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Learning Activities for Kids

Plus 1 Minus 1: An Easy Math Card Game

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Learning math facts. It’s something that’s just got to be done.

Usually the default recommendation is to drill with flash cards. Sigh.

I know flash cards aren’t always the worst thing and I do know kids who actually enjoy them.

But, my two girls just aren’t all that fond of flash cards drills. (Or maybe they just know that Mommy will come up with a cool game that’s way more fun…)

So instead of grabbing flash cards, I grabbed a deck of playing cards to practice our plus 1 minus 1 math facts.

Practice your plus 1 minus 1 math facts with this fun math card game. It's a great way to practice math at home with your kids.

Plus 1 Minus 1 is an easy math game that reinforces the concepts of adding 1 to a number and subtracting 1 from a number.

It’s simple and fun.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Practice your plus 1 minus 1 math facts with this fun math card game. It's a great way to practice math at home with your kids.

How to play this Plus 1 Minus 1 math game

To play the game, remove all the kings, queens, jacks, and jokers from the deck. Shuffle the cards and lay the pile face down.

This game can be played by one or two kids.

Decide ahead of time whether you will be playing Plus 1 or Minus 1.

Each player takes turns flipping over the top card on the deck and quickly adding 1 to that number (for Plus 1) or subtracting 1 (for Minus 1). If they answer correctly, they can keep the card. Simple, right?

When I play one-on-one with my girls, I flip over the card and my daughter answers. Her goal is to be able to collect the entire deck!

Practice your plus 1 minus 1 math facts with this fun math card game. It's a great way to practice math at home with your kids.

Other Ways to Play

Play Plus 2 Minus 2, Plus 5 Minus 5, Plus 10 Minus 10, or whatever set of facts your child needs to learn. It’s very easy to mix up the game.

Add a little challenge. If they flip over a red card, they need to add one. If they flip over a black card, they need to subtract one.

Play a speed round. How fast can you go?

Practice your plus 1 minus 1 math facts with this fun math card game. It's a great way to practice math at home with your kids.

Maybe it’s just my own dislike of flash cards, but I’d much rather play a fun game to practice facts than drill.

Plus 1 Minus 1 is fun, easy to play, and needs no special supplies other than a deck of cards. Perfect!

More fun math games

Domino Doubles Game

Math Fact Sticks

Number Line Secret Codes

Exploring Greater Than or Less Than with Playing Cards at Better Than Homework

Sunshine Addition Fact Family Activity at Planning Playtime

5 Quick Ways to Learn About Writing Number Stories

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We’ve done Number Stories at the Park and played with a Number Stories Store.

Now, I’ve got five more quick ideas for writing number stories.

The ideas are quick, simple, and designed to show you just how easy it is to incorporate math practice into your day-to-day life.

It's easy to learn with you try these five simple ways to understand and practice writing number stories at home or in the classroom.

Life it busy. (That’s an understatement, isn’t it?) But, no matter how busy life is, all you need is 5 minutes for some quick math practice with your kids.

Here are 5 super-simple, super-quick ways to practice writing number stories with your kids.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

It's easy to learn with you try these five simple ways to understand and practice writing number stories at home or in the classroom.

1. Draw a Picture

If your child loves drawing, combine math with art. Have them draw a picture of a number story.

It may be as simple as an apple tree.  An apple tree had 4 apples. 2 fell off. How many apples are left on the tree?

Or it can be as elaborate as your child wants it to be. The premise is simple. Use drawings to help tell number stories.

2. Number Stories: Road Trip Version

Combat boredom in the car by making up number stories. Use the scenery outside the windows to help you out. Take turns making up number stories and solving them.

An example may be: I see 5 trees on the right side of the road and 7 trees on the left. How many trees are there altogether? 

This is also a quick way to practice math while you’re driving back and forth to activities during the week.

It's easy to learn with you try these five simple ways to understand and practice writing number stories at home or in the classroom.

3. Use your child’s favorite characters

Do they love super heroes? Or maybe your child is completely into dinosaurs. Whatever the favorite, use your child’s favorite characters to  help illustrate number stories.

Captain America fought 3 villains and Spiderman fought 4 villains. How many villains did they fight altogether? Use toys if you have them or pictures in a book. Or, you can just take turns telling number stories to each other.

Let your kid’s favorite characters play a starring role and you’ll have a fun twist on math practice.

