“Pyramid (Match 5)”
KNPIG ID #S 2211.0
What's this activity about?
Values are represented in many different ways. Your child can practice identifying values as dots, numerals, words and more in this fun game based on the card game pyramid. They will be matching values from the pyramid to discover the mystery card. This is a great way to connect with your child while sharpening their number identification skills. Have fun!
What materials do we need?
There are multiple representations for each value from zero to five. To play the game, you will need to print at least two different representations of the values for your child to match: numerals cards and dot cards, or five frame cards and tally cards. Print more for a bigger challenge. There are many variations for you to choose from.
How do we play?
Shuffle the cards and stack them in a deck. Select a “mystery card” and set it aside without looking at it. Then, place the rest of the cards in a pyramid shape face up. They can be in any order. Your child will choose two cards that match. You can then fill in the empty space with another card from the deck. Your child will continue making pairs until there are no more cards in the deck and only one card of the pyramid remains. Then your child can say the “mystery card” numeral! Shuffle and play again.
Where’s the Math?
There is a lot of math in this game that goes along with what kids are learning in school. Preschoolers are learning how to read and match quantities when they are represented in different ways. 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 are represented before learning how to combine them lays the foundation for good mathematical practices. This is an important step to becoming stronger at adding and subtracting within five.
Things to Think About:
This game is a great way to relate math to real life. Your child is learning now how math will show up in his/her everyday life. Make the connections while they are young and it will be easier for them to see it when working with more difficult math concepts. You can practice matching values with coins and your fingers, or with their toys and a spoken value. Show them three fingers and ask them to give you three cents. Tell them you would like them to bring you four stuffed animals, or put four stuffed animals away.
You can also start challenging them by having them identify a value without counting from one. Show them a group of dots, or some other representation, of a value from 0-5. Let them look for a few seconds, and then hide it. Ask them how many there were. They may not be successful at first, but with practice, recognizing values without counting them will become easy for your child.
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