Practice Math the FUN way!
Count and Compare
Look for Patterns
Add, Subtract and Multiply
Build Numbers with Place Value
Think Really Hard like a Mathematician
Math Card Games are for personal student use only. Do not make copies, distribute or sell in
any way.
Math is in the Cards Index
page game Goal of the game
1 Compare, Double Compare Triple Compare
Comparing numbers to 20
1 Memory Matching
2 Make a Pattern Repeating patterns
2 Sandwiches Numbers between 0-10
2 How Many? Counting and comparing to 20
3 What’s Next? Numbers before and after
3 Who Has More? Counting to 50
3 First to 20/First to Zero Adding to 20/Subtracting to Zero
3 The Last Cent Counting
4 Double Trouble Doubles to 20
4 Make 11, Make 21 Addition
5 Hit Fifteen Addition
5 Number Snap Addition to 10,11, 12, or 13
6 Tens with Nine Cards Addition to 10
6 Find 10 Addition to 10
7 Turn over 10 Memory Addition to 10
7 Ten or Twenty Use three cards to make 10, 20
8 Addition Duel, Multiplication/Subtraction Duel Add, Multiply or Subtract
8 Break the Bank at 27 Adding to 27
9 Make 25 with 5 Adding 5 cards to make 25
9 Fair Game Subtraction Subtracting single digits
10 First to 50 Addition Addition
10 Just the Facts Addition to 20, Subtraction to 10
11 99 and Out Subtracting 2 digits or 1 digit
11 First to 100 Addition
12 Take it Away Subtracting 2 digit numbers
12 Bulls Eye Predicting and adding to 120
13 How Many Can You Make? Place Value
14 Around and Around Place Value and Rounding
14 Build a Number Place Value
15 Closest to 50, 500, 5,000, 50,000 Place Value , + and -
15 Make 20 Add, Subtract and Multiply
16 Tic-Card-Toe Tic-Tac-Toe with cards
16 Tic-Fact-Toe Addition to 12,18
17 Multiplication Quick Draw Multiplication to 5 x 10 17 Multiplication War Multiplication to 9 x 9
18 Cross-Offs Multiplication to 9 x 9
18 Seeing the Stars Multiplication to 9 x 9
Compare
Use Ace -10 cards for compare and double compare 1. Put the deck of cards face down in the middle.
2. Each player turns over one card.
3. Compare the numbers on two cards, the bigger (or smaller, however you choose) wins.
Double Compare
1. Each player turns over two cards.
2. The player with the bigger (or smaller) total wins
Triple Compare
Use Ace - 6 cards
1. Each player turns over 3 cards.
2. Add the 3 cards and compare the totals
3. Whoever has the largest total wins all 6 cards.
Memory
Getting Ready
Arrange the cards face down. Put the cards in 5 rows with 5 in each row.
Play the Game
Take turns turning over two cards. If the numbers match, the player wins the two cards and takes another turn. If the cards don't match, they're flipped face down and the next player has a turn. Fill in the spaces with the remaining spaces as the cards are used.
Variations:
Half Deck: Split a deck into two groups, one with hearts and clubs, one with spades and diamonds. Players use one of these half decks to match a red card with the black card of the same value.
Two of Four: Put all 52 cards face down. Players try to match two cards of the same value.
Full Monty: All 52 cards are used, but two cards only count as a pair if they match in
value and color.
Make a pattern Xoxoxoxoxo
Use a full deck of cards.
With your child, make repeating patterns that are 12 units(cards) long Some examples may be patterns with:
Numbers 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3
Colors black, red, black, red
Suites heart, heart, spade, heart, heart, spade
Face cards jack, queen, king, jack, queen, king These are just a few examples.
Sandwiches
Getting Ready Use Ace – 10 cards
Play the Game
Each player takes two cards and places them smallest to largest. The goal is to get as large a spread between the two numbers.
After the players have arranged their numbers one more card is turned over.
