We all know that having a strong number sense is vitally important to our mathematical ability. It’s why we spend so much time looking at, deconstructing, and working with numbers in kindergarten and first grade. I am always looking for fun and engaging number sense games to help my primary students practice how to identify, order, and compare numbers.
WHAT IS NUMBER SENSE?
In simple terms, number sense is an intuitive sense of numbers. It’s when students understand the different amounts each number stands for and how they relate to other numbers. In the primary grades, it is important to provide many hands-on opportunities for students to see and feel each number. This is especially important with numbers 0-20 before they move onto numbers up to 120 and higher! I included lots of hands-on ideas for numbers 0-20 in one of my earlier blog posts: “Building Number Sense in Kindergarten and First Grade.“
A Fun Number Sense Game
In this blog post, I wanted to share a simple game to help students order numbers 0-10. All you need to play is a deck of cards! This game is called TRASH or GARBAGE and it’s great for students in Pre-K through 2nd grade.
I made a quick video so you can see how to play this fun and easy game below:
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You may also be interested in some of these math games:
My kinders LOVED this game. I made cards with teen numbers and another with cards counting by 10s to play and they had a ball. Thank you so much for such a great (and free!) idea.
Leave A Comment - 15 Comments
Love it, perfect to use these few weeks before Christmas.
LOVE it . Thank you!
Hi Susan,
Do two players play with one deck of cards?
Thanks! Thumbs up!
I have used this game for years and I love it. I also use it for skip counting by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. My kids love to play it.
My kinders LOVED this game. I made cards with teen numbers and another with cards counting by 10s to play and they had a ball. Thank you so much for such a great (and free!) idea.
Looks like a perfect game (Trash) for my Kinder. Looking forward to introducing it in the new year!
Thank you so much for sharing. Can’t wait to show this to my students.
Excited to watch your videos!
Thanks!
Such a fun game!!! Thanks for sharing!
Loved the game. Works well with my students with special needs! Phase 10 cards work great too with specific numbers 1-12.
I, too, love using a deck of cards to teach math! I’ve never had a child refuse to play a game with cards. Thanks for your great ideas!
Terri
Great ideas
Great for a grandmother to teach her grandchildren to keep them engaged in the summer when playing indoors. I love your variations! Thanks
Hello.
I am bummed that I am too late to join the clubs. Thank you for all your great ideas.
Love this!!