quick and easy math game: strike it out!

Originally published December 7, 2011, but republishing because it rocks.

I’m always on the hunt for ways to make math more fun over here, especially since math is not my forte.

So when Maddy came home with ‘play game with someone’ as her assignment one day a few weeks ago, I was all for it.

Mommy! I get to play a game for homework tonight! Let’s start it right away!!

Music. To. My. Ears.

And the more we played, the more I loved it. And the more we played, the more Owen wanted in on the fun and the more my husband wanted in on the fun. (And I’m betting if there were jewels or glitter somehow involved, I could rope Cora in as well.)

Here’s the skinny:

Quick and Easy Math Game–Strike it Out:

It’s called ‘Strike it Out’ but if you ask me, it’s far from a strikeout. Quick, easy, and a game to be played anywhere, even on the fly? Love it.

The premise is simple: players use the numbers on a number line to try to prevent their opponent from being able to make a move, and moves are made by creating addition or subtraction problems using the available numbers.

1. Start by drawing a number line from 0-20 like this:

2. The first player chooses a number on the number line and crosses it out.

The same player then chooses a second number and crosses that out, too. Finally, he or she circles the sum or difference of the two numbers and writes down the calculation.

3. The second player must start by crossing off the number that player one has just circled. He or she then chooses another number to cross out and then circles a third number which is the sum or difference of the two crossed-off numbers.

Player two also writes down the calculation.

4. Play continues in this way with each player starting with the number that has just been circled.

For example, player one could then have a turn which would leave the game looking like this:

yes! there’s a typo: 20-4= 16 *yikes!*

5. The winner of the game is the player who stops his or her opponent from making a move.

Do YOU want this game to use with your children or students? SURE you do!

Huge thanks to the 2^nd grade team at our elementary school for ‘giving’ us this game! I love, love, love it, and it’s become a sneaky way to get Maddy and Owen playing with numbers and practicing addition and subtraction. These teachers are incredible, and we are so thankful.

If you want Strike it Out as a quick and easy printable (with a few blank number lines to use!), it’s here as a pdf: Strike it Out!

Nothing like a game like this to play while waiting in lines, at doctor’s offices, restaurants, or the like!

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