4. Go on a walk

We went on counting walks when the kids were younger. But, now that they’re older, those counting walks can turn into number story walks.

Use the things you see as inspiration to create number stories during a walk. I see 3 green houses, 2 white houses, and 1 grey house. How many houses are on this block? 

It's easy to learn with you try these five simple ways to understand and practice writing number stories at home or in the classroom.

5. Use manipulatives

Sometimes kids just need to use their hands and move things around in order to “see” the math problem. Manipulatives (any small thing you can use to count) are a great way to illustrate math problems.

Use tiny erasers, rocks, beads, LEGO blocks, or anything small item you have. Use them to help solve your number stories.

For example: If you have 5 heart erasers and take away 2, how many hearts do you have left? 

Math practice can be so easy!

Use any or all of these ideas to help your child practice writing number stories. Maybe one idea will work better than others. Or maybe you keep all the ideas in mind so you’re not constantly doing the same type of math practice over and over again. You can have fun with math!

What are number stories and why do I keep talking about them? Click here to find out.

Number Stories Store: A Pretend Play Math Activity

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It’s doesn’t take any special supplies to put together a play store.

We’ve done so many different versions, grocery stores, jewelry stores, and toy stores.

You may think of a pretend play store as a preschool activity. But, as the kids are getting older and working hard at their math skills, it can become so much more.

Since we’re been talking about number stories so much lately here at Creative Family Fun, I thought I’d show you how to use a pretend play store to practice solving and writing number stories with a number stories store.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Set up your Number Stories Store

Pull out your pretend food, some toys, school supplies, or anything else that can make up a store. I’m sure you’ve got something to use at home!

Label each item with a price.

Use pretend money or empty out the change jar (use the real stuff for some real life practice) and you’re ready to go.

What kinds of number stories can you create?

If you want to buy 4 cookies that cost $.25 a piece, how much money do you need?

You have $.50. How many cookies can you buy?

You get the picture.

Talk through all your purchases, by turning them into a number story.

Let your kids pick a selection of items. Have them talk their way through their purchase.

I’m buying a stick of butter for $1.25 and some broccoli for $.75. How much will they cost?

I have $2.00 and I’m buying some spaghetti noodles for $1.50. How much change will I get back?

The more your child practices number stories, the easier it will get.

If you get down to the basics, a number story is just a real-life application of math, and, shopping is a real-life activity that everyone can relate too.

Not only will your kids practice number stories, but they’ll get some money practice too at their number stories store.

Do your kids still like to play store?

Most of the food items used in this post are from Melissa & Doug. Links to the items are below:

Slice and Bake Cookie Set
Fridge Food Set
Wooden Pantry Products
Wooden Donuts

You may also like one of these math activities:

Number Stories at the Park

5 Quick Ways to Learn About Number Stories

Math Fact Islands

Math Paper Plate Games at Better Than Homework

Counting Money Busy Bag for Big Kids at Views From a Step Stool

Outdoor Number Stories at the Park

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Number stories, a.k.a. word problems, are very common in the elementary years.

My daughters have been solving them and writing their own from the point where they first starting doing basic addition.

I talked earlier about what they are and how parents can help with number story homework, and now I want to share some fun ways to practice this math concept with some outdoor number stories at the park.

You practice number stories anywhere! Try this fun outdoor number stories activity the next time you go play at the park.

As far as I’m concerned, my kids get plenty of time with workbooks and worksheets in the classroom and for homework.

If we’re going to do some extra practice at home, I want to do something different.

I want to make it fun for them, but still help reinforce the skills they are learning in school.

Luckily, with number stories, there are so many fun things you can do with your child.

Come along! Let’s head to the park for some outdoor number stories at the playground.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

You practice number stories anywhere! Try this fun outdoor number stories activity the next time you go play at the park.

Add a little learning to your next trip to the park

It’s so easy to squeeze in a few minutes of extra math practice while your kids are enjoying the park. (And it doesn’t even have to be the park, we were using our backyard play set.) All you need is your imagination and a knowledge of the skills your child needs to work on. Right now we’re still at the subtraction stage with my oldest and my youngest is doing basic addition.

As the kids are playing, work together to come up with your number stories. Incorporate the stories into your play.

Outdoor Number Stories at the Park Examples:

If E slid down the slide 2 times and A slid down the slide 5 times. How many times did they slide down all together? Let them slide to find out!

