TAKS Math Games: Fun Ways to Prepare for the TAKS Test

What Is the TAKS Test?

The TAKS is a standardized test that is administered to Texas students in grades 3-8. The TAKS test, which is directly aligned with Texas education standards, assesses a student's knowledge and skills in reading, math, writing, social studies and science.

Although this evaluation contains a majority of multiple-choice questions, your child should also be prepared to respond to several short answer questions. In general, reviewing basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division is always a good idea when preparing for this test.

Geometry Mix Up

Before beginning this activity, draw a variety of geometric shapes on poster paper and cut them out. Have your child choose shapes to piece together to make a larger shape. For instance, your child could piece together two triangles to make a diamond or two squares could be combined to create a rectangle. Be sure that your child can accurately identify the shape he or she has created.

Then, ask your student to determine the perimeter of the created shapes using a ruler. If your child is at the middle school level, you may even have him or her determine the area of the figure or measure the angles that have been created. As an extension of this activity, have your child model each figure's rotation and reflection.

Money, Money, Money

For this activity, you will need to write a variety of monetary amounts on index cards and place them in a bowl. Your child will also need each type of coin to use for counting. To begin, your child should choose a card from the bowl and model that amount using the available coins. For instance, if the card says $0.50, then your child may model this using two quarters.

Then, challenge your child to show all of the different ways he or she could have this monetary amount. To prepare for short answer questions, you may also have your student explain his or her answers in a written response. For older students, you could limit which coins they are allowed to use. Or, challenge your child to show a specific monetary amount using as few coins as possible.