This math card game has simple enough rules that your kid can get started really quick. Then, watch them practice their arithmetic as they try to score points and win!
First, download and print the cards. There's two sets of cards in the same file. One set has digits (0 to 9) and arithmetic operators (plus, minus, etc). The other set has just equals signs (=). If you can, print these two sets onto different coloured cardboard. In any case, they need to be kept separate.The rules of the game are as follows.
- Start as follows :
- The dealer shuffles the number and operation cards together.
- Each player is dealt 7 cards. The person to the left of the dealer goes first, and play continues around the circle towards the left always.
- The unused number and operator cards are placed face down. This is the draw pile.
- The equals cards are placed face up in another stack. This is the equals pile.
- There will also be a third stack of cards, the discard pile, but initially the discard pile is empty.
- Each player takes his or her turn as follows.
- They take a card from either the draw pile or the discard pile.
- Whichever If they are able to (and want to), they may take an equals card from the equals pile, and any number of cards from their hand, and lay them down, as long as they make up a true arithmetic formula. For example, if I had in my hand the cards 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 5, +, + and x, I could put on the table the formula 1+2+2=5, or even 12+1+2=3x5. The cards marks '*' are wild cards, representing any operation.
- If the player has more than 10 cards in their hand, they must remove one of their cards, and place it face up on the discard pile.
- At this point any other player may immediately call "break in!", and take the card just thrown away - but then they must make a formula using that card. After the player who broke in has laid out the formula, it will be their turn.
- If more than one player calls "break in", the player who called it first gets to take the card.
- If a player calls "break in", but cannot make a formula, they must return the card they took from teh discard pile, and they lose 25 points.
- Play ends when one player has no more cards left, or there are no more cards in the draw pile.
- Each player gets points as follows.
- Players get points for the cards that make up the formulas they have played.
- If a player finishes all his or her cards, they also get points for the cards still in their opponents' hands.
- Points are awarded as follows :
- Numbers '0' to '9' : face value ('0' = 0 points, '9' = 9 points)
- '+' or '-' : 10 points
- 'x' or '÷' : 15 points
- '=' or '*' : 20 points
- For the next round, the dealer should be the person to the right of the last dealer.
- The overall winner will be the first player to reach 1000 points.
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