Most Effective Game for Teaching Addition of More Than One Digit
If your child is struggling in school we can often times feel helpless to knowing how to help them to succeed.
Today's math education programs are experienced based.
Children manipulate tangibles and formulate ideas about mathematical concepts long before a standard algorithm is taught.
This method is fine and dandy if accompanied by a supportive teacher and parent who can help to guide and assist the student in formulating the most relevant concepts.
For other children, this somewhat loosey-goosey method of teaching mathematics is far too unstructured and cumbersome.
For children who have difficulty in knowing what to do with the manipulatives struggle with grasping even the most fundamental concepts.
One concept that takes a generous amount of time to learn is addition with multi-digit numbers.
Our mathematical system is based upon ten.
When we reach ten ones we move to tens.
When we reach ten tens we move to hundreds and so on.
Counting base ten rods and singles is a great way to start building this understanding in kids but it leaves out the value and power of counting.
When children see the number (54) they don't always see 5 rods and 4 singles.
What we want them to see is 5 tens in the tens place (50) and a 4 in the ones place (4) for a total of (54).
We can still teach this concept in an exploratory way by adding just a smidgen of structure.
Enter the Grouping Tens activity.
To play the Grouping Tens activity you will need a game board made of three different colored columns.
Each column is labeled "ones", "tens", and "hundreds" from left to right (the same standard way we learn to compute vertical equations).
You will also need many cubes, chips or other markers that match the colors on the game board, and a stack of digit cards ranging from 1-9.
You explain the rules of the game.
The child will draw a digit card and count out the number of cubes and place them in the ones place on the game mat.
The student continues to do this until they have more than 10 ones in the ones column.
They can then count out the ten ones and exchange them for a single cube that will represent the tens place.
They will now see the same number represented in tens and ones.
The game continues like this.
The player draws a card, counts out the ones, exchanges groups of 10 for a tens cube and plays until they have played for 100 points (or a single cube that represents the ones place.
How does this game help children to add multi-digit numbers? But understanding that when you have ten or more ones in the ones place you must increase the number in the tens place.
In this case it is always by 1.
When it comes time to teach children to "carry" the (1), they will hopefully remember how they needed to manipulate the tens place on the game board and therefore will apply the knowledge of adding (1) to the tens place on paper.
This game can also be played in reverse to demonstrate borrowing against a larger place value to manipulate the smaller place values to show the difference between two numbers.
Today's math education programs are experienced based.
Children manipulate tangibles and formulate ideas about mathematical concepts long before a standard algorithm is taught.
This method is fine and dandy if accompanied by a supportive teacher and parent who can help to guide and assist the student in formulating the most relevant concepts.
For other children, this somewhat loosey-goosey method of teaching mathematics is far too unstructured and cumbersome.
For children who have difficulty in knowing what to do with the manipulatives struggle with grasping even the most fundamental concepts.
One concept that takes a generous amount of time to learn is addition with multi-digit numbers.
Our mathematical system is based upon ten.
When we reach ten ones we move to tens.
When we reach ten tens we move to hundreds and so on.
Counting base ten rods and singles is a great way to start building this understanding in kids but it leaves out the value and power of counting.
When children see the number (54) they don't always see 5 rods and 4 singles.
What we want them to see is 5 tens in the tens place (50) and a 4 in the ones place (4) for a total of (54).
We can still teach this concept in an exploratory way by adding just a smidgen of structure.
Enter the Grouping Tens activity.
To play the Grouping Tens activity you will need a game board made of three different colored columns.
Each column is labeled "ones", "tens", and "hundreds" from left to right (the same standard way we learn to compute vertical equations).
You will also need many cubes, chips or other markers that match the colors on the game board, and a stack of digit cards ranging from 1-9.
You explain the rules of the game.
The child will draw a digit card and count out the number of cubes and place them in the ones place on the game mat.
The student continues to do this until they have more than 10 ones in the ones column.
They can then count out the ten ones and exchange them for a single cube that will represent the tens place.
They will now see the same number represented in tens and ones.
The game continues like this.
The player draws a card, counts out the ones, exchanges groups of 10 for a tens cube and plays until they have played for 100 points (or a single cube that represents the ones place.
How does this game help children to add multi-digit numbers? But understanding that when you have ten or more ones in the ones place you must increase the number in the tens place.
In this case it is always by 1.
When it comes time to teach children to "carry" the (1), they will hopefully remember how they needed to manipulate the tens place on the game board and therefore will apply the knowledge of adding (1) to the tens place on paper.
This game can also be played in reverse to demonstrate borrowing against a larger place value to manipulate the smaller place values to show the difference between two numbers.
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