Making 5

Here is a low-prep math game for building fluency with numbers and recognizing  combinations that make 5 for early addition.

You just need (per student):
  • 2 dice
  • a whiteboard or scrap paper
  • pens

Making 5 Addition Game

Challenge students to roll the 2 dice and record a tally mark for every total of 5 they make. 

Option: have students work in pairs and have one student monitor the rolls for accuracy and switch roles after each 5 is scored.

Addition to 5

Option: play in pairs and the first to make a tally of 5 is the winner. 
Roll 5 Dice Game

Extension: include a 'difference of 5' roll, so if a 6 and 1 are rolled, a tally mark may be recorded. 
No Prep Math Games

Alternative: if you have the shape card printables from my latest Math Pack, you could use the 5 arrangements as score cards. Each time a 5 is rolled, a counter can be added to the shape. As well as being a scorecard, and engagement tool, your students will get additional exposure to the part-part-whole combinations that make 5 as they see their scorecard progress. 


Make a 5 in Math

Further develop your students sense of the number 5 with the activity cards Make 5 in the Hive (also in the math pack). Your learners will add additional dots to the hive and record the addition. 

Five Addition

Build a Five Addition

Making Five in Math Games

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Kindergarten Math Games