Description
How it works
One player tucks some of the bears into a cup — the “cave” — and arranges the rest on a five frame or ten frame, one bear per square. Their partner studies the bears that are awake and figures out how many must be asleep. Because the visible bears sit in a frame, children start to see the missing amount rather than counting to it, which is exactly the shift that turns counting into fact recall.
What you’ll need
- Five teddy bear counters (or any small counters)
- A plastic cup or bowl for the cave
- The printable Sleeping Bears board — 5 frame and 10 frame both included
Skills practiced
Combinations that make 5 and 10, part-part-whole reasoning, and subitizing. These number bonds are the foundation every later addition and subtraction strategy is built on.
Grade level
Preschool through 2nd grade. Older children can be asked to write an equation for each round, which extends the same activity into formal notation.
Instant PDF download. Game instructions and printable boards adapted from the ideas in Math Fact Fluency by Jennifer Bay-Williams and Gina Kling (ASCD / NCTM, 2019).
