Eight Addition Games With Cards and Dice

Four card games

Addition War (2 players): each player turns over two cards and adds them; the bigger sum takes all four. Make 10 Go Fish (2–4 players): play Go Fish, but a pair is two cards that make 10, so with a 7 you ask for a 3. Ten Pile (1–2 players): lay out twelve cards face up, remove any pairs that make 10, and fill the gaps; the pile is cleared when no cards are left. Salute! (3 players): two players each hold a card to their forehead without looking. The third says the sum. Each player works out their own card from the sum and the card they can see: that's subtraction, and it's a favorite.

Four dice games

Roll and Cover (2 players): write 2 to 12 in a row. Roll two dice, add them and cover the sum. First to cover them all wins, or the most covered after five minutes. Race to 20 (2 players): roll one die and add it to your total. First to 20 exactly wins. Doubles Roll (any number): roll one die and double it. Keep a tally of who gets the biggest total in ten rolls. Take Away 20 (2 players): start at 20, roll one die and subtract. First to reach exactly 0 wins, and you must count back carefully at the end.

Making them work in class

Teach one game to the whole class on the board, then let pairs play for ten minutes. Change one thing each week. Use only cards up to 5 for younger children, or add a third card for stronger ones. Ask players to say the whole fact aloud on each turn (7 plus 6 is 13), since saying it helps it stick. Keep decks in bags at a station for early finishers. For games that don't need a deck, there's Sumtown on the board.

How to do it with Sumtown

1. Print pairs that make 10 flash cards if you don't have a deck.
2. Check the pairs first with the make 10 game.
3. After a week of Addition War, try a fact drill to see what's improved.
4. Use the free game for days when there's no one to play with.

Questions people ask