Maths-Twister
Want to learn your number bonds* and get some exercise?
Try Maths-Twister! In this video, a teacher demonstrates a useful classroom game to help students practise their number facts and mental arithmetic by playing a variation on the classic game ‘Twister’.
Read on for our take on the ‘Maths-Twister’ recipe, or watch the video on the BBC’s new ‘Backpage’ website where - as they put it - ”parents of primary school kids share their top video tips about helping with homework.”
Many of the homework hints give physical ways of learning subjects, which can be handy if you’re desperate to enjoy the sunshine. We recommend our home students use Maths-Whizz for between 60 and 90 minutes a week, which gives lots of time for exploring maths in the real world - give it a try!
(* number pairs that total a given amount)
Recipe:
- One Twister game set (you can make your own with a large cloth and smaller cloth circles
- Playing cards or number flash cards
- Velcro stickers or ribbon
Stick velcro sections to the backs of the playing cards (or number cards), and stick velcro to the Twister spots, ensuring that any card will stick to any spot.
Place the cards on the playing mat, ensuring there are enough number pairs to make the stated total and that the pairs are far enough apart to make this something of a challenge!
Rather than select a random number or colour for every turn, a child is given a random number every other turn. For instance, I give three children the numbers 2, 6, and 7 respectively - they each put a foot on a number. I then ask each child to find the corresponding number that will make ten - 8, 4 and 3, respectively.
Things get messier when the hands come into play! I choose another three random numbers and each child in turn places a hand on their respective numbers. On the next turn, they have to find the corresponding numbers to make ten, just as they did with their feet.