Activity
Cover It
Drilling your child on addition facts gets old fast. Spice things up with a competitive math game. It only takes a few minutes to make your own game board and the goal is to find the most sums first. There's plenty of repetition, but because there's dice and a game board, this game is much more fun than flashcards.
What You Need:
- Paper
- Pen or fine-tip marker
- 3 dice
- 26 markers – you need thirteen for each player. Use small blocks, coins, or beans.
What You Do:
- Use the paper and pen to make your own game board. Draw a row of 13 boxes (see photo). Number these boxes 1 through 13.
- Repeat step 1, drawing a second row of 13 boxes parallel to the first. Number these boxes 1 to 13. Each player will need a row of 13 game spaces to cover.
- Decide which player goes first.
- The first player should now decide how many dice to roll. Because he will add up the total on the dice, it's important for him to understand that he can only roll a 1 by using 1 die. Players will also need all three dice to roll a thirteen.
- The first player should decide whether he wants to roll 1, 2 or 3 dice, and then the numbers and cover the corresponding space on the game board. He continues to take turns until the total is a space that is already covered, the total is more than 13, or he makes a mistake. He can admit that he made a mistake, or one of the other players can call him on it.
- After the first player's turn is over, the second player should decide if he wants to roll either one, two, or three dice and play proceeds as it did with the first player.
- The two players take turns until one of them covers all 13 spaces.
Related learning resources
Make it Fair With Equal Groups
Worksheet
Make it Fair With Equal Groups
Kids love it when things are fair! Help students make equal groups of toys while exploring how the equals sign means “the same as.”
1st Grade
Math
Worksheet
Sum It Up
Activity
Sum It Up
...Before you know it, he'll be ready to tackle subtraction!...
1st Grade
Math
Activity
Add It Up!
Worksheet
Add It Up!
...Add it up! This worksheet will have your child practicing simple addition to unlock some affirmation....
1st Grade
Math
Worksheet
Make it the Same
Worksheet
Make it the Same
...It’s time to learn more about the equals sign! By filling in missing factors, students learn how the equals sign means “the same as.”...
1st Grade
Math
Worksheet
Addition Pictures
Worksheet
Addition Pictures
The best way to learn addition is to visualize it! Get some fun practice with beginning addition.
1st Grade
Math
Worksheet
Draw and Add Challenge #1
Worksheet
Draw and Add Challenge #1
This addition page is all about visualizing the problem before solving it.
1st Grade
Math
Worksheet
Addition to 20
Worksheet
Addition to 20
Add it up! Assess your students’ understanding of addition by having them solve addition problems within 20.
1st Grade
Math
Worksheet
Simple Addition Word Problems
Worksheet
Simple Addition Word Problems
This colorful, first grade addition worksheet really has it all: practice with addition word problems, counting, and drawing!
1st Grade
Math
Worksheet
Ski Race Math Facts #4
Worksheet
Ski Race Math Facts #4
Kids will color math-filled flags to determine which skier made it down the hill first.
1st Grade
Math
Worksheet
Nature Math
Worksheet
Nature Math
Read each word problem out loud, and figure out the addition or subtraction equation that it represents.
1st Grade
Math
Worksheet
Treasure Diving: Compose Numbers to Make 10 (Game 2)
Game
Treasure Diving: Compose Numbers to Make 10 (Game 2)
Help young mathematicians figure it out in this treasure diving math game.
1st Grade
Math
Game
Math Salad 18
Worksheet
Math Salad 18
...And with its fun fruit theme, your child is sure to eat it up!
Want more addition practice?...
1st Grade
Math
Worksheet
See this activity in a set:
All About Addition: 8 First Grade Math Activities