to me. I wonder why he measured a triangle, when we don't have any use of it in our daily life. Well, I could go on with my litany of complaints. However, these days, kids enjoy math, thanks to several games available, that enhance the child's learning capability and grasping power. The teaching method adopted in schools these days, to teach not only math but also other subjects, have proven to be productive when it comes to clearing the basic concepts regarding that particular subject. Kids of all age groups adore magic. So it is a good idea to interlink the basic concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with magic to teach them different tricks and puzzles to make the subject interesting. Introduce kids to a whole new world of math problem solving techniques. The basic concept is 'not to do different things, but to do things differently'. Math magician games for kids can include solving word problems. Word problems range from being very simple to very complex. Involve real life situations like buying and selling, that include the use of the mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Simplify and teach them the right use of the concept of BODMAS, a basic concept, which every child would find useful in everyday life, later in their lives. Class Activity for Math Puzzles The general idea about Math among students is that this subject is quite difficult and only a few can handle this with ease. However, the main motive to teach some math games to students is to harbor interest and love for this so-called nightmarish subject. The puzzle mentioned below can be introduced to the students in class where you can make the kids believe that math is a tricky and interesting subject. Though this is an elementary math game, students in higher grades can also be made to solve this math riddle.

1. Divide the students into different groups. Pick out a student from each group and then make him or her choose any number from 1 to 20.
2. The students must not disclose the number they have chosen.
3. Now tell them to multiply the number by 2. But make sure they do the calculations in their mind.
4. After they have finished make them add 10 to the answer.
5. Then ask them to divide the result of the previous step, by 2.
6. Let them subtract the original number they had chosen from this result.

Watch their awed expression when you announce that the final result for all of them is 5. Teaching Math at Home It is said that home is the first school for a child. Teaching math at home can be done in creative ways by asking the child to count the number of items, say, in a room or on the table. Addition and subtraction can also be easily taught by asking children to add or remove a specific number of items from a particular place. This activity will help children understand the tricks of solving math puzzles. You can also teach kids the trick of getting the answer to this game, in the end.

1. Get a pack of cards and make your kids shuffle the deck as many times as they wish.
2. After shuffling the deck 3 to 4 times, lay down 27 cards in 3 columns with each column having 9 cards each.
3. Lay 3 cards in a row and continue till you have reached the 9th row by laying all the 27 cards. Make sure that the cards are facing up.
4. Ask your child to choose a card from the cards laid out and tell you the column where the card belongs. But he/ she should not reveal which is the chosen card.
5. Gather the cards column-wise but make sure that the chosen card is the 10th one in the deck.
6. Re-lay the 27 cards in the same manner as in 3 columns with 9 rows each. Ask the child where his/ her chosen card is located. Gather the cards in the same manner as in step 5.
7. Repeat steps 6 and 5 and lay the cards again for the 4th time.
8. Count up to the 14th card and ask your child if he/she had chosen that card.

Enjoy watching your kid nod in amazement at this simple math problem. Solving Techniques for Math Puzzles Solving math magician puzzles, games and tricks can help children develop analytical and critical thinking skills. Middle school math games may involve teaching students the different concepts of mathematics in simpler and easily conceivable methods. They can be taught to solve interesting puzzles like Sudoku, Kakuro and the like. Sudoku is a simple game of logic and it involves the use of a Latin square which has 9 blocks of 3 x 3 cells. The trick is to complete the square by filling in numbers from 1 to 9 in such a way that no number is repeated in a single row or column. Sudoku has become very popular in recent times and is a craze among the young and old alike. Hence Sudoku is an excellent way to improve logical and analytical skills of kids and at the same time have fun playing the game. Kakuro is another popular math game which involves the use of logic and numbers. It is somewhat similar to Sudoku. The puzzle has horizontal and vertical lines having a specific number of blank squares (or grids). To play, one has to enter the numbers from 1 to 9 to add up to the sum of the total given in the black grid. Math tricks act as a brainteaser, thereby improving a person's way of thinking logically. Learning math is not that difficult as one thinks. When one needs to calculate simple problems, one can always do it in his head. Our brain is automatically programmed to read from left to right. So, while solving problems, we do it from left to right. In case of adding up difficult numbers, the trick is to split up the numbers into smaller values and add them up to get the result. Math is an intriguing subject. A boring, slow afternoon can be converted into an electrifying atmosphere by having some fun math magician games and tricks. Creating and designing your own math games to help children solve them in a number of ways will help inculcate the love for numbers in them. So why wait? Just go ahead and discover the interesting world of Math.