If there are 5 steps on the ladder and E climbs up 3 steps. How many steps does she have left to climb? Let them climb to find out!

You practice number stories anywhere! Try this fun outdoor number stories activity the next time you go play at the park.

What else can you and your child come up with?

If there are 10 kids at the park and 3 go home, how many kids are left?

If there are 3 kids on the swing set and each swings 5 times, how many times did they swing altogether? (Yes, you can throw in some multiplication.)

Use the playground for inspiration. Use movement to help solve problems. Challenge your kids to come up with their own ideas. And when you’re done…

You’re already at the park, so have fun and play with some outdoor number stories!

You practice number stories anywhere! Try this fun outdoor number stories activity the next time you go play at the park.

You make also like on of these math activities:

Number Stories Store: A Pretend Play Math Activity

Driveway Hundred Chart

Math Fact Islands

Making Ten with Cars at Better Than Homework

Teach Tally Marks with Sticks at The Educators’ Spin On It

What is a Number Story? Math Homework Help

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Let’s talk number stories. I know, I know. I hear the collective groans. But, bear with me. We can and will tackle these.

What is a number story?

Quite simply, it’s a word problem. (Don’t ask me why they changed the name. I have no idea.)

Number stories combine reading and math. Many times it’s a way to show how math relates to real life.

Kids want to know why they have to learn this stuff. Number stories can show the why.

Let’s break it down and find out the answer to what is a number story.

What is a number story? Find out all about this math concept for early elementary kids, why it's important, and how you can practice number stories at home.

Before we go further, I do have to say one thing. I have seen some poorly written number stories that are just down-right confusing. There is no excuse for that. None.

That being said, it’s not that hard to write a number story that is clear and easy to understand.

Let’s get started!

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

What is a number story? Find out all about this math concept for early elementary kids, it's importance and how to practice it at home.

Let’s break down a number story.

Check out the above story. This is very similar to ones that I’ve seen in my child’s homework. Your child may be asked to do a few things with these problems.

First: Draw the number story.

For some reason, this concept of drawing a number story seemed so complicated to me when I first saw this question on my daughter’s homework.

I realized one day that it was just my over-complicated adult brain that had issues with it because it’s really simple.

See my balloon drawings? That’s all that’s involved, really.

Draw Marie’s balloons, then draw the one that flew away. That’s it.

And quite frankly, my picture is way more complicated than it needs to be. This is not an art project; it’s a math problem.

Just keep telling yourself to keep it simple.

What does this accomplish? It helps your child visualize the problem. Some kids need this visualization and this will help them.

What is a number story? Find out all about this math concept for early elementary kids, it's importance and how to practice it at home.

Second: Write a number model.

Let me translate this one for you. All this means is to write your math problem.

In the above number story, your number model is 2 + 4 = 6. Simple, right. Don’t let the new terms confuse you.

Is your child having difficulty writing the number model?

First, they will need to pick out the numbers. Then, you can help them find clues in the words to figure out what they need to do to the numbers.

A big clue in the above problem is the word “more”. It indicates an addition problem.

You can also have your kids draw the number story to help them come up with the number model even if their homework doesn’t ask them to do that step. Help them draw the problem on scrap paper if they need the additional visual help.

Third: Fill in the unit box.

This is another step that I over-complicated for the longest time.

Good thing my daughter was able to explain it to me. Gah.

The unit is the item that you are counting. In this case, our unit is apples. In the picture below, the unit is pennies. Easy, right?

What is a number story? Find out all about this math concept for early elementary kids, it's importance and how to practice it at home.

Are number stories getting a little clearer?

Do you have the answer to your question, what is a number story yet?

I hope so. Just think simple and refer back to this post for help with all the new terms.

Special note: If your child is having problems with number stories because of their reading level, I would encourage you to talk to their teacher. He/she can give you strategies to help. Plus, it is always helpful to make sure that both you and your child’s teacher are aware of the areas where your child struggles. At home, you can help them by reading through the problems together. Help them learn the words that come up often (ex: more, less) and work with them to find word clues. They have the ability to learn this if given the tools to help. You’ve got this parents.

Now that we have answered the question, what is a number story, try one of these activities for more number story practice:

Number Stories Store: A Pretend Play Math Activity

Outdoor Number Stories at the Park

5 Quick Ways to Learn About Number Stories

Are you looking for more activities?

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