A {Free} Strategy Game – Poison

Need a math game that improves logical reasoning skills for your first grade, second grade, third grade, even fourth and fifth grade students? Try this free strategy game! Most games require strategy and have some luck built-in. But not this free game. There is no luck. It is all about logic and strategy!

There are many versions of this fun Poison Game. This is the one we start with. You may know this game as a variation of Nim. Although the origin of Nim is uncertain, many people say it probably came from a game in China called Jian Shi Zi, or “picking stones.”

To play using this free printable (download at the end of this post), players take turns crossing out either one or two of the cupcakes on each turn. The last cupcake is the Poison cupcake. The player who is left with that cupcake as her only option to cross out loses the game. The kids love that in this printable game there are wonderful, beautiful cupcakes with lots of icing, yet one of them is POISON!

This free strategy game of Poison works beautifully with all grade levels. Some of my first graders figure out a winning strategy after playing about 3 or 4 times while some of my fifth graders take it home and continuing playing to find a strategy.

Be sure to remind your kids not to tell others what they think the strategy is. We call that “leaking” and it is not allowed. It stops others from continuing to think and reason.

Let students whisper their thinking into your ear. Then you can verify, or suggest that you’re not sure that will always work. If time allows, they can “Convince Me” by playing a game with you as they test their strategy on you.

PLAY ANYWHERE AND ANYTIME

After we have played this printable version of the free strategy game of Poison, when time allows, I simply draw 10 dots on a board and students play against me. The dots can be in a straight line or scattered. They do not need to be in a pyramid as per the example in this free resource, but the rules are the same. On her turn, a player may erase one or two dots. The player that has no choice but to erase the last Poison dot is the loser. Once someone has “a winning strategy”, they get to play against the class. The shortest player always goes first. But that means she gets to choose if she wants to be the first player to take away a dot or the second player. 🤓

To keep the game interesting, you may also play that the next-to-last dot is the Poison dot and the player who gets to erase the last dot is the winner. Or, allow players to erase 1, 2, or 3 dots on their turn. These differences in play require a completely different strategy and logic to win.

When most students have figured out the winning strategy, for removing one or two items on a turn, they can play against the computer online.

INCREASING THE LOGIC AND STRATEGY – ANOTHER VARIATION

Set up 16 small objects in consecutive rows of 1, 3, 5, and 7. (Nim is commonly played with coins or small stones but using counters in the classroom works great.)

The first player chooses a row and picks up as many or as few objects as she wishes from a single row. Her playing partner repeats this. Players continue taking turns until a player has to pick up the last object – this player loses. The goal is to leave your partner with the single, final object. Even though children as young as 5 can understand these simple rules, the older the player, the more strategy that will be used.

This is a great game to play because you don’t really need any special supplies, kids learn the rules quickly, and you can play anywhere, anytime!

A WINNING STRATEGY

Can you figure out a winning strategy with your kids for the free Game of Poison?

⭐ Try it. Then play with a teacher-friend. So much fun!

Once you have a winning strategy for this version of Poison, can you figure out a winning strategy for the version of Nim with the 16 small items?

Once you have figured out some strategies for Nim, you and your students can also play Nim against the computer online.

Download this {FREE} Poison Game from the Free Printables Resource Library HERE.

If you are already a Sum Math Friend, just enter the password to our Free Resource Library and download. 🤗

LOVE this free strategy game and want MORE logic and reasoning? Check out these full-products:

Kindergarten – 1st -2nd Grades – Logic Puzzles – Problem Solving

Early Finishers {Problem Solving} Logic Puzzles – 4th 5th 6th Grades

Early Finishers {Problem Solving} Logic Puzzles – 3rd 4th 5th Grades

Thanks!

And as always,