• Fill the numbers through
• 20 using your "favorite number."
• 20 using the roll of a die (one of a pair of dice).
• 100
• Mark the evens for COUNTING BY ...
• BINGO where everyone wins together by filling in numbers in a square or X or HI.
• Use expressions like, "Place a marker on": 4, 14, 41, "one more than 3," "one less than 10," "the next even number after 5," "the total when you have 4 things and 7 more things."

• find the sum of 4 and 8
• add 23 and 69
• subtract 26 from 87
• How many toys do you need to give 4 pieces to each of 6 children.
• How many groups of 3 can be made with 20 things?

      The hundreds board is the most useful manipulative for the early elementary school child. It organizes numbers, provides a valuable representation of symbolic mathematics, and possibly makes a child feel "grown up." It may be used to precede, reinforce, or review content, to assist in problem solving, or to challenge the student. It is included in this book because children who play these games have the mathematical abilities of the early elementary child.

      Topics normally considered in elementary grades are listed as ADVANCED PLAY and will not be discussed here but will be available when Math Games and Manipulatives in the Early Elementary Grades is completed.

      Given a pile of bingo chips, the HUNDREDS BOARD, and no directions, many children will begin to match chip to number and fill the board. Some children will name the number as they fill in board. Some will talk about how many chips they need to complete a row. Please permit this sort of play to happen without your intervention.

      The first formal activity I do with children and the HUNDREDS BOARD is to fill the board starting with one and continuing on (with some groups through 100 even the first time).

      Listen in on a group of children with boards and the Adult acting as leader.

      Adult: "Who has a favorite number? Think about your favorite number as you slide all your bingo chips off the board so we can do an activity."

      "Now, who has a favorite number?"

      Cassie: "I do."

      Adult: "What is your favorite number?"

      Cassie: "Five."

      Adult: "Cassie's favorite number is five. Please fill in the board starting at the top using five bingo chips."

      The students fill in the spaces marked 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

      Adult: "Who else has a favorite number," waiting as children raise their hands.

      Juan: "Seven."

      Adult: "Please fill in the board this time with seven more chips."

      The students fill in the spaces marked 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. The game continues till the predetermined end number or until the student-determined end of 100. Phrases like "I only need three to finish the row," or "we ended on fifty-seven" are heard. One kindergarten student repeatedly started filling in the required number of spaces by marking the final number then backfilled the rest. Yes, he'd already figured out how to add.

      Another way to fill the board but in more of a game fashion is to use a random number generator or die. Twenty is a good goal to achieve. Players take turns rolling the die and filling their boards waiting to see how fill to or past 20 first.

      The HUNDREDS BOARD may be used for simultaneous bingo -- everyone wins at the same time. The following are variations, some rather sophisticated, on boxing one number. Below, the boxes surrounding the 12 box are filled with chips. One might also make a letter or write a short message. The filled 55, 57, 59, 65, 66, 67, 69, 75, 77, and 79 boxes write the word HI.

   

      Here are variations of BINGO -- Making a Box around Twelve.

      Put a marker on: 21, 23, 3, 2, 13, 11, 22, 1

      Put a marker on: one more than twenty, two less than twenty-five, three, two, one ten and three ones, the first odd number after 10, the first even number after 20, one more than zero

      Put a marker on the value of: two dimes and one penny, two cents less than a quarter, one cent plus and two cents, two times one cent, one dime and 3 pennies, this much: showing two pennies and 4 nickels, one penny