Players score a point if this number is between the two that they already have.
Card turned over: 6 The first player scores a point because 6 is between 3 and 8.
The second player does not score a point because 6 is not between 2 and 5.
Repeat. Play until one player scores 10 points . Adapted from Box Cards and One-Eyed Jacks, vol. 11
How many? Counting and comparing Use a full deck of cards. Play with your child
Deal out 12 – 20 cards to each player
Who has the most Red cards? Black cards? Face cards? Hearts? Spades?
Clubs? Diamonds?
Choose a different number to count and compare another item.
2 5
3 8
What's Next?
Give yourself and your child each a set of nine cards, numbered 1 through 9. Place a card down and say the number on it. Ask your child to put down the number that comes right after your number.
Variations:
Have your child put down the number that comes right before your number.
You can ask your child to show you a card that is 2 more or 3 more.
Show a card that is 2 less than your card.
Who has more?
Getting Ready
Ace – 6 cards, or Ace – 10 cards to make the game harder 1 bank of 50 pennies (beans etc. can be used)
Play the Game
Each child gets half the deck. Each turns over his/her top card.
They decide who has more, and how much more. The player with more takes that number of chips from the “bank”.
The game is over when the bank is empty.
First to 20/First to zero
Getting Ready Play with cards 1-6.
Play the Game
Turn over one card at a time. Get that many counters. Take turns. The first player to get 20 counters wins.
*Play the game again and start with 20 counters. Draw a card and take away that many counters. The first person to get rid of all their 20 counters wins.
The Last Cent
Place a pile of 25 pennies in the middle of the table. Use Ace – 3 cards. Take turns turning over a card and taking away that many pennies. The player who takes the last penny wins.
Adapted from Amazing Math With Your Kids
Double trouble
Getting Ready Use Ace – 10 cards
Play the Game
1. A deck is placed face down between two players.
2. The third player flips over a card, placing it between them.
3. First one to call the double for the number keeps it.
4. The person who did not call the card becomes the flipper.
5. Biggest pile wins. So if a 2 goes down, first to call 4 gets it... if an 8 goes down, first to call 16 gets it.
Double Trouble –subtract
Each player turns over a card and names the double. The first player to subtract the smaller double from the larger double wins. Example 5 + 5 = 10, 3 + 3 = 6.
10- 6 = 4.
Double Trouble – Addition
Each player turns over a card and says the double. The first player to add the two doubles wins. Ex. 4 + 4 = 8, 3 + 3 = 6. 8 + 6 = 14.
Adapted from Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks
Make 11
Use cards Ace – 10
Place out 4 rows of 5 cards.
Take turns finding 2 or 3 cards that add up to 11. Replace the cards as needed.
The game finishes when all the cards are removed. The person with the most cards wins.
Make 21
Deal two cards and add the numbers together (face cards count as 10, aces can be either 11 or 1).
The winner is the player whose total is closest to 21. If the cards are low, another card can be asked for.
Hit Fifteen
Getting Ready
Deck of cards. For this game the face cards count as 5 Place the deck of cards facedown in the middle of the table.
Play the Game
One at a time, each player draws three cards. If they equal 15 when added together, keep the three cards. If they do not equal 15, put them in a discard pile.
Take turns until there are no cards left in the deck. Each player counts the number of cards they kept. Score one point for each card. Play another round.
The first player to get 25 points wins the game
Adapted From Amazing Math You can do with Your Kids
Number Snap
Getting Ready Use Ace – 10 cards
Before starting the game decide what the total for the game is to be 10, 11, 12 or 13. Deal out all of the cards to the players.
Play the Game
Players take turns to turn over a card and place it in the center.
Cards in the center are placed on top of each other.
When the 2 top cards add to the total for the game, players can ‘Snap’ (slap their hand onto the top card) and call out the total. The first player to do so wins the pile and adds it the bottom of her pile. A player is out of the game if he runs out of cards. Last player to have cards left is the winner.
