Games to Stretch Our Thinking!

We use a variety of games in class to motivate students and get them excited about math. We also use them to refresh concepts we have learned about in class or to give students extra practice. "I Have, Who Has" is one of my favorites. We play this game often and our students love it! Check out the video below for our easiest set of cards, beginning place value.

In the game, each student has his or her own card. The "I have" number is going to be an answer to a question someone asks. The "who has" question is the question that a student gets to ask once an answer has been given. 

In the card above, the student would answer if they heard the question, "Who has 24-10?" The student would then say, "I have 14. Who has 54 + 10?" and wait for a student to say, "I have 64."

Sometimes we time students, sometimes we do it just for fun. Our favorite set of cards are the plus or minus 10 cards. Each card in that deck requires a student to add or subtract 10 from any number 1-99 like the sample above.

Getting Familiar with 100

As we approach the 100th day of school, (WOW! Already?) we like to do lots of fun activities in class relating to the number 100. We bring in collections of 100 things (like 100 hair clips in our hair, 100 buttons on our shirt, 100 lollipops to share with our friends) and make it our class goal to do 100 nice things before the day is out. The most important thing we do on the 100th day of school, however is work with the number 100. Here are some great games you can play with your child to help increase number sense and strategies in working with 100:

1. Guess My Number on the 100s Chart. In this game, one person thinks of a number. The other person tries to guess the number by asking yes/no questions to eliminate as many numbers as he or she can. When a number is eliminated, it is crossed off of the 100 chart. (For example, questions to ask might include: Is your number even? Is your number greater than 50?)

2. Get to 100. This game requires a 100s chart, game pieces, and a die or playing cards with face cards removed. (Uno cards also work great for this game.)  Players take turns rolling the die and moving forward that many spaces on the 100s chart. The winner must land exactly on the number 100. 

3. Splat is an interactive, blank 100s chart. Any number of games can be created and played with it. When choosing a square, you can "splat" it with one of several different color choices, making the number appear beneath the splat. 

4. Get to $1.00. Players need a die, coins, and a dollar bill. Players take turns rolling the die and putting that amount of money in their "piggy bank." The object of the game is to always have the least number of coins in the piggy bank and to ultimately reach $1.00. (So if you have 5 pennies, you would want to trade them for 1 nickel, etc.) 

Check out this video clip for samples of students playing Get to $1.00, Spend $1.00, Beat the Calculator,  Get to 100, and Guess My Number on the 100s chart. 

What is your favorite 100 game?

Can you get to 100?

Welcome back! We are moving right along in our math curriculum. We began today with one of my favorite math games, "Get to 100." This game focuses on adding multiples of 5 and 10 and becoming familiar with the patterns and structure of the 100 chart.

How do I play?

Object: The object of this game is to reach exactly 100. No more, no less.


Materials: multiple of 5 number cube or cards, 100 chart, game piece for each player, paper and pencil to record


Directions:

1. Each player puts a game piece to the left of the number 1.

2. Take turns. Roll the number cube or draw a number card and move that many spaces on the 100 chart.

3. Record your moves on the paper. (This will end up looking like a number string.)

4. Continue taking turns and recording your move.

5. You can only "win" if you land directly on the number 100.

6. Think you have reached 100? Check your moves by adding all the numbers on your paper. If the sum does not equal 100, move your game piece back to the total number and continue play.

7. Play again :)