Introduction: the educational process, thought as the interaction between people of different generations, allows the transmission of relevant aspects for the intellectual formation and personal development of the human being. Objective: to determine the effect of a recreational games program on the learning of mathematics in third grade students. Method: study with a quantitative approach, quasi-experimental design and longitudinal section. An experimental group and a control group were formed. With the experimental group, an intervention based on games was carried out for the learning of mathematics. As an instrument, the Saber Test was used, which assesses students' learning with respect to mathematics, according to the basic competencies defined by the Ministry of National Education. Results: it was found that the experimental group presented significant changes in the post test. Conclusion: the use of recreational game favors the educational process in aspects such as the understanding of concepts, the improvement of techniques or the acquisition of methods for solving problems.