Things To Do With A Pack Of Cards

Having a deck of cards handy can be very practical to use in the classroom whether as a teaching point or with the students consolidating their knowledge.

You may think cards can only be used for Mathemtics. But that is simply not true. There are lots of different ways you can use cards in the classroom.

Cards can be used in various ways and games created. This includes;

• choose four cards from your deck, allocate them a role and then hold it up one at a time. E.g. a four represents a clap, a nine represents hands on heads. Great activity for speaking and listening; following instructions activity

• give a card out at the beginning of the day to each child, when you call their card out throughout the day, they must answer the question. Great to encourage active listening

• play snap in the early years. A fun game great for number identification and subitising

• played similarly to snap but when two numbers show that are friends of tens they must snap them. A great game for practising their friends of ten

• learn some magic tricks with cards to surprise the kids with

• students in pairs use a deck of cards to build the biggest tower. Great STEAM activity for your creative thinkers and problem solvers

• use cards as bookmarks when reading in class

• create a bunting decoration for your maths corner in the classroom

• glue a magnet on the back and use the cards for days of the week or other numbers you may write on the whiteboard

• give a deck of cards to each pair. One at a time they take two/three/four number cards (depending upon ability). They must make the biggest number they can. Whoever has the largest number keeps theirs and their partner’s cards and the game continues until no more cards are left. The person with the most cards at the end wins

• in pairs, students split the deck. Each student pulls one of their cards. They must multiply the numbers together. The first person to say the correct answer wins and collects the cards. Two new cards and chosen and the game continues until there are no more cards left

• find more card games on my Laura The Explaura Pinterest page here.

You could invite parents in for the last ten minutes of the day to play number cards games with your students; reinforcing number facts and consolidating knowledge.

How do you use playing cards? Do you have any card games that are favourites you like to play? We would love it if you joined the conversation and left a comment below.