“Make Twenty”
KNPIG ID #S 2204.4
What's this activity about?
This activity is a great way for kids to learn different ways to make twenty with one and two digit numbers. There are two ways to play and both promote healthy competition. You and your child or children will work to find pairs of one and two digit numbers that add up to twenty. Counting on fingers, or making tally marks is a good way to learn addition and subtraction at first, but kids need to eventually develop more efficient ways to organize things in their heads. This activity encourages kids to use those new strategies so they can find pairs faster.
What materials do we need?
Pencils or different colored markers/pens, “Make Twenty” game sheet (see link) - Print one at a time, or all of them!
*Cover the game boards with page protectors and use dry erase morkers to play the games again and again*
How do we play?
- One player choose "X" and the other choose "O".
- To begin, players count down together "3, 2, 1 - Go".
- At "Go", each player will race to mark pairs that add to 20 with either an X or an O.
- Work until every square has been marked. The winner is the player with the most squares marked.
- Choose a new board and play again.
Alternate Game: Each player will have 1 game board. At "Go" each player will circle pairs that make 20. The winner is the first player to use all of the squares on his/her board in a pair.
Where’s the Math?
There is a lot of math in this game that goes along with what kids are learning in school. Second graders are practicing ways to make ten and twenty. They are also learning how to look at larger numbers and break them down to smaller numbers. This game helps them develop their own mental math strategies, such as grouping, counting on, or recognizing patterns.
Your child follows developmental stages when learning how to read, from the introduction of letter sounds, then how those sounds fit together to form simple words and how words fit together to form sentences before they are fluent readers. Just like learning how to read, learning how quantities relate to each other before learning the math “facts” supports developmental learning paths and will help them learn more easily as they move forward.
Things to Think About:
As you use this activity with kids, remember to BE PATIENT. Sometimes it’s hard to not help them along if they are having a hard time finding pairs. There may be a lot of guessing at first, but if they continue to guess and hope they get a match try talking about the pairs. As students find pairs they will see how putting different quantities together can still lead to the same result. This gives them a deeper understanding on how quantities work and make mastering basic addition facts easier.
You can play with your child, narrating your choices as you mark them. “I see an 8. There is a 14, 12 and a 4 next to it. I wonder which one I should choose. What do you think?” As you progress, try to notice what strategies your child is using to figure out the pairs. Ask why the pairs work, or why they add up to twenty. Some other questions you might ask are to get them thinking are “What goes with 13 to make 20?” or “How can you get from 11 to 20?” Giving kids a chance to figure it out for themselves gives them a deeper understanding of what they are learning.
This may be difficult at first, but as your child practices, you will notice them building quickness and accuracy with their facts. This is an essential skill for them to master by the end of the second grade.
Feedback
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