ADDITION TOP-IT

Materials:
  • 1 Everything Math Deck, cards 0-10 only (or an equivalent set of number cards)
  • a penny (optional)
Number of Players:

Two (2) or Three (3)
Directions:

A player shuffles the cards and places the deck number-side down on the playing surface.  Each player turns over two cards and calls out their sum.  The player with the highest sum wins the round and takes all the cards.

In case of a tie, each player turns over two more cards and calls out their sum.  The player with the highest sum then takes all the cards from both plays.

Play ends when not enough cards are left for each player to have another turn.  The player with the most cards wins.

Option:  Children toss a penny to determine whether the player with the most or the fewest cards wins.

Game Variations:

  1. Use a set of double-nine dominoes instead of a set of number cards to generate addition problems.  Place the dominoes facedown on the playing surface.  Each player turns over a domino and calls out the sum of the dots on the two halves.  The winner of the round takes all the dominoes then in play.
  2. To extend the range of the addends, use all the cards in the Everything Math Deck, or use a regular die and a polyhedral die together.  If you are using dice to generate the numbers, place the dice in a shaker or empty can.  Place 20 pennies or counters in a pile.  The winner of a round takes a penny or a counter from the pile.
  3. To practice addition with three addends, use three cards or three dice (possibly a combination of regular and polyhedral dice).

NOTE:

Using a shaker or empty can tends to be noisy.  Suggest that children put a piece of tissue paper in the bottom of the shaker to cut down on the noise.