Sumoku, by Blue Orange Games, is an excellent game for practicing both mental multiplication and addition while developing critical thinking skills and strategy. It consists of a brightly colored cone shaped bag filled with 96 colorful number tiles and a die. The packaging is similar to Bananagrams- very compact and portable. Anywhere from 1-8 players can play the game.
There are several variations you can play, including solo and team play. In each, the basic idea is to arrange the number tiles in a crossword pattern. Each row and/or column must add up to a multiple of the number you rolled on the die. (Of course if there is a particular multiple you want your students to practice you can just use that one. I usually have them learn to play using 5.)
To add to the challenge, a color (there are 6) cannot repeat within a row or column.
Each player always has 8 tiles to use and draws new ones at the end of their turn. Play continues until all tiles are used. Players tally their scores scrabble style by adding the numbers on each tile in a column/row.
Students of all levels can play this game. However, you will want to have the players be of similar math ability. A child with basic adding and skip counting skills will be able to play. Children who know their multiplication fluently will be able to play competitively and use more strategy to make high scoring moves. If it suits the needs of your group you can play collaboratively without scoring, focusing on the math skills.
The game has won several awards including the Oppeheim Gold Seal, the Parents’ Choice Gold Award, and Parents Magazine 55 Best Toys. It is a great combination of competitive fun and developing mathematical thinking.
For more on multiplication fact fluency see this post.
For more fun and educational math games, go to Learning Through Play