Math Games

More and more, I'm convinced that playing with math is the best way to prepare for higher level maths where students have to constantly rearrange and isolate variables. 

So we are making it a priority to play together at least once a week in addition to the daily math practice and memory work Adele does on her own. 

We have been using a deck of cards to drill math facts. 

I got the idea to use playing cards for calculating drills from Quick Flip Arthimetic.

I'm not sure this specific version of the addition game is in that book, but it's an engaging and challenging way to practice mental math. 

1-10 have their face value. Jacks equal eleven. Queen equal twelve, etc. 

I lay out two cards and Adele adds them. 

Then I lay out another, covering only one of the cards, changing the addition problem, and Adele has to add the new card to the old one. 

Then I lay out one or two or three more cards at random, chaining the addition problem again. 

We work through the entire deck this way, creating random addition problems. 

By adding three and four cards together, we often have to add double digits to double digits and that's great challenge.