How a pack of playing cards can help boost your child’s numeracy skills.

These maths card games are suitable for both younger and older kids, and they’re all free to learn and play. A simple way to boost your child’s number sense and make learning fun! 😀

1. Try for a Total of 10
   • How to Play: Lay out 20 cards. Remove sets of cards that add up to 10 until all cards are gone.
2. Practice Number Sequencing with Builder’s Paradise
   • How to Play: Lay out the four sevens. Players add the next higher or lower number in each suit.
3. Add Decimals to “Make a Pound”
   • How to Play: Draw, swap, and discard to make a hand that equals £1.
4. Declare a Fraction War
   • How to Play: Deal two cards—a numerator and denominator—then determine whose fraction is largest.
5. Learn Numbers with Card Bingo
   • How to Play: Lay out a 4×4 board of cards. A caller flips a card, and players turn over matching numbers on their boards.
6. Play a Game of “I Spy”
   • How to Play: Lay out cards. Take turns giving clues like, “I spy two cards that add up to 12.”
7. Use Order of Operations to Get to 24
   • How to Play: Deal four cards. Use the order-of-operations to make a number as close to 24 as possible. (BODMAS)
8. Take a Gamble with Triple-Digit Dare
   • How to Play: Make the highest three-digit number possible. Swap or steal cards to improve your hand.
9. Deal and Round to Tens to Win
   • How to Play: Deal two cards. Round to the nearest 10 to determine the winner of each hand.
10. Find a Way to Make 10
    • How to Play: Look at dealt cards to find pairs that add up to 10. Adjust difficulty with different target numbers.
11. Use Close Call to Practice Two-Digit Addition or Subtraction
    • How to Play: Deal four cards. Arrange them to make two two-digit numbers that add up closest to 100.
12. Let Card Colour Indicate Negative or Positive
    • How to Play: Red cards are negative, black cards are positive. Play pairs that total 6 or -6.
13. Take a Trip Around the Card Spiral to Practice Maths Facts
    • How to Play: Lay cards in a spiral. Roll dice, move that many spaces, and multiply (or add/subtract) the card number by the dice number.
14. Flip to Make a Prime Number
    • How to Play: Flip two cards. Use addition, subtraction, or multiplication to make a prime number.
15. Pick Three to Make Number Sentences
    • How to Play: Flip three cards. Form a valid equation (e.g., 8 – 3 = 5) to keep the cards.
16. Do Some Basic Fast Facts Practice
    • How to Play: Lay down two cards. Add, subtract, or multiply them. Kids can play alone or as a contest.
17. Challenge Them to Beat You
    • How to Play: Take turns to draw cards to build the largest number possible (or first to 50/100 wins).
18. Read Minds to Figure Out the Correct Numbers
    • How to Play: Two children draw a card and hold it to their forehead. A third child/parent gives the product of the numbers, and the players must figure out their cards. This can also be done with addition or subtraction.