Below is a list of books with activities, games, puzzles, and problems that build understanding, while offering practice doing arithmetic. My favorites are near the top of the list.
Historical Connections in Mathematics, Volumes I, II, & III
These books include intriguing ready-to-use classroom activities, in addition to biographical information on famous mathematicians. Though these books are intended for 6 - 12th graders, I have successfully used material from them with 2nd - 5th graders.
What's Next: Using Patterns to Solve Problems, Volumes 1, 2, & 3
http://www.whitcoulls.co.nz/book/whats-next-volume-1-using-patterns-to-solve-problems/6069468/
http://www.whitcoulls.co.nz/book/whats-next-volume-2-using-patterns-to-solve-problems/6069469/
http://www.whitcoulls.co.nz/book/whats-next-volume-3-using-patterns-to-solve-problems/6069470/
What's Next: Using Patterns to Solve Problems is "a rich collection of life-related problems that demonstrate the power of pattern recognition in problem solving." (from the book's back cover)
About Teaching Mathematics: A K-8 Resource, 3rd Edition
by Marilyn Burns
www.amazon.com/About-Teaching-Mathematics-K-8-Resource/dp/0941355764
This nearly 500 page book contains engaging activities, problems, and games that build student understanding and skills.
Math for Smarty Pants
by Marilyn Burns
www.amazon.com/Brown-Paper-School-book-Smarty/dp/0316117390
“I'm pursuing math at the collegiate level and I have no doubt that this book played a large part. It is filled with examples of math made fun, but don't get the idea that the topics are trivial. The book introduces some very deep concepts in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. I look through the book even today and marvel at the great variety of topics that aroused my interest so many years ago. Buy it for a kid you know, before they get bored with repetitive arithmetic exercises and other pitfalls of elementary school math!” (from a review on Amazon.com)
The I Hate Mathematics! Book
by Marilyn Burns
www.amazon.com/Brown-Paper-School-book-Mathematics/dp/0316117412
“The book [is] a lot of fun! I love the illustrations .... It's very informal and makes fun of adults. There are all these funny, crazy pages with topics such as how to get close to a pigeon or how many popcorn kernels it takes to fill up a room or your mouth (or something). There are also several games - ideas for tutors, teacher, parents... Topics don't get drawn out so long that a kid can't pay attention, and you can learn about stuff you wouldn't normally talk about in adding and subtracting class. Basically, you can learn math and logic in a nice, fun, comfortable manner.” (from a review on Amazon.com)
Math Fair Booklet
www.mathfair.com/resources.html
This booklet is filled with interesting puzzles.
Cool Math: Math Tricks, Amazing Math Activities, Cool Calculations, Awesome Math Factoids and More
by Christy Maganzini
http://www.amazon.com/Cool-Math-Activities-Calculations-Factoids/dp/0613047699/
Mental Math Workout
by Michael L. Lobosco
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a