Boxi Math

Back to Stage 0 / Unit0B · Break apart and put together

Game card for parents · 0B-2 · Ages 4–6 · 5 min

Shake and Spill

Each spill splits five in a new way, so your child sees all the pairs that make five.

S-1 Numbers are amountsS-6 Mistakes are fine — try it

You need

  • 5 coins
  • a cup
  • paper and a pencil (optional)

How to play

  1. Put 5 coins in the cup and shake.
  2. Tip them out onto the table.
  3. Sort them into heads and tails.
  4. Say it together: 3 heads and 2 tails make 5.
  5. Draw tally marks for each spill if your child likes.

Guess first

Before you tip them out: how many heads do you think will land face up?

Three things to ask

  1. Have we had this one before?
  2. Could all five ever be heads?
  3. Is 2 and 3 the same as 3 and 2?

Easier

Use 3 coins.

Harder

Use 6 to 10 coins, and keep a list until you think you've found every pair.

Watch for

Your child does not need to find every pair. Noticing that the total stays five each time is the real win.

Safety

Coins are a choking hazard for children under 3. An adult should supervise and count them back at the end.

boxi-math.github.io · CC BY 4.0 · Boxi Yu