Today in class we played two simple games to develop mental recall and retention.
The first game involved playing cards with a partner and simply adding the 2 cards shown. The person who could add them up quicker won the cards and the person with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner. This game can be extended to multiplying the 2 numbers shown. A picture card is worth 10 and an ace only 1.
The second game was a quick draw type game whereby both pupils write a number on the board. A caller calls out a fact about both numbers. For example if the 2 numbers are 7 and 8 the caller may call, "When these two numbers are added the total is 15," or the "Product of these numbers is 56," or "When you take these two numbers away the answer is 1." Pupils have then to guess the other persons number based upon the number they choose and the number fact called. The winner is the person who guesses the other persons number correctly.
There are many similar type games that you can try at home to enhance pupils recall and retention of key number facts.
