Foundation Unit / Year 1

Foundation / Year 1 News

Playing games is an engaging way to build number sense! Over the past few weeks the Foundation and Year One students have been learning and practising number concepts by playing games in pairs, small groups and as a whole class. The games encourage students to use skills such as recognising numbers, calculating one number more or less than a given number, the use of strategy and identifying number sequences. Often the games have different levels so different needs are targeted.

Here are just a few of the games we have been playing:

Game: Cobra. A strategy game where 2 players take turns to remove either one or two counters. You do not want to be the player to take the last counter off the game board. Children need to count ahead to work out how many counters to take off to ensure they win the game. 

game: 10 Frame Races. A pairs game, students spin the spinner and cross off that number on their tower. The first person to cross all their numbers off is the winner. 

And here is a different version...

Game: Tens frame races.  A game to consolidate mental strategies for addition and subtraction by establishing make to 10 (and adding by place value parts). A focus on using language to describe the “make to ten” strategies.

Game: Roll and Cover.  Players take turns to roll a dice and cover the number. They need to be able to recognise numbers in different formations. The player with the most numbers covered at the end is the winner.

Foundation / Year 1 Teachers

Debbie Thompson, Sally Quinn, Zoe Sutherland / Juliet Smith, Alison Meggs