Our Comparing Numbers Game Will Have Students on Their Feet

Make learning fun and interactive with our comparing numbers game, ‘Closer to You!’ This engaging activity challenges students to think critically and collaborate as they align their numbers with benchmark values. It’s easy to set up and adaptable for any classroom — simply print, cut and play! Students will enjoy the movement of this game as they refine their skills in comparing and ordering large numbers.

This resource includes:

• Instructions
• Five benchmark number cards
• 25 number cards
• A blank, editable version of both cards 

This comparing numbers game works wonderfully as a fun closing activity for a lesson on comparing numbers or place value or as a warm-up for a rounding lesson.

Playing Our Comparing Numbers Activity

This comparing numbers activity is easy to prepare and play. Here’s how!

1. Print and cut apart all the cards. (Pro tip: print on cardboard and laminate for longevity!)
2. Pass the five blue benchmark cards out to five different students. Instruct them not to let the rest of the class see their numbers, and ask them to line themselves up from least to greatest and spread out evenly on one side of the classroom.
3. Pass out a white number card to all the remaining students.
4. The two students at the end of the line holding benchmark cards reveal their cards to the class. (The cards revealed should be 50 000 and 100 000.)
5. The students holding the white number cards then gravitate toward the student with the benchmark number closest to the number they are holding.
6. Next, the middle benchmark student flips over their card, which reads 75 000. Students then once again gravitate toward the student holding the number closest to their number. (Some students may move to the new number, others may not!)
7. The last two benchmark students reveal their numbers, which are 62 500 and 87 500. Once again, the students align themselves with whichever of the five benchmark numbers is closest to theirs.

This comparing numbers game can easily be played again and again by selecting five new ‘benchmark students’ and mixing up and redistributing the number cards. Blank cards have also been provided.

Download This Compare Numbers Game

We have provided our compare numbers game in both PDF and Google Slides versions for ease of use. Simply click the download button to choose the format that works for you.

This resource was created by April Tierney, a Teach Starter collaborator.

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