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Fourth-Grade Math Games With Dominoes

The layout of dominoes, though simple, allows for a wide variety of numerical combinations, making dominoes an ideal tool for elementary math games that allow students to practice their arithmetic skills. Because games with dominoes limit variables to the numbers one through six, beginner math students can hone their addition, subtraction and multiplication skills without getting intimidated or discouraged by larger numbers.
  1. Basic Arithmetic

    • Give students five dominoes with the dots facing downward. Instruct students to turn each of their dominoes over so that the dots face up. The students must add, subtract and multiply the two numbers represented by the dots on each domino and then write down the respective answers. For example, if the first domino contains four dots and two dots, the student should write down the answers: six, two and eight. Each correct answer counts as one point, with the eventual point leader declared the winner.

    Advanced Arithmetic

    • Lay dominoes horizontally in several rows of four. Instruct students to add each group of dots on the individual dominoes together and then multiply the four sums. For example, if the respective sums of the four dominoes are 3, 4, 5 and 2, the student will multiply 3 x 4 x 5 x 2, which simplified is 12 x 10, leading to a final answer of 120. To make the game more interesting, use a stopwatch or other timing device and institute a time limit before which the group must solve all of the problems.

    Matching Numbers

    • Divide students into groups and give each group a full set of dominoes. Ask each group to pick from the set -- using addition, subtraction and multiplication -- dominoes that have a chosen numerical result, such as two. For example, by adding the dots on a domino with one dot on each half, the result is two; similarly, the difference of a domino with four and two dots is also two, as is the product of a domino with one and two dots.

    Domino Pyramid

    • Instruct students to form a pyramid using five dominoes for the base and one less for each layer. The sum or difference of the dots on each domino used for the base must be equal to five. The layer above the base must have dominoes whose sum or difference equals four, and so on, so that the top layer consists of a single domino whose dots add up to or can be subtracted to equal one.

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