Using Cards and Dominoes to Teach Number

Finding free, or nearly free, items makes every teacher happy.  Cards and Dominoes are two NEARLY free items. They are great tools for teaching number. Read through this post to find some great card and domino games your kids are sure to love.
Talk about a flash back? On Sunday night Megan pulled out all of the Winter things I had given her from my classroom days. When I left the classroom three years ago, I wasn’t sure I was going to like being a full time teacher trainer. So, I held tight to all of my resources. Slowly over the last few years, I have let go of things…some to the trash, some to Megan, some to Ginny, some in my workshops and some to “Gam’s” stash of goodies for my grandbabies. To be perfectly honest, I still have a few tubs that I haven’t gone through! Okay, so I taught the same grade for 30 years! Let’s just say “I boarder on being a hoarder!” Any one identify?
So as Megan, Ginny and I were looking through the tub, we all had a good laugh. Some of the stuff was….well….just ugly! I remember when I thought it was the cutest thing ever! Even though I taught the same grade for 30 years, each year I had a new batch of kids, new resources available, and another year of experience under my belt.  I didn’t teach the same year 30 times!
Since I have been on tpt for about 3 years, I started looking back at some of the first items I published. Okay, some of them needed a little work! I reworked some items last spring, did a few more this fall, and now have done a few more. Since tpt, the clip art artists have come out of nowhere! I am constantly amazed at the talent! I can draw a really cute stick person and a shape dog, but that’s about it!
Here’s the good news…if you already purchased these units, you can get the upgraded download for free in your “my purchases” section on tpt. If you haven’t, even though I added a few new recording sheets or a few new game boards, they are still the original price.

I reworked the What Can You do with a Deck of Cards? pack. This pack didn’t originally have game boards, but some have been added. I also made a few “decks of cards” in case you want to have  a variety and not just the standard deck. AND of course I changed the clip art to Melonheadz! Love her stuff!

One of the games has the kids draw 4 cards and put them in order. I divided the red and black cards. Then, on the red cards I cut off the numeral so that the kids would have to focus on the “number” and not just look at the numeral….subitizing!

Here’s that same game played with one of the decks of cards in the pack.

Another one of the games has the kids draw two cards and add them together. Remember that this is working at the pictorial level. So if your kids are having a hard time, give them manipulatives so that they can work at the conceptual level first. The can count the number of items on the first card and then count out that many counters. Repeat for the second card. Now count the manipulatives to see how many altogether. This is just 2 of the games, there are more in the unit!

Another unit the I reworked was the What Can you Do with a Set of Dominoes?

They love this game….Give the children the game board. Invite them to sort the dominoes onto the houses by combining the dots on each side of the domino. Now, record the number combinations on the tree map.
Here the kids draw three dominoes and sequence them on the game board. If your kids are having a hard time with this activity, give them a numberline so that they can see where the numerals are. Then on the recording sheet you can have them draw the dots or record the numerals, you decide.

Here are a few more domino ideas:
Invite the kids to draw a domino from the bag.  Write the number sentence and record the story problem.
Invite the children to draw a domino from the bag.  Use bingo dotters or sticky dots to make that domino.
Invite the children to draw a domino from the bag.  Write a 2 digit number using the 2 sides of the domino. Find the number on the hundreds chart and color it in.