Several parents have asked for directions for games we play in class to strengthen the children’s math skills.  They are a great way to do the daily math fact practice.  Enjoy!

Addition Top-It

Materials – deck of cards with the jokers and face cards removed (or assign each a value: ex.

                   Jack=11, Queen=12, King=13, Joker=14).

1.  Shuffle the cards and place them in a pile facedown between the two players.

2.  One player turns over two cards and says the sum of the numbers.

3.  The other player turns over the next two cards and says the sum of the numbers.

4.  The player with the higher sum takes all four cards.

5.  In case of a tie, each player draws one more card to add to the sum.  The higher sum wins all

     of the cards.

6.  Play ends when not enough cards remain for both players to have another turn.  The winner is  

     the player with more cards.

Variations – Draw 3 cards.

                  – Use 2-3 dice instead of cards.  Keep track of points, 1 point for each higher sum.

Coin Top-It (This game is under construction, do not print out game yet!)

Materials – Two coin combination sheets (coin combinations page1) cut apart.

1.  Mix the 32 cards and place them facedown between the two players.

2.  Each player draws a card and says the total amount of the coins shown on his or her card. 

     The player with the greater amount collects and keeps both cards.  Players draw again if the

     amounts are equal.

3.  The game ends when there are no cards left to draw.  The winner is the player who collected

     the most cards.

Addition Spin

Materials – Addition Spin mats (addition spin mats), paper clip, pencil

1.  Place the curve of the paper clip around the dot in the center of the mat.

2. Place the point of the pencil through the paper clip onto the dot.

3. Spin the paper clip around the pencil tip two times and add the two numbers.

Money Exchange Game

Materials – Two Place Value Mats (money exchange), play money (10 $1 bills, 10 $10 bills, 1 $100 bill per

                   player), one die

1.  Partners put all of their bills together to form a “bank”.

2.  Player 1 rolls the die and takes from the bank the number of $1 bills shown on the die.

3.  Player 1 places the $1 bills in the right-hand column (the $1 column) on his or her Place-Value

     Mat.

4.  Player 2 repeats steps 2 and 3.

5.  Players continue in this way, taking turns.

6.  Whenever possible, players trade ten $1 bills for one $10 bill and ten $10 bills for $100. 

     They put the new bills in the correct column on their Place-Value Mat and the old bills back  

     in the “bank”.

7.  The first player to trade for a $100 bill wins.

Variation – Rehead the columns for $10, $100, and $1,000 and play to $1,000 (bank draft, not

bills)

Penny Cup

Materials – One cup, can, or other container, 20 pennies

1.  Player 1 turns the container upside down, hides some of the 20 pennies under it, and puts the

    rest on top.

2.  Player 2 counts the pennies on top and figures out how many are hidden.

3.  If the number is correct, player 2 gets a point.

4.  Players trade roles.

5.  First player to 5 points wins.

Beat the Calculator

Materials – A calculator, Fact Power Table (fact power table)

1.  One player is the “Caller”, one is the “Calculator”, and the third is the “Brain”.

2.  The Caller selects a problem at random from the Fact Power Table (the shaded ones are

     more challenging).

3.  The Calculator solves the problem with a calculator (even if he/she knows the answer) while

     the Brain solves it without a calculator.  The Caller decides who correctly answers the 

     problem first.

Clock Concentration

Materials – Clock Concentration cards (clock concentration print 2 copies)

1.  Choose 10 different times and draw hands on the analog clocks being careful to make the

     hands the correct length and pointing exactly at the time you’ve chosen.

2.  On the blank card underneath each analog clock, write the time in digital form.

3.  Cut out all of the cards.

4.  Put the cards in even rows and columns (an array).

5.  Choose two cards.  If the analog and digital times match, keep the cards.  If they don’t

     match, replace the cards in the array.

6.  Continue until all of the cards are matched.  The player with the most pairs wins.