Simple games to play at home to develop recall of number facts The games in this booklet are designed to help children develop their quick recall of number facts. The ability to remember number facts such as the pairs of numbers that add up to make 10 (and 20), doubles and times tables help children later on when they are learning formal written methods in Maths. When they are learning formal written methods, if they are also struggling with these basic number facts, it can make the whole process far more difficult. The games are fairly short and simple and if played regularly over time will help the children become more proficient. The children like these games, so it is a way of doing some Maths homework without it feeling like ‘work’. It is the equivalent of the benefits children gain with reading if they read daily at home. The resources are easy to obtain, using dice, playing cards and paper and pencil. You may need to buy more dice than you would normally have in the drawer, but spot dice and 1-­‐10 dice can be purchased easily and cheaply from Amazon. The games in this booklet are arranged in order of difficulty with the easier games coming first. However, older children in Key Stage 2 can benefit from playing these simple games, especially if they do not know these number facts as confidently as we would like them to. Each game is followed by some ‘Notes for Adults’ which explain more about how to get the best out of the game with key questions to ask as the game progresses. •
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Table of Contents Memory Pairs – pairs of numbers totalling 10 Pebbles Memory Pairs – doubles Easy Adds Yatzee 10 dice Subtraction Fun Rolling Times Tables Memory Pairs – number bonds for 10 I am learning the number bonds for 10 You will need: • 1 each of the following playing cards: ace (for 1), 2,3,4,6,7,8,9 and two 5s. • 2 players How to play: • Shuffle the cards. • Place all the cards face down in 2 lines on the table. • Player 1 turns up one card eg 6 • Player 1 has to say what number card he needs to go with this to make a total of 10. • Player 1 turns over another card. If the total makes 10, say eg 6+4=10 and keep the cards. • If the cards do not total 10, turn both cards back over and Player 2 has his/her turn. • Continue playing until all the pairs of cards totalling 10 are found. • You have to remember where the cards are to help you find the pairs that make 10. • Keep playing until all the cards are found. The winner is the person who collects the most cards. Notes for adults – Memory Pairs – number bonds for 10 • It is important that only one card is turned over to start with. The child needs to think about what number he/she will need to make the total up to 10. • Children will need to try to remember where the cards, previously turned over, are in order to do well in the game. Questions to ask: • What number do you (I) need to make 10? – after the first card has been turned over, e.g. If you have 4, you will need 6 to make 10 Make sure the child says the total eg 7+3=10 before they collect the cards. Pebbles I am learning the number bonds for 10. I am learning to add and subtract to and from 10. You will need: • A bag or a piece of material • 10 or 20 pebbles • Counters How to play: • Put 10 pebbles into a bag (or under a piece of material). • One person takes out some pebbles and puts them on the table. • The other person has to work out how many pebbles are still in the bag. • Put the pebbles back in the bag. Say how many are in the bag now. • Take it in turns to take the pebbles out of the bag. • Win a counter or a sticker if you get the answer right. The winner is the person who collects the most counters. Start with 10 pebbles. If you are really good at this, try 20 pebbles. Notes for adults Questions to ask the children as the game is played: • How many pebbles do you have? • How many pebbles does the other person have? • How many pebbles altogether? • Say for example 5 + 5 =10 or 7 + 3 =10 • Encourage the children to say these number sentences out loud. It will help them remember these very important number facts. Memory Pairs -­‐ doubles I am learning to quickly remember doubles up to 10+10. You will need: • 2 sets of 1-­‐5 playing cards • (2 sets of 6-­‐10 playing cards) • 2 players How to play: • Shuffle the cards. • Place all the cards face down in 2 lines on the table. • Player 1 turns up 2 cards. • If you have 2 cards the same, say for example, “what is double…?” • If you get it right you keep the cards. • If the cards are not the same, turn them over for the other person to try and find a double. • Player 2 turns up 2 cards and tries to get a double. • You have to remember where the cards are