Bingo! with cards
The setup
Play this with Number Cards, or if there are many players, with numbered regular playing cards.
How to play
Reserve two suits worth of cards for a draw pile, and divide the remaining cards among the players. Each player randomly selects 16 cards to place in a 4 by 4 grid face up in front of them.
Take a card from the draw pile and call it out. Each player may turn over one card from their grid that matches the number drawn. If a player has more than one card that matches, the player must choose which one to turn over.
How to win
The first player to get four cards flipped over in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally wins the game and calls out “Bingo!”
Helping your child
First and foremost, playing math games should be fun, like any other game your family plays together!
Please let your child make poor plays (mistakes) without correction, and resist the urge to tell them the best ways to play. Bit by bit, your child will get better at the game, and they will learn so much more if you let them figure things out. There is no hurry.
If you see your child make a mistake, ask them to describe why they decided to do what they did. If your child is stuck and doesn’t know which play to make, ask them to describe the pros and cons of their choices, or ask them about how they solved a similar situation in the past. If your child doesn’t remember how to do a calculation, discuss with them the methods they know for figuring it out. These conversations are important for helping your child to develop mathematically.
Through math game play and math conversations, you are helping your child learn to enjoy math and develop important problem solving skills!