Adapted from Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks
2 7 6
Tens with nine cards
Getting Ready Use cards Ace – 9
The first 9 cards of the deck are arranged as shown in the example.
Play the Game
The object of the game is to find all the pairs of cards that make 10, such as the 9 and the 1, the 3 and the 7, and the two 5s.
After taking all the possible pairs, the first player fills up the empty spaces with cards from the deck, and the turn passes to the next player.
The person who collects the most pairs is the winner.
Adapted from Young Children Continue to Reinvent Arithmetic
Find 10
Getting Ready
Use cards Ace – 9 or numeral cards 0-10
Deal out all the cards except the last one. The last one is put in the middle of the table face up. Each player keeps the cards dealt, in a facedown stack, without looking at them
Play the Game
The object of the game is to find two cards that make 10 (8 +2, for example).
The person who collects the most cards is the winner.
Player one turns over the top card of his/her stack. If this card can be used with the one on the table to make10, the player can take it and keep the pair.
If the card cannot be used, the player has to discard his card in the middle of the table, face up. For example, if he turns over a 6 and there is only a 3 on the table, the player has to discard the 6, and the turn passes to the next player
Find 5 – Practice 5 combinations
Use playing cards Ace – 5 or numeral cards 0-5. Play the game the same way except this time you are finding two cards that make 5.
Adapted from Young Children Continue to Reinvent Arithmetic
6 5 9
3 3 6
5 1 7
Turn over 10 memory
Getting Ready
Use cards Ace – 10, or the numeral cards 0 - 10
Arrange the cards in 5 rows with 5 in each row face down.
Play the Game
Players take turns turning over two cards, trying to make a pair that totals 10 (7 + 3, for example). If a pair can be made, the player keeps it and takes another turn. If the cards don’t match, they’re flipped face down and the next player has a turn.
If a 10 is turned over, then the player wins with one card and gets to take another turn. Replace the cards as they are used. Play until all the pairs are made. The player with the most cards wins.
Variations
Keep the cards turned up.
Find combinations that make 10 using 2 or 3 cards.
Turn over 5 memory combinations of 5 Use cards Ace – 5 or numeral cards 0 – 10
Play the game the same way. Players take turns looking for pairs that make 5.
Adapted from Young Children Continue to Reinvent Arithmetic
Ten or Twenty
Getting Ready
Use cards Ace – 10 or numeral cards 0 - 10 Deal 5 cards to each player.
The remaining cards are placed face down in a pile in the center. The top card is turned over and placed beside the pile
Play the Game
Players take turns picking up the top card of the pile or the top card of the discard pile. If the player can make a set of 3 cards that total 10 or 20 in value the set is put down facing up in front of the player. The player finishes the turn by discarding a card face up on the discard pile. If the player has made a set of 3 on their turn they also pick up three more cards from the pile to restore their hand to 5 cards.
The winner is the person who has made the most sets when all of the pile is gone.
Adapted from Making Math More fun Card Games
Addition Duel
Getting Ready Use Ace – 10 cards
Play the Game
1. One player calls ‘Draw’ and both players turn over their top card and place it face up in the center
2. The players add the two numbers that are showing and the first player to say the total out loud wins the two cards.
3. After all cards have been used, the players count the number of cards that they have won.
4. The winner is the person who has the most cards.
Variations:
Multiplication Duel / Subtraction Duel
Played as above but players multiply or find the difference instead.
Adapted from Making Math More Fun Card Games
Break the Bank at 27 Getting Ready
Deal out all the cards to the players. Players put their cards into a pile in front of themselves with cars face down.
Play the Game
1. The first player turns over their top card and places it in the center.
2. The next player turns over their top card placing it on top of the first card.
The player adds the value of the two cards and tells everyone the total.
3. The next player does the same adding the value of their card to the previous total.
4. Play continues until the total reaches 27 or over.
5. The player that puts down the card that takes the total to 27 or over takes all of the cards in this pile.
6. The player takes the cards and shuffles them into their pile 7. Play continues for a set time or until one player
has no cards left.
