The game is played much like dominoes. Two sides of the triangles are put together according to a chosen rule. For older pupils the winner is the one to finish their cards first, but younger children usually play co-operatively. The cards are joined according to a pre-arranged criterion.
In this game the cards are being joined by the rule "They add to 9".
The game is easy to use so that it can be left unsupervised or overseen by a non-teacher. It is best with 2 -4 players, although it can be used by one child as a "patience".
The games can be as hard, or as easy, as you like. The youngest children can simply match the number symbols, or even colours. The numbers can be put together to make 10, or have a difference of 2 or add to make a multiple of 3. The two figures put together can be tens and units so that larger numbers can be used, for example, multiples of 6, squares or prime numbers.
One of the useful aspects of the game is that it can be used to reinforce mathematical language. For example, in the bit of the game shown above, the task is the join sides that add to 9. The children can be required to state what they are doing. "Seven and two make nine" or perhaps "Seven and two together add to nine".
The game is not only for practising number facts and mathematical language. If the two numbers are added to make even numbers and then in a later game later to make odd numbers, a rule can be deduced. If multiples of 3 or 9 are made then the table pattern will emerge.
The game is probably best made of a suitable size for those who are to use it.
The cards are equilateral triangles divided into three parts.
Each part is numbered more or less randomly with one of the figures from 0 - 9.
As the numbers sometimes need to be read upside down it is important to use straight 9s and curly 6s.
A pack should consist of about two dozen cards. I usually make 25 because then 2, 3 or 4 players can have an equal number of cards with one put in the middle to start the game.
You can download
some cards as a "starter pack".
