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practicing math facts with crazy, mixed-up dice: math games for kids

home / math / computation / practicing math facts with crazy, mixed-up dice: math games for kids
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Somehow we have ended up with a ton of wild and crazy dice in our house.

Some are huge.

Some are teeny.

Some are old; some are brand, spankin’ new.

Some have numerals and some have dots.

Some are even double-dice–a big die with a mini die inside.

And we had one die with an addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division sign on each side.ย ย  One, that is, until I made a second using one of our cheapo foam blocks from the dollar bins.ย  A Sharpie and a foam block, and we were set–much like the die we made for our Ghost Bingo back in the fall.

Since we’re continually working on good, ole-fashioned math facts over here (one kiddo reluctantly and another enthusiastically), I tried to mix it up a little the other day and utilize some of our oh-so-crazy dice for some fun.

Here’s the skinny. . .

  • Practicing Math Facts with Mixed-up Dice: Sounds simple because it is. All we had were a few silly dice, and a lot of sneaky, fun practice was had.

 

two of our cra-zeeee dice, happy to be found and used for some math-fact practice

It was right after Maddy and Owen had finished their homework, on an afternoon when neither had very much to do.

Cora was busy painting, not to be interrupted, so I said, Wow. We have a ton of dice here. (I had just started organizing a supply box in the work room.)ย  Let’s use them for a little game. Who’s up for it?

Owen–without hesitation–was up for it, and Maddy took some convincing.ย  But because she was the one I was thinking about who could benefit from the extra mathy-math–fun, I pushed a bit: Oh, Maddy, Maddy.ย  This game I’m thinking of is CRAAAA-ZY fun.ย  She was in.

 

Owen rolled a 6 + 2.

Very quickly, I made the extra die with the process signs.ย  Then I said, Awesome. Here’s the deal: We’re going to start out by taking turns choosing two dice. We’ll roll the dice and then roll this die (pointing to the sign one).ย  Then you can decide what order you want to put your numbers and you can figure out the answer to the problem. Like this. . .ย 

I chose two of the red dice, and I rolled them.

Owen loved, loved, loved the crazy dice.ย  And why wouldn’t he?

A six and a two, I said.ย  And then I rolled the green die I made.ย  A plus sign! So it doesn’t matter which order I put my numbers, because the answer will be the same, but I’m going to create my problem like this: 6 + 2.ย  And the answer is eight. Yay! Simple. Who’s first?

Owen grabbed two dice and rolled them. And then he rolled the green die. And very quickly, he declared the problem and gave us the answer.ย  I can’t even remember what it was, it all happened so quickly.

And then he chose the crazy double dice and added those numbers together and used that as his second number. It’s fun for him, and it comes so easily.ย  It amazes me because my brain is not programmed that way; I have to move more slowly, and I’m thirty years older than he.

By that time, Maddy was just about ready to take off when I said, Okay Maddy, here you go. You do your own, and Owen will do his own.ย  No contests, no stress.ย  Just choose two dice, roll ’em, and then roll to see if you’ll be subtracting, adding, or multiplying. Since you’ve started multiplication at school, you get to try that with this game.

She and I worked together a little more closely for the first few times, and soon she and Owen decided to morph the game into a seriously insane-combo game where they rolled three number dice and the two sign dice and worked together to figure out the answer.

It was cool.

And it was quick, and it was a fun–easy–way to throw in a little, teeny bit of math fact practice after homework was finished, before dinner started, and before we moved into the next part of our day.

Need more quickie, on the fly math games for kids? Check out:

  • Mastering Math Facts with Mini-Fact Cards
  • Math Bingo
  • Street Sign Math
  • Strike it Out!
  • Indoor Lid Toss
  • No More Troubling Doubling
  • Coin Counting and Skip Counting
  • Playing With Money: Sorting, Estimating
  • Veggie Kabob Patterns
  • Everyday Math Activities for a Math-Mindful Summer

Happy counting! (. . . And all that other fun math stuff!)

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post:ways to make math learning FUN! (& Kindle giveaway!)
Next Post:rich, diverse digital resources for learning: PBS LearningMedia

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Organized in partnership with The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the competition in your community will inspire middle schoolers to become better informed about American democracy, to engage respectfully and constructively in the community, and to build greater trust in others and institutions. 

Learn how to bring The National Civics Bee to YOUR community now: https://teachmama.com/bring-the-national-civics-bee-to-your-community/

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Quick! Thereโ€™s still time to see if your area is registered to participate in this yearโ€™s National Civics Bee! #ad

Click the link in my bio to learn more and to grab a TON of free resources for families and educators. 

This yearโ€™s registration deadline is approaching, but you still have time! 

What better way to get students to engage in civics and contribute to their communities? 

https://teachmama.com/bring-the-national-civics-bee-to-your-community/

#CivicsBuzz #strongcommunities #middleschool #civicsbee #teachersofIG
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Have you heard of The National Civics Bee? #ad 

The National Civics Bee is an initiative aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. 

Organized in partnership with The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the competition in your community will inspire middle schoolers to become better informed about American democracy, to engage respectfully and constructively in the community, and to build greater trust in others and institutions. 

Learn how to bring The National Civics Bee to YOUR community now: https://teachmama.com/bring-the-national-civics-bee-to-your-community/

Iโ€™m thrilled to have partnered with @mom_select and @civicsbuzz for this exciting campaign! โ™ฅ๏ธ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’™

#CivicsBuzz #middleschoolers #teachersofIG #communitypartners
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(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

#readingteacher #raiseareader #kidlit #bestbooks #linkinbio
View
Open
How can people with dyslexia learn to read? ๐Ÿค”

Here are the 3๏ธโƒฃ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexiaโ€”

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
View
Open
Lately when I find four leaf clovers, Iโ€™ve been leaving them. ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
View
Open
Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #teachreading #readingteachersofig
View
Open
What are some of the common signs of dyslexia?

Watch to learn and find out!

#demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading #dyslexia
View
Open
True โœ… or false โŒ?

#demystifyingdyslexia #dyslexiaeducation #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading
View
Open
What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia

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