Ways to Teach Math with Playing Cards

Playing cards are easy and fun teacher helpers. They are cheap, require no scissors, baggies, game pieces or dice. Use regular cards (Ace to King) and make up fun math games.

If your children are like mine they will enjoy the game much more and beg to play again if you avoid using the word “math.” All the games below originally had the word math in the title. I changed to alternative names. Some of the info here is from 52 Pick Up Math Games.

War

Follow traditional War rules but make these variations:

• Addition War: Play as listed about but each player puts down two cards. Player with higher sum wins the set. Next try 3 cards.
• Subtraction War: Play as listed about but each player puts down two cards. subtract the smaller number from the larger. The greatest difference wins the set.
• Multiplication War: Play as listed about but each player puts down two cards. Player with higher product wins the set.
• Addition War: Play as listed about but each player puts down two cards. Player with higher sum wins the set.
• Wild War—Players turn up three cards and chooses any math manipulation. The greatest answer wins the set.

25 with 5

Deal each child five cards face down. The remaining cards are placed in the center of the group with the top card turned up. The children will take turns picking up and discarding one card until they have reached a total sum of twenty-five. If a player has a hand totaling 25 using only five cards, they will immediately call out “25″. Once a player has called out their hand, the other players will receive one more turn to complete their hands. (From 52pickup.net)

Big Fat Hen

Remove all face cards from the deck (Aces are worth one). Deal 12 cards to each player. Each player tries to find as many combinations of numbers that add up to 10. Whoever finds the most combinations wins that round.

Rummy Rocks

Crazy Eights Extended

Go Fish Advanced

More Games

• Math Games with Cards by Nadine at Practical Pages ( free download
• 52 Pick Up Math Games
• Math Games To Play With A Deck Of Cards