8. The winner is the person with the most cards.
Adapted from Making Math More fun Card Games
Make 25 with 5
Getting Ready
Deal 5 cards to each player
The remaining cards are put facedown in the middle of the table.
The top card is turned over and placed beside the pile.
Play the game
The goal of the each round is to make a hand of 5 cards that add up to 25.
Players take turns to pick up the top card of the pile or the top card of the
discard pile. Each player finishes their turn by discarding a card onto the top of the discard pile.
The first player to have a set of 5 cards that total 25 calls out, ‘twenty-five’ and is the winner of that round.
Keep score of how many rounds each player wins. The winner is the player with the most wins after 12 rounds.
Adapted from Making Math More Fun Card Games
Fair game subtraction
Subtraction to 10 Getting Ready
for one or more players
Use cards Ace - 5 or Ace – 9, or numeral cards 0 - 10 Play the Game
Each player turns over two cards from the deck and subtracts the smaller
number from the larger one. Each player subtracts their smaller card from their larger card.
The player with the largest difference wins and gets one point.
Players continue to turn cards over and subtract them. The first player to score 10 points wins.
Variation:
The player with the smallest difference between their two numbers wins.
Adapted from Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks, vol. 11
6
First to 50 addition
Getting Ready
Put the cards facedown in the middle of the table. Use all the cards. Face cards are 10 points.
Play the Game
Each player uses two cards from the pile. Each player adds the cards together and tells everyone the total. Get that many counters. (Example: 3 and 4 are turned over. Get 7 counters)
Repeat.
Each player keeps adding the value of the two cards they are dealt until one player gets 50 counters and becomes the winner.
Just the Facts game for one Addition to 20, Subtraction to 10
Getting Ready
Use cards Ace – 10. Put all the cards face down. Get a paper and pencil and get ready to practice your addition and subtraction combinations.
Play the Game
Turn two cards over and write an addition sentence. With those same cards make a subtraction sentence. For example, if you turn a 6 and 8 over.
Numbers Addition sentence Subtraction sentence
6, 8 6 + 8 = 14 or 8 + 6 = 14 8 – 6 = 2
Keep playing until you have used all of your cards
Adapted From Nimble with Numbers, Grades 2 and 3
99 and out
Getting Ready
Use cards 1-6, paper and pencil
Play the Game
Put the cards facedown in the middle of the table. The first player turns over 2 number cards and makes a 2-digit number. Subtract this number from 99. The player records the difference.
This game can be played by one person or up to 3 players.
The next player turns over two number cards, makes a 2-digit number and subtracts that number from 99.
For the second turn, each player turns over two cards and subtracts it from the new number.
For the third turn and all other turns, players can make a 2-digit number to subtract or just turn over one card and subtract 1 digit.
Players keep turning over a card or cards until they get as close to zero as possible.
The player with a final answer closest to zero wins.
Make it harder - Start with 101 instead of 99
Adapted from Nimble with Numbers grades 2 and 3
First to 100 Great way to practice addition!
Getting Ready
Use Ace – 9 cards, paper and pencil
Play the Game
Each player starts at 0.
Put the cards in a pile facedown in the center of the table.
Take turns turning over a card and adding that number to 0. Try and do it without paper and pencil.
The player who reaches 100 first is the winner. The winning player must reach 100 exactly to win.
Adapted from Making Math More Fun Card Games
Take It Away
Practice subtraction of two 2 digit numbers.
Getting Ready Use Ace – 9 cards
The dealer deals 4 cards to each player. Players look at their cards.
Play the Game
1. Each player makes two 2 digit numbers from their cards.
2. Players then subtract their smallest number from their largest number and tell the answer. (Do this mentally or use pencil and paper if necessary.) 3. The player with highest number for the answer keeps their cards.