to help you find the doubles. • Keep playing until all the doubles are found. • Now try with the number 6-­‐10 numbers. The winner is the person who collects the most cards. Notes for adults – Memory Pairs (doubles) • Start with ‘easy’ doubles. • For this you need 2 x ace cards, 2 x 2 cards, 2 x 3 cards, 2 x 4 cards, 2 x 5 cards. • When children are confident remembering the ‘easy’ doubles, take out the very easiest and put in a ‘harder’ double such as 2 x 6 cards. • Gradually take out the more ‘easier’ doubles and put in more of the ‘harder’ doubles. Questions to ask: • Can you remember where the other number was? • What is double…? • If double 5 is 10, what is double 6? • Make sure the child says the total for the double before they collect the cards. Easy Adds I am learning to quickly add up a column of one digit numbers You will need: • A 1-­‐10 dice • A piece of paper and a pencil How to play: • Draw a line down the middle of the length of the paper. • Write the players’ names at the top of the paper. • Take turns rolling the dice 10 times. • Write down, in a vertical line, each number you each roll. • When you have each rolled 10 numbers you are ready to begin adding up the score to see who has the highest number. • First look for any numbers that make 10 e.g. 6 and 4, 7 and 3, 9 and 1, 5 and 5, 8 and 2. • If you have e.g. a 7 and a 3, cross out those numbers and write down a 10 next to your column of numbers. • Continue looking for combinations of numbers that make 10, cross them out and write down as many tens as you can find. • Then look for doubles and also cross them out and write down the totals under the tens you have already found. • Finally add up any numbers you have left over and write them down under the tens and the totals of the doubles. • It should now be easy to add up the numbers you have in your new column of numbers by first counting the tens and then the units to find your total. The winner is the person who has scored the highest number. Mum 1 10 3 5 8 2 4 6 Harry Notes for adults – Easy Adds • Sometimes the numbers rolled with the dice may not give you many pairs of numbers that total 10 so you may need to give your child more help with the addition. • It is important to look for all the ways to make 10 first and look for doubles and leave the harder additions to the end. • The purpose of the game is to see that looking for combinations to make 10 is the easier way to add a list of numbers. • Remember to ensure you cross out the numbers that have totalled 10 when you write down the 10. • This game is best played with children who have learned or are learning the number bonds for 10 and who recognise and have some knowledge of the doubles totals. Questions to ask: • Can you find any numbers that add up to make 10? • Are there any doubles? Yatzee I am learning to do repeated addition as part of a game. I am learning to do times tables as part of a game. You will need: • 5 dice • A score sheet How to play: • Take turns to roll all 5 dice. For each turn you have three rolls of the dice. • After rolling the dice the first time, decide whether you are collecting 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s or 6s. • If you are collecting 2s, keep any 2s you have thrown. • Roll the rest of the dice again – keep any more 2s you throw. • Roll the rest of the dice again – keep any 2s (or whichever number you are collecting) • If you have rolled four 2s in total – write the total of four 2s (8) on the score sheet under your name. Count in 2s to help you get the score. • Continue playing the game until you have a total for each number. • If you decide to collect a number and do not roll any of that number, score 0. The winner is the person who scores the highest for each number collected. Draw a smiley face by the score which is highest for each number. At the end of the whole game, the winner is the person who scored highest on most numbers. Another way to win is to add up your total score and see who has the highest. This will be the harder way to score. Name: Total of ones Total of twos Total of threes Total of fours Total of fives Total of sixes Total Notes for Adults -­‐ Yatzee • Children will need to count in 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and 6s. • The game will help them to learn to do this as they play more. • Children may have more difficulty with counting in 3s, 4s and 6s but if you help them, they will gradually improve. • Totalling the score will also give practice in addition. Your child may need help with this. • If your child is not ready to do this, choose the easier scoring method. 10 dice I am learning my 2,3,4,5 and 6 times tables You will need: •
