Numbers: Match! for English Lessons

With the fast-paced card game Match!, primary school children can playfully practice numbers in English. Each card shows several colorful numbers, and any two cards always share exactly one of them. Whoever spots and names this match first wins the card that has been face-up the longest, and the player who has collected the most cards at the end wins the game.

What is included

• Playing cards with colorful numbers that may vary in size
• Card backs for printing on the playing cards
• Instructions covering setup, two game variants, and a tie-breaking duel
• Instruction card and title card in the same format as the playing cards
• Overview of all numbers with the English number words from zero to thirty

Tips for using the material

• For the first variant, one person can act as the game leader: they place one card face-up in the center and flip over a second card on a signal. Whoever names the shared number first wins the card that has been in the center the longest.
• It can also be useful to play without a game leader. In this case, the participants take turns revealing the second card.
• Alternatively, the second variant can be used, where everyone plays at the same time: on a signal, everyone flips over their face-down card and looks for the number that is also shown on the top card of the deck in the center of the table. Whoever names it first places that card on top of their own, and the game continues until the deck is finished.
• A duel is provided for a tie: both players flip over a card from their own deck at the same time, and whoever calls out the matching number first wins.

These skills are promoted

• Vocabulary: quickly recall and pronounce the English number words from zero to thirty
• Visual perception: compare two cards and recognize the shared number even when it is a different size
• Reaction speed: spot and name the match faster than the other players

Organizational tips

The game is designed for two to six players. The cards should be printed on thicker paper or on cardstock with a backing, then cut out and preferably laminated. The group should sit around a table so that everyone can clearly see the deck in the center.

To complement this, there is another card game about numbers, a memory game for finding pairs, and word and picture cards for introducing number words.