4. Example, with 3, 6, 7 and 9 a player could make 97 – 36 = 61. If this is the highest answer, this player keeps these cards.
5. Other players return their cards to the pack and 4 cards are dealt to each player for the new round.
6. The game ends when there are no longer enough cards to deal each player 4 cards. Players total the values of the cards they have won. The winner is the player with the highest total.
Make it harder
Deal 6 cards to each player. Make two 3 digit numbers. Subtract the smallest number from the largest number and tell the answer.
Adapted from Making Math More fun Card Games
Bulls eye
Getting Ready
Use Ace – 10 cards or 0-10 numeral cards
Play the game
Each player will turn over two cards (or roll two dice) ten times. Find the sum and record the accumulated total.
Before the first turn, each player predicts the total sum of their ten turns (Choose a number between 20 and 120)
Players tally their turns and add the sums from each turn. Person closest to their prediction wins.
First turn – a 6 and 7 are turned over. The sum is 13
Second turn – a 2 and 5 are turned over. Add 7 to 13 to get 20.
Take ten turns to get your total sum.
Adapted from Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks, vol. 11
Place Value Chart
Millions Hundred thousands
Ten
thousands
Thousands Hundreds Tens Ones
How Many can you make?
Getting Ready
Use only cards with 1- 9 for this game, or numeral cards 0 - 9
Select the number of digits to be used in the numbers for this game. Choose 2 digit numbers, 3 digit numbers, 4, 5, or 6 digits.
Each player is dealt that number of cards. (2 digit numbers, two cards etc.)
Play the Game
Players arrange their cards to make the largest possible number with the cards that they have been dealt, Example - With cards 2, 5, 8 a player would make 852.
The player with the largest number in each round scores a point. The first player to score 10 points wins.
Variations:
Smallest Number
Play the game again. This time, the player who makes the smallest number with 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 digits wins.
Odd Number/Even Number
Play the game again
make the largest even number or odd number
make the smallest even number or odd number
Play with more cards
Deal 3 cards and let the players choose two cards to make a 2 digit number
Deal 5 cards when making 3 or 4 digit numbers
Deal 7 cards when making 5 or 6 digit numbers
How many can you make?
Deal 3 cards to each player. How many different 3 digit numbers can you
make?
Around and Around
Getting Ready Use Ace – 9 cards.
Each player makes a game board like this
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 100
Each player turns over two cards to make a two-digit number. Players decide which number to make and round it to the nearest 10.
2,8 can be 28 or 82
28 is closest to 30
82 is closest to 80
This player decides on the number and crosses it off their game board. If a number has already been crossed off the player misses that turn. The first player to cross off all their number wins.
Adapted from Box Cars and One-eyed Jacks, vol. 11
Build A Number
Great for teaching place value skills!
Getting Ready
Use Ace – 9 playing cards or 0-9 numeral cards
Decide on the size of the numbers to be built, i.e. 3, 4, 5 or 6 digits. On a piece of paper draw a box for each digit. Do this for each player
.
Play the Game
Players take turns to draw a Number Card and place or write it in a box.
Continue until each box has a digit. Players can’t move a digit once it has been put in a box. The player with the highest number is the winner.
Variations:
Lowest Number
After a few rounds change the rules so that the lowest number wins.
Closest Number
The rules can also change so the winner is closest to a given number, for example, 500.
Adapted from Making Math More Fun Games
Closest to 50
Getting Ready
Use cards Ace – 9 for this game.
Deal 3 cards to each player.
Play the Game
With your 2 cards, make a two-digit number as close as possible to 50. Try and figure out how far away from 50 you are without paper and pencil. The person closest to 50 gets 1 point. Keep playing until one player has 10 points and wins the game.
Make it harder – closest to 500, 5,000, 50,000
Deal 3 cards to each player and try and make a number as close as possible to 500.
4 cards - 5000
5 cards - 50,000
Adapted from Making Math More Fun Card Games
Make 20
Add, Subtract and Multiply Getting Ready
Use cards Ace - 10
Shuffle cards and place in a pile facedown in the center.
