Number bond memory

Summary

A memory game where students turn over 2 cards with the aim of making a number bond with a total of 10.

Curriculum content

• Number bonds to 10 (or number bonds from 0 to 10)

Materials

Card sets

• 1 set of Mathletics number cards 0 to 10 0-10
• 1 set of Mathletics image cards 0 to 10 0-10

Concrete

• Manipulatives to aid calculation (optional but recommended)

How to play

Set up

1. Arrange students into pairs or small groups.
2. Shuffle or mix up the cards and arrange them face down in an organised array.
3. Provide children with familiar manipulatives (eg a tens frame and counters).

Rules

1. Player 1 turns over 3 cards taking care to leave them in position.
2. If 2 of the cards make a number bond to 10, player 1 keeps the 2 cards and has another turn. The unused card is turned back over. If a bond is not made, all 3 cards are turned face down again.
3. Continue taking turns.
4. The winner is the player with the most cards when it is no longer possible to pick up any number bonds.

Variations

CHANGE it down

• Reduce the card number range to 0 to 5 and ask students to find bonds to 5.
• Players can turn over 4 cards at a time.

CHANGE it up

• Players only turn over 2 cards at a time.
• Extend to number bonds of 10 and 20. Use number and Mathletics image cards 0 to 20.

What to look for

• Are students able to use manipulatives to represent number bonds?
• Have students memorised number bonds or developed mental strategies for quick recall?
• Are students able to memorise locations of cards (working memory/visual memory)?