Here is a low-prep math game for developing an understanding of place value!
Build a Sandcastle
You need:
- Santa Koala coloring page (free)
- standard dice
- place value cubes- ones
- coloring pencils
To play:
- roll a dice
- count and position a matching number of cubes on the starfish or shells
- roll and count again
- when all ten starfish and shells have been covered, you can color a gift (gift is worth 10)
- keep rolling and coloring until all 9 gifts are colored
- the sandcastle can be colored next (after another 10 cubes are added) and this signifies a 100 and the win
This can be played:
- independently without an element of competition
- in pairs - each with their own page and taking turns
- with a 20 sided dice to make it faster and to encourage faster trading of numbers (for example if a child had 6 cubes out and rolls a 17, and opportunity arises for them to begin to trade mentally - coloring 2 gifts and collecting 3 cubes to represent 23 which they have calculated with a variety of strategies)
If you're not yet in the Coloring Club, we'd love to have you!