A Student-Centered Unfair or Fair Game Probability Investigation

Engage your students in a hands-on exploration of probability with our Create-Your-Own Unfair or Fair Game Probability activity — a creative investigation designed to deepen their understanding of fairness in games of chance. Perfectly aligned with maths standards, this resource invites students to design both fair and unfair games using familiar tools like dice, spinners, coins, cards, and cubes.

Through thoughtful questioning and experimentation, students will compare outcomes and explain the impact of game design on the likelihood of results, building critical thinking and mathematical reasoning skills. This unfair or fair game probability resource works well as a guided group, maths station or whole group activity.

Using This Probability Fair Games Resource in the Classroom 

Our probability fair games resource is ready-to-use in minutes! Here’s how to implement it in your classroom:

Directions:

1. Download this resource in the format of your choice.
2. Decide if you would like students to create a fair or unfair game – or both!
   Supply students with the worksheet they will need, as well as chance manipulatives such as dice, cards, coins, colored blocks, etc. A supply of spinners and a cube template have been provided.
3. Students design their own game by answering the questions on the first page of the resource.
4. Pair students and have them play both games together.
5. Once both games have been played, each student completes the feedback form about their partner’s game.
6. Pairs give each other feedback and ensure all questions on both pages of the unfair or fair game probability worksheet have been answered.
7. If time allows, have a classroom discussion about the results.

Download This Unfair or Fair Probability Game Worksheet Set

We have created this unfair or fair probability game worksheet set in both PDF and Google Slides formats. To download, click the drop-down arrow on the download button and choose the format that works for you.

This resource was created by Kendall Britnell, a teacher and a Teach Starter collaborator.

More Probability Math Games and Resources

Don’t stop with this activity, we have many more probability math games your students are sure to enjoy! Take a look below.

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Probability Games — ‘Roll and Remove’

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Share this probability of everyday events sort with your students to give them hands on practice identifying the likelihood of common events.