Play the Game
Players take turns to pick up 3 cards.
If a player can make the numbers on the cards total 20 in some way they get to keep the cards, e.g. 7+8+5=20, 2x8+4=20, 5x5-5=20, (1+3)x5=20.
If a player cannot find a way to total to 20 they return the cards to the bottom of the pile.
The winner is the player with the most cards.
Tic-card-toe
Getting Ready
1 deck of cards, pencil and paper
Play the Game
Shuffle the cards. Place nine cards face down in three rows
Take turns turning over the cards. You want to get three cards of the same color in a row, a column or diagonal. The first player to do this wins the round.
To score, add the numbers of the three winning cards together. If the three cards are all spades, all hearts, all diamonds, or all clubs, double that number for a bonus score
= 9
Variation
Get three cards in sequence either red or black. For example a red 4, a black 5, and a black 6 could be three in a row.
For younger children, do not add the total. The player who gets three in a row wins that round.
Adapted from Amazing Math You can do with Your Kids
Tic-Fact-toe
Addition combinations to 12, 18
Getting Ready
Use cards Ace – 6, paper and pencil
Play the Game
Each player draws a tic-tac-toe grid. Choose 9 numbers from 2 – 12 and put one in each space. With the cards facedown in the center, the first player turns over 2 cards. Add together the two numbers on the cards. If the answer is on your tic-tac-toe grid put an x on the answer. Take turns.
The first player to get 3 Xs in a row wins the round.
Practice combinations to 18 – Use cards 4 – 9. In the grid choose nine numbers from 8 – 18.
Adapted from Amazing Math You can do with Your Kid
2 4 3
2 6 9 2 7 8 11 7 4 3 5 4
3 4 10
8 5 6
7 2 9
Multiplication Quick Draw
Getting Ready
Players divide the cards into two piles. Cards Ace - 5 are in one pile, and cards 6 - 10 are in another pile. Each player has one pile of cards.
Play the Game
One player calls ‘Draw’ and both players turn over their top card and place it face up in the center
The players multiply the two numbers that are showing and the first player to say the total out loud wins the two cards
After all cards have been used, the players count the number of cards that they have won.
The winner is the person who has the most cards.
Adapted from Making Math More Fun Card Games
Multiplication war multiplication facts to 81 Getting Ready
Use playing cards Ace - 9. Players divide all the cards evenly among themselves.
Play the Game
Each player turns over two cards and multiplies them. The player with the largest product collects all four cards.
Example
Player 1 draws the cards 5 and 7. She multiplies the numbers for a product of 35.
Player 2 draws the cards 4 and 9. He multiplies the numbers for a product of 36.
Player 2 has the highest product, so he wins all four cards.
Play continues until one player has collected all of the cards in the deck .
Adapted from Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks. vol 11
Cross offs
Getting Ready Use Ace – 9 cards
Each player makes a game board 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Play the Game
The first player takes two cards, multiplies them and rounds the number to the nearest 10. The player then crosses the number off on their game board.
If that number is crossed off the turn is missed. Example 4, 7 4 x 7 = 28, 30 is crossed off. Players take turns until all the numbers are crossed off.
Variation:
Turn over three or four cards to multiply and round off to the nearest hundred. 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000
7 x 5 x 2 = 70, cross off 100
Adapted from Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks, vol 11
Seeing the Stars multiplication to 9 x 9 Getting Ready
Use cards 2-9, paper and pencil folded into four sections
Play the Game
Taking turns each player turns over two cards.
Turn over the first card and draw that many circles
Turn over the second card and draw that many stars inside each circle Count your stars (you can draw dots instead of stars).
and write a multiplication equation 3 x 4
The next player takes a turn. The player with the most stars wins the round.
Play again until one of you wins five rounds.
Variation: Use dice instead of cards.
Adapted from Amazing Math You can do with Your Kids