Within One or Two
The setup
Create a stack of Number Cards with a range of quantities your child is comfortable with. Split the cards evenly between two players and place the cards face down.
How to play
Players take turns placing a single card on the stack in the middle between them. If the card is one more, the same, or one less than the previous card, the first player to say ‘one more’, ‘the same’ or ‘one less’ wins all the cards in the current stack.
How to win
The person wins who has the larger stack of cards when you stop playing.
Variations
- Include the relationships of ‘two more’ and ‘two less’ as options.
- Use a target sum, say 10. Be the first person to say the top two cards add up to 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!