Subitising Card Games: An Exciting Way to Practise Number Recognition

Want your students to get some subitising practise with an engaging activity? Let them go to battle with our Subitising War card game! This activity exposes students to many different number representations, including:

• Numeral form
• Tallies
• Dice
• Ten frames
• Fingers held up

An essential element of subitising is the instant recognition of a quantity without counting. Playing this subitising card game reinforces this quick decision-making as students instantly decide who won each hand.

Why Teach Subitising?

The ability to subitise is included in maths learning standards because it is an essential foundational skill. Here are some reasons that the time your students spend subitising is well worth it:

• Improves Number Recognition: Subitising helps students identify and connect numerals with quantities. This helps students transition from counting objects to recognising numbers in different contexts.
• Sharpens Mental Maths Skills: The ability to quickly and accurately recognise numbers is essential for mental calculations and problem-solving.
• Supports Addition and Subtraction: When students can quickly identify quantities, addition and subtraction are much easier to learn.
• Aids in Understanding Fractions: Recognising that 3 out of 6 is half builds the foundation for learning future fraction concepts.

Instructions:

• Print and cut apart all the subitising cards.
• Shuffle and deal the cards equally to each player.
• Players flip over their top card.
• The player with the higher amount wins the hand and the played cards.
• Play continues until one player has won all the cards and is declared the winner.

Just Download and Print!

This resource is available in both easy-to-print PDF and editable Google Slides format. Use the drop-down arrow located on the download button to choose the best option for your classroom.

Longevity Tip: Print cards on cardboard and laminate so students can play this game again and again! 

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher and Teach Starter collaborator.

More Subitising Activities

Looking for more subitising fun for your foundation students? Check out these favourites from our Teach Starter Team.

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