Card games are a staple in many American homes. From classic games like solitaire to more complicated and in-depth games, there are so many to choose from using a single deck of cards. While you are stuck inside with nothing to do, why not work on your child’s math skills by playing a card game?
There are many card games that can help improve your child’s math skills over time. You can use cards to practice skills like sequencing, matching, counting, and more. These card games are great for younger children to learn these valuable skills while staying age-appropriate and easy for them to understand.
Make Ten
The goal of this game is to make ten using any combination of the four cards lying face up. This is a great game for addition and subtraction skills. Your child will learn different number combinations to come up with the sum of 10. Start by shuffling the deck of cards and splitting them evenly between the players. You will place four cards, face-up, and try to create the sum of ten using only those cards. If you create the sum of ten, you take all the cards and set them aside. Replace them with new cards from your deck and repeat the process. The game ends when all cards are used, or you can no longer make sums of ten. The winner is the person with the most collections of sums of ten.
Fast Facts
The goal of Fast Facts is to call out the product of two numbers during each turn. Start by shuffling the deck and dealing out cards evenly among each player. Both players take the top card from their pile, face it upright, and lay it in the middle of the table. The first person to call out the product of the two cards takes both cards. The winner is the person with the most collected cards when all cards have been played. You can play this using addition and subtraction, or multiplication and division.
Memory Card Games
The object of this game is the make matches by collecting pairs of the same cards. Older children can use a full 52 card deck, but younger players might be better playing with less cards. Spread the cards out across the table. Take turns turning over two cards each turn. Search for the matches by memorizing where each card is placed face down. The game ends when all cards have been collected. The winner is the person who collects the most matches.
Counting Card Game
The goal of the game is to use your counting skills to collect as many cards as you can. A standard sized deck with the kings, queens, and jacks removed is separated into two piles. The first is for cards ace, 2, 3, and 4. The other is for cards 5 through 10. Shuffle and place face down. The players will take turns turning over the top two cards. Add the sum of the two cards, starting with the larger number. If they answer correctly, they get to keep the cards. The game ends when the piles run out. The person with the most collected cards wins.
A single deck of cards can produce ours of educational fun for you and your children. It also provides a chance to spend time as a family together. Try these card games and keep your child learning while out of school.
