I was first introduced to the value of games to facilitate mathematical thinking through the work of Marilyn Burns and Rusty Bresser. Both educators, along with several like-minded colleagues, have a myriad of resources on how to teach mathematical skills through engaging and rigorous games. And while I have several of these resources, have taught with them in my classroom and enjoying following their work, in the privacy of my own home I sometimes try to stop thinking like a teacher and just have fun with my own two children. and so we play games…and a lot of them!

One of their favorite games is “garbage” (also called “trash”), which was introduced to me by my previous 5th grade students. My five year old quickly caught on and taught my four year old-so it can be a great game for preschool-aged children, as well.  To learn how to play you can read these directions or watch this video.

Since it aligns with Common Core Kindergarten math standards (“counting and cardinatlity”), my daughter and I introduced the game to her class. While some students caught on to the rules and process quickly, others had a difficult time keeping the cards in a straight line or remembering what cards went where. My teachable moment hit me square in the face as I reflected “I should have had a scaffold ready for kids who needed it-a mat that showed them where to put the cards would have been so helpful!”. So I went home and made a class set (10) of these to be laminated:

I think this can be a helpful scaffold and can make this fun game accessible to little minds who may be eager to play and have fun with numbers. This is also a fun way to engage students with the content, as defined by Common Core standards. Parent friends and early elementary teachers enjoy!