My son wanted me to share this activity that he invented on his own. It's called "Step Up." An easy activity that sneaks in adding practice, Step Up is multi-lingual and can be played in ANY language! My son will be starting 1st grade this fall, so this activity is best suited for kids ages 5 and up.
Step One: Shuffle your dominoes.
Step Two: Select five or six dominoes and then stack them like stairs...
Step Three: Take the top domino, flip it over and add the two numbers...
Repeat!
My 8 year old wanted in on the action, too. But she needed something a little more challenging, so she selected two dominoes and added the two digit numbers together. And after a while, she switched and subtracted them instead, putting the larger number on top.
You could also use this game for multiplication/division practice for kids in 3rd grade and higher.
And of course, all this led to more fun...
Remember that math can be fun and doesn't have to be all about tedious worksheets! My kids respond much better to math when we use manipulatives or games to teach. So try out this little activity with your child this summer.
Happy learning!