See note below on the difficulties some children have with the 'teens'.
The game is played 2 - 3 by players although one adult can easily supervise several games being played at the same time.
Each player has 20 counters and a board like the four below and each game needs a set of cards numbered from 11 - 20 (two sets for more than two players).
You can download four boards to print out and two sets of cards to print out and cut up.
The boards (A4 size is ideal) are divided into 24 squares.
Twelve of these squares have '10' written on them and the rest have the figures 1 - 9.
(There will be one of each plus 3 more which should be different on each board.)
Each game will also require a pack of 18 cards numbered 11 - 19 (each one twice).
To play the "Teens Game"
The players sit with their boards in front of them and their pile of 20 counters beside the board. The pack of numbered cards is put face down between the players.
The first player takes a card and reads the number on it. They then make that number with two counters from the numbers on their board. For example, if 16 had been picked, then a counter would be put on a square marked "10" and one marked "16'.
The next player then does the same.
The game continues until one player has put all their counters onto their board. This player is the winner.
If the number on the card cannot be made then the player cannot go and misses a turn.
When all the cards in the centre have been used they are shuffled and used over again.
Note on the numbers between 10 and 20
Children often experience more trouble with these numbers than other decades up to 100. English speakers have a particular problem because of the irregularity of the language used. "Fourteen" can so easily be muddled with "forty" so that many will write "41" instead of "14".
I have found that some children with problems respond well to using the counting form Catherine Stern's 1940's book "Children discover Arithmetic". I call this "Funny Counting". The numbers between 9 and 22 go "onety, onety-one, onety-two ..... onety-nine, twoty, twoty-one..." The numbers get quite regular with this counting at 60!
Go back to beginning of game.
