Math Monday: Collect 5’s Game

For our first Math Monday, I thought it would be fun to share a game that helps children understand how the number 5 can be made from two components (4+1 or 3+2) and the commutative properties of addition.

This is a fun, fast-paced game that quickly turns competitive! That can be a fun aspect of the game for many learners, but if you have a learner who currently struggles with losing games, a good modification can be to work collaboratively to fill up one game board.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• construction paper or a paper of similar thickness (though printer/loose leaf paper is fine if that’s all you have on hand!)

• 2 six-sided dice

• tape

• black marker

• multicolored counters or counters of two different colors

MAKING THE GAME BOARD:

Using your black marker and construction paper, draw five patterns of 5, using the counters to trace appropriately sized circles. Do this for both game boards.

ALTERING THE DICE

To alter the dice you will need paper cut into roughly the size of one side of the dice (you can always trim it once it’s on there, a black marker, and some tape.

1. On your first dice, cover the numbers 5 and 6 by taping a piece of pre-cut paper onto them. Using your marker, write a pattern of 2 on one of the papered sides and a pattern of 3 on the other papered side

2. On your second dice, cover the numbers 5 and 6 by taping a piece of pre-cut paper onto them. Using your marker, write a pattern of 4 on one of the papered sides and a pattern of 1 on the other papered side.

HOW TO PLAY

• Determine who will have the first turn. Each turn consists of rolling the two dice once each. This keeps the game fast-paced!

• The first player rolls both of the dice and states their total.

• If the total of the two dice is 5, that player fills in one of the five patterns on their board using the multicolored counters. For example: if a player is using red and yellow counters and rolls a 5 made up of a 3 and a 2, they would place three red counters on the board and 2 yellow counters.

• The player can say “3 + 2 makes five” or “3 and 2 are components of 5” after placing the counters on their board, to further reinforce skills.

• Then the next player goes.

• If the player rolls a number total other than 5, it is the next players turn and they must try and roll a 5 total on their next turn.

HOW TO WIN THE GAME (if playing the competitive version)

The first person to cover their 5 patterns with counters is the winner!