War – Double-digit Comparison
The setup
Shuffle a deck of playing cards with the face cards and tens removed, and split it evenly between two players.
How to play
Each player turns over two cards and puts them side by side to form a two-digit number. The player with the larger number keeps all four cards. If there is a tie, each player turns over two more cards with the winner getting all eight cards.
How to win
After one or more passes through the cards, the player with the most cards wins.
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!