Kids often get confused between area and perimeter, so they need lots of practice with these skills. When I noticed that my 4th graders were struggling with these concepts, I created a math partner game to give them a fun way to practice area and perimeter. They helped me name the game, and Island Conquer became a favorite in math centers. (If you’d like to use this game with your students, click here request your free copy!)
Island Conquer involves plotting rectangles on a coordinate grid and then finding the area or perimeter of those shapes. The grid represents the ocean and the rectangles are the islands. At the end of the game, players calculate the total area or perimeter of their islands to find out who won.
In the most recent version of Island Conquer, the players, or pirates, are given a mission to map all the islands in Quadrilateral Bay and to conquer them by correctly calculating their areas or perimeters. At the end of the game, both pirates count their “treasure” by calculating the total area or perimeter of all the islands they have captured. Island Conquer is a terrific review game because both luck and skill are needed to win. Players have to rely on luck when they draw a coordinate card from the deck, but they must correctly plot the island on the map and calculate the area or perimeter in order to capture the island and win.
Island Conquer Area & Perimeter Game Freebie
Click here to request the free version of Island Conquer!
Where to Find Island Conquer
Would you like to use this math game in your classroom? Island Conquer is free for my newsletter subscribers. If you’d like a copy and you’re not a subscriber, click here to request the free version of Island Conquer. I’ll add you to my email list and send this free game to you. If you are a current subscriber, look for an email from me with the link to the private page, Laura’s Best Freebies. I hope you find this activity to be a helpful math resource and that your students enjoy Island Conquer as much as mine did!
