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Just like the other sets of 24 cards, each card in this set has four numbers on it and you must use all four numbers to make the number 24. You can use any of the four operations, but each number on the card must be used exactly once. However, now you have the added challenge of fractions and decimals. Each card has two sides, and there are three levels within each box, so you can start with easier level one (or one dot) cards and move up to level three (or three dot cards) as your child gets better. These cards are so great because a) you can differentiate by level, b) children get better with practice which is really satisfying for them, and c) they do a great job of promoting and supporting flexible thinking, and d) they require some perseverance at times. Kids often have to try out different ways to make 24, attacking the problem from different angles in order to use all four numbers. These cards are great to get your kid’s mind going, and could be a good way to start the day, giving them one of these cards to try at the breakfast table. And that way, if they don’t get it right away, they have the rest of the day to figure it out.

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I LOVE these cards, and I use them on a daily basis in my third grade class the entire second half of the year (after they have learned multiplication and division). Each card in the set has four numbers on it, including double digit numbers; you must use all four numbers to make the number 24. You can use any of the four operations, but each number on the card must be used exactly once. For example, if the card has the numbers 6, 12, 8, and 1, you could do (8 – 6) x 2 = 24, and 24 x 1 = 24. Each card has two sides, and there are three levels within each box, so you can start with easier level one (or one dot) cards and move up to level three (or three dot cards) as your child gets better. These cards are so great because a) you can differentiate by level, b) children get better with practice which is really satisfying for them, and c) they do a great job of promoting and supporting flexible thinking, and d) they require some perseverance at times. Kids often have to try out different ways to make 24, attacking the problem from different angles in order to use all four numbers. These cards are great to get your kid’s mind going, and could be a good way to start the day, giving them one of these cards to try at the breakfast table. And that way, if they don’t get it right away, they have the rest of the day to figure it out.

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I LOVE these cards, and I use them on a daily basis in my third grade class the entire second half of the year (after they have learned multiplication and division). Each card in the set has four numbers on it; you must use all four numbers to make the number 24. You can use any of the four operations, but each number on the card must be used exactly once. For example, if the card has the numbers 6, 2, 8, and 1, you could do (6 x 8) / 2 = 24, and 24 x 1 = 24. Each card has two sides, and there are three levels within each box, so you can start with easier level one (or one dot) cards and move up to level three (or three dot cards) as your child gets better. These cards are so great because a) you can differentiate by level, b) children get better with practice which is really satisfying for them, and c) they do a great job of promoting and supporting flexible thinking, and d) they require some perseverance at times. Kids often have to try out different ways to make 24, attacking the problem from different angles in order to use all four numbers. These cards are great to get your kid’s mind going, and could be a good way to start the day, giving them one of these cards to try at the breakfast table. And that way, if they don’t get it right away, they have the rest of the day to figure it out.

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This is a great game that I really enjoyed playing as a kid. It is simple enough that younger kids can play it, but has enough strategy and combinations to keep older kids interested. In fact, at one point as a kid, I went through and figured out what series of turns would earn the largest number of stones by testing out all of the combinations for a first turn. I may have been a bit bored that summer… though it shows the possibilities for challenge in playing the game. On another note, if you’re not interested in buying Mancala, you can make a project out of making your own set. All you need is an egg carton, and some paint or markers to decorate it with your kid. Then, together you can decide what objects you want to use as the “stones”—this can be large beads, dry pasta, pebbles, or shells that you find together.

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This is a fun, fast-paced game that can be played with any number of players (and even as an individual). The object of the game is to have the most “sets” at the end of the game. A set is a group of three cards where the features are either all the same or all the features must be different on all three cards. You can change the difficulty of the game by using just some of the cards, or by using the entire deck. When I taught fourth grade, we would play this with the early finishers, but it was also quite popular as an indoor recess game.

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