The Changing Game

How is this activity presented?

This activity is done in groups. The directress asks each child to lay out three floor mats down one by one, next to each other. She then asks one child to lay out the Large Number Cards in the correct sequence on one mat and another child to lay out the Golden Beads in the correct sequence on another mat. Each child should have a tray with a piece of felt on it.

The directress then places an unlimited amount of Golden Beads randomly on the child’s tray, she makes sure at least one hierarchy exceeds nine. She asks the child to sort out the beads into hierarchies on his tray.

The child starts by counting the units first by placing them on the far right-hand side of the tray. Once he reaches 10 units, the directress stops him and reminds him that 10 units are the same as one 10-bead bar. The child then places the 10 units into the bowel and takes it to the banker to exchange them for one 10-bead bar. (You may use a banker if you want to) The child returns to the mat with his 10-bead bar and adds it to the correct hierarchy.

He begins to count the units once again, exchanging if necessary. Once there are no more units, he counts the remaining units and goes to collect the corresponding number card either from the floor mat or a banker if you choose. The child places the number card on the tray below the unit beads.

The child continues in the same manner with the 10’s and 100’s hierarchies, exchanging if necessary and collecting the corresponding number card. He also adds the thousand cubes and fetches the corresponding number card too.

Once the activity is complete, the directress reads the finished quantity to the child, for example, three thousands… two hundreds…. seven tens….. eight units. She shows the child how to overlap the cards so the final number reads 3278. The directress recaps the activity and she can tell the child the correct way of saying the number, for example, ‘three thousand two hundred and seventy-eight’

What skills does the child acquire by doing this activity?

This activity helps the child’s fine and gross motor movements, it reinforces the exchanging of hierarchies, as well as this activity reinforces the relationship with units, tens, hundreds, and thousands.

Looking for more Montessori activities?

Here is a list of all the Montessori Maths activities including Early Maths, Introduction to the Decimal System, Seguin Boards, The Hundred Board, The Short Bead Stair, Bead Chains, The Snake Game, Group Operations, The Large Number Rods, Recording with the Small Number Rods, The Short Bead Stair, The Strip Boards, The Boards, The Stamp Game, The Abacus, The Dot Game, and Fractions. Just click on the page you want to learn about to go there.