10 spot dice (1-­‐6) How to play: • Choose a times table you want to practice e.g. 2 times table • Take all 10 dice in your hand and roll them on to the table. • Collect any 2s thrown. • Say how many 2s you have thrown and then say the total number of spots. e.g. I have two 2s which makes 4 spots • Roll the remaining dice again and collect any more 2s thrown. • Put these 2s with the 2s already collected. • Say how many 2s you have now and then say the total number of spots. Eg If you have thrown one more 2, say ‘I have three 2s which makes 6 spots’. • Count the dice in 2s. e.g. 2,4,6 • Continue rolling the remaining dice. Each time say how many 2s you have and how many spots. • When you have rolled all 10 dice the game is over and have counted in 2s to 20, the game is over. You are winning if you are getting better at counting in 2s (3s, 4s, 5s or 6s) and remembering your times table. Notes for Adults – 10 dice • It is important throughout the game that you keep asking ‘How many 2s (3s, 4s, 5s or 6s) do you have?’ This reinforces the times table being practised. • After the children have told you how many 2s (3s,4s,5s or 6s) there are, encourage them to use step counting to find the total, e.g. 2,4,6,8,10 etc. and point to each dice as they do this. • This makes the link between the step counting in 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and 6s and how to use this to find the answer to the times table when they come out of order. • It helps to build understanding of times tables. • Over time, if games like this are played regularly, the children will become proficient in remembering the times tables out of order. • Work on one times table at a time until they are confident remembering that times table, then move on to another times table. Who has the lowest number? I am learning to subtract numbers from 50. You will need: • Paper and pencil • A 1-­‐10 dice (can also be played with a 1-­‐6 spot dice) How to play: • Place the piece of paper vertically. • Draw a line down the centre of the page. • Write the names of the players at the top of the page. • Write the number 50 at the top of each column. • Each player takes turns in rolling the dice and subtracting that number from 50. • Write the answer underneath the 50. • Continue rolling the dice and subtracting the number rolled from the number above until you get to 10 or below. The winner is the person with the lowest number at the end of the game. Mum Helen 50 50 47 39 37 26 Notes for Adults – Who has the lowest number? • The game can be made easier by starting with a lower number e.g. 20, 30 or 40 and made harder by starting with a higher number e.g. 60, 70, 80, 90 or 100. • The game can also be made easier by using a 1-­‐6 spot dice as the numbers being subtracted only go up to 6. • To make it even easier, stick blank stickers on the dice and write numbers 1-­‐3 on the dice so that the numbers being subtracted are even smaller. • It is harder when the number thrown on the dice means the subtraction involves crossing multiples of 10, e.g. 42-­‐7=35, crossing 40. • The child will need to count backwards to do these subtractions. • Help can be given by drawing a number line so the children can see the numbers they have to count back through or use a hundred square to help with the counting back. It is important that children enjoy the game. If they are not enjoying playing it, it may be that it is too hard. Use the information above to make the game easier. When they are confident with an easier version of the game, make it harder gradually. Children often find subtraction harder because they are naturally less interested in ‘less’ and far more interested in ‘more’! However, this is a good reason for playing subtraction games as they are less familiar with counting back and need plenty of practice in doing so. Rolling Times Tables I am practising my times tables. You will need: • Two 1-­‐10 dice (or two 1-­‐6 spot dice) • Paper and Pencil How to play: • Take turns to roll two 1-­‐10 dice. • Multiply the 2 numbers to find your score, e.g. if you roll a 2 and a 7 you score 14 (2x7). • Write down your score. • Roll the 2 dice again and multiply the two numbers. • Add the score to your first score. • Continue until the first person reaches 100. The winner is the first person to reach 100 Notes for Adults – Rolling Times Tables To make the game easier: • Use only 1-­‐6 spot dice to reduce the number of times tables being practised. • Choose a times table you want your child to practice and roll one 1-­‐10 dice to say how many of that number e.g. choose the 5 times table and roll one dice. If you roll a 3, the calculation will be 3 x 5 and the score will be 15. • Make the target number 50 instead of 100 so you get to the target quicker.