Finger Counting 2 | Dice, playing cards and getting paid!

No, not at the casino ... read on!

The next stop on our finger-counting cure marathon builds on the idea that 10 is our friend.  Kids instinctively pick up on the idea that 10 + a single digit is just like putting that digit in place of the 0 on the 10 … ”7-10 is SEVEN-TEEN”.

There are two skills that are complementary to this and foundational for putting finger counting behind us.

1)  Complements of 10

AND

2)  Knowing the complement of 10, breaking a single digit number into components so we can make 10

FINALLY

3)  10 + a single digit number

With our kids, we use a 6-sided die and play a game where, when they roll the die, they have to tell us the other side of the die (opposite sides of a die make 7).  In 60 seconds, they get a star for everyone they get right but lose one for everyone they get wrong.

We also use our deck of cards.  We have decks with no face cards and go from 0-12 and use 0-10.  Again, we time them for 60 seconds.  For each card we lay down, they have to tell us how many to add to make 10.  At the end of 60 seconds, we count the pile of correct and the pile of incorrect and the difference is the number of stars we punch.

So what about these stars?  That’s the best part.  The kids trade them in for stuff in the prize cabinet.  They tend to save them up for bigger stuff like XBOX and iPads.

I think it's important to incentivize their hard work to keep them engaged and to celebrate their success one they've overcome something that one gave them trouble.

Even some parents have asked to play.  Sadly, it’s only for the kiddos!

-Carlo