I have been introducing Natalie to a lot of different games that require her to practice her addition facts. Pyramid Solitaire is a great way to practice sums of ten in a fun way. Plus, we’ve been learning about Ancient Egypt, so anything shaped like a pyramid is perfect for us!
Supplies:
- playing cards – aces through tens
- sums of ten “cheat-sheet” (optional)
Line up your cards in six rows, as shown below. Put the remaining cards in a stack face down.
The goal is to remove cards from the pyramid, in pairs that add-up to ten (or ten by itself). Only cards that are fully uncovered can be removed. Once you have removed as many sums of ten as you can, turn the cards in your stack over one at a time, using the card if you can to make a sum of ten. Can you clear the entire pyramid?
Natalie started with an index card “cheat-sheet” of all the sums of ten. After playing a few times, she was remembering the sums without having to look at the card – just what we were working toward!
Egyptian War Playing Cards
{By the way – if your kids play Webkinz online, there is a game in the Arcade area called Get Eleven Solitaire, which is very similar and works with sums of 11.}
Tip of the Day: Drill-work and memorization does not have to be boring or tedious – many card games and board games incorporate all kinds of math skills in a fun and engaging way!