Fourth Grade Games

Folding Over Fractions incorporates the well-known art form of origami and mathematics. Origami is the art of paper-folding. Its name derives from Japanese words ori (“folding”) and kami (“paper”). Nearly 2000 years ago, origami was developed by Buddhist monks in Japan as they folded paper for religious purposes. In Folding Over Fractions, children explore various origami techniques and functions involved in the techniques. Children begin by analyzing the fraction of colors within a square and then do the same but with their colored square creation. They wrap on the activity by completing and coloring an origami fold of their own and analyzing each folds fraction. Be sure to share origami creations on social media using @BergEdDept and use the hashtag #BergEdLittleThings.

Math Tennis focuses on factors and factor pairs of numbers 1-100. During this game, children will bring out their athletic side and set up a homemade “tennis court.” Children will then choose a number and with every pass, recite factor pairs of the number. This works to improve mathematical fluency while involving kinesthetic movement. This game can be for the whole family. In place of factors, skip counting can be used for younger children. Gross motor skills, mathematics, and fun are all wrapped into one game. Grab your homemade tennis racquets and get to fluently passing factor pairs in Math Tennis.

Adapted from Mindset Mathematics: Grade 4 by Jo Boaler, Jen Munsen, & Cathy Williams, Target 20 focuses on fluently adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers. Players roll four dice and create an equation with the ultimate goal of getting an answer close to 20. Each player's distance from 20 is their score for the round; after ten rounds players want to have the lowest score among all players. Grab some dice and get ready to have mathematical fun!