For each group of two students, you need a set of number cards with two cards of each number, 1 through 10. Divide the class into groups of two. Give each set of partners one set of number cards. Shuffle the number cards, and place 10 number cards face up in a row. Leave the remaining cards face down in a stack. Tell the students to take turns looking for two cards with a difference of one. The student who finds a qualifying pair of cards should pick them up and say, "I can take these cards because (the card with the smaller number) is one less than (the card with the larger number)." Replace the missing cards with two cards from the stack and continue taking turns. If neither player can find qualifying cards, add another card from the stack until play can continue.
For this beginning subtraction game, you need 10 "counters" for each student (for example, chips or teddy bear counters) and one die plus one prepared number grid on tag board for each group of two students. Divide the tag board into a grid six squares wide by five squares long. Randomly write one of the numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in each square, trying to end up with the same quantity of each numeral. Divide the class into groups of two, and give each group one number board. Give each student 10 counters, making sure each student in the group has a different color or shape of counter. The students should take turns rolling the die and placing a counter on the number that is one less than the number of dots on the die. For example, if the rolled die has five dots, the student will put his counter on any number 4 on the board. If a number the student would place a counter on is not available (all squares with the number already have counters), allow the student to take another turn. Continue the play until each student has put down all counters.
Unifix cubes are plastic cubes that can interlock to form a rod of the length you desire. For this game, each student needs 10 Unifix cubes of a single color. Each group needs a stack of subtraction fact cards, using only numbers 10 and below. Divide the class into groups of two, and give each student a set of Unifix cubes. Show students how to make a rod by interlocking and stacking the cubes. One at a time, each player in the group picks a subtraction fact card and does not show it to her partner. She tells her partner the subtraction problem without telling him the answer. Her partner should set up the problem by stacking the Unifix cubes the number of the largest number in the problem. He solves the problem aloud as he removes the required number of Unifix cubes from the rod, saying, "[The largest number] minus or take away [the smaller number] equals [the difference]." His partner will confirm the answer by looking at the fact card.
Dominos are typically matched with the sides marked with an equal number of dots touching each other. For this game, the students will place a domino that is "one less" against the domino on the table. Divide the class into groups of two, and give each student a set of dominos. One partner starts play by putting a domino on the table. The other partner will place a domino with "one less" against one side of the first domino. If a player does not place a domino correctly, he loses a turn. Take turns, until one player uses all his dominos.