Think Big

Practice number sense in this game! Learning place value is necessary before mastering other concepts, such as addition and subtraction. Work with your child to arrange playing cards and create the largest numbers possible, then practice saying them aloud. Think about place value as you work. You can print out a place value mat to arrange cards and help your child visualize the number he is creating. Use more or less cards in each round, in order to adjust the level of difficulty.

What You Need:

• One deck of playing cards (Print a deck.)
• A place value mat for each player (Print this out.)

What You Do:

1. Remove all face cards from the deck, and shuffle it. (aces = 1, jokers = 0)
2. Deal 3 cards to each player and deal 2 cards in the center. (Look at the picture above for an example.)
3. Players take turns arranging their cards with the cards in the center to form the largest whole number possible. Then, they must read that whole number aloud. (In the example above, Player 1 would create the number "Seventy-six thousand, five hundred and thirty.") If a player comes up with the largest possible number and reads it correctly, they get to keep their three cards. If incorrect, their cards are discarded.
4. Play continues until the deck is used up or time runs out. The player with the most cards wins.

Variations:

• Use less cards. For younger players, do not place any cards in the center.
• Use more cards. For older players, place more cards in the center.
• Change the rules so players must create the smallest number.