Mix It Up
The setup
Use numbered cards from 1 to 25, or a range your child is comfortable with.
How to play
A card is selected at random and used as everyone’s target number. That card is returned to the deck. Each player is dealt five cards to be used, in any order and with any operations, to get as close as possible to the target number.
Examples
Suppose the target number is 14, and you are dealt 3, 6, 12, 17, and 20. 17 – 3 or 20 – 6 work, but only use two cards. 20 – 12 + 6 uses three cards. 17 x (6 / 3) – 20 or 20 – (12 / (6 / 3)) use four cards, so that’s an improvement, if you’re trying to use all the cards. Can you find a way to use all five?
Scoring options
There are several options for scoring, and you may think of your own.
- 1 point to each player who hits the target. Total over several rounds.
- A player’s score for a round is the difference between their result and the target. The scores are totaled over several rounds, and the lowest total score wins.
- A player earns twice as many points as the number of cards they use to reach the target; a player receives 5 points for hitting the target with help; and a player receives 6 points for helping someone hit the target.
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!