Every fourth and fifth grader needs to be familiar with decimals! Here is a fun way to compare the value of different decimal amounts. You'll work together to evaluate number statements you make using playing cards and a printed game board. Think about how much a tenth is worth versus how much a hundredth is worth. Watch your child's understanding soar as you practice this important concept.
What You Need:
- Deck of playing cards
- Decimals in Between game board (Download here)
- Paper and pencil (to keep score)
What You Do:
- Players take turns dealing cards, face up, into the spaces on the game board. They must place the cards down onto the board in the order they are dealt, from left to right.
- All players evaluate whether or not the statement made by the cards is true. (The number on the left should be greater than the number in the middle, which should be greater than the number on the right. For the purposes of this game aces = 1, jacks = 11, queens = 12, and kings = 13.)
- If a player's inequality is correct, they earn one point. If not, they earn zero points. (Don't let yourself be tricked! Remind yourself that .11 (a jack) is smaller than .2 or .3!)
- When no more cards remain in the deck, or there aren't enough left to play another round, players add up their scores to see who's won.
Variation:
Allow players to choose where each of their cards goes within their grid, in order to improve their chances of winning points.
By William L. Gaslin, Charles Lund, & Martin M. Gaslin
Show Instructions
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