Board Slam Battleship

In Classical Conversations, we have an awesome game called Board Slam that we play to help with our number fluency.  This game is such a great way to play with numbers.  It's become such a hit with the kids that Classical Conversations has turned it into a national competition called National Number Knockout.

In our community, our Essentials tutor has given me permission to share her variation of this game by blending the fun number game with a classic board game.  I've taken her idea and made a fun printable so that you can make it and play it at home as well!

Board Slam Battleship

The game is simple.  Here's what you need:

• Three dice
• Two file folders
• Two dry erase markers.  We love these ultra-fine expo markers {affiliate link}.
• Four copies of this printout: Board Slam Battleship

Setup

• Cut out the battleships and the board slam boards (you can color them if you want)
• Glue a board to the both sides of two file folders
• I took the folders and ships to Mardel to laminate them ($.30 per foot)

How to Play:

• Each player places three ships on their game board and writes the numbers on the boats.

• The players take turns combining the numbers on three dice with their choice of the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) to make an attack on a specific number.
• If the number they attack has a boat on it, the other player replies, "hit!" If the number attacked does not have a boat occupying it, the player replies, "miss!"
• Players alternate attacking until all three boats of one player are sunk.

Example Equations if you roll 3, 5, and 6:

• 3 + 5 + 6 = 14
• 3 x 5 + 6 = 21
• 3 squared + 5 squared - 6 = 28
• 6 x 3 + 5 =23
• 6 - 5 + 3= 4
• Remember a number to the zero power is 1, so 6 to the zero power times 5 to the zero power times 3 to the zero power is 1!

Variations to the game:

• Rolling the dice:  If you want an easier game, roll the dice with each turn.  For more challenging play, only roll once at the beginning.  Depending on the math level of your players, experiment with how often to roll.
• Time: This game doesn't need to be timed, however,  for a more challenging version, set a timer for a minute, and each player get up to three attacks per turn if they can complete their calculation before the timer buzzes.
• Number of Ships: When you print four copies of the game, you will have six ships total per side.  Add more or less ships to change up the game.

Hope you have fun battling with math!

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Betsy

Betsy Strauss is an unexpected homeschooler, mother of three, who is in a relationship with a sweet man for life. She loves reading books, drinking coffee, and learning anything with her kids.