Math Game Monday: Bowling

This game builds calculations skills and helps develop fluency.

Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children. And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s play some math!

Bowling

Math Concepts: addition, subtraction, multistep calculation, column addition (for final score).

Players: any number.

Equipment: one deck of math cards, game board, ten tokens for covering numbers, pencil or pen, and (optional) scratch paper for adding up the scores.

Set-Up

You can print the bowling game board and score sheet from the Number Game Printables Pack, or draw your own game board and use the printable score sheets from the Apollo’s Templates website.

The 23-page printable (pdf) Number Game Printables Pack file includes hundred charts, graph paper, and game boards from the first two Math You Can Play books.

How to Play

Place the deck face down where all players can reach. When it’s your turn, roll your bowling ball by flipping up three cards. On your game board, cover the pins you knock down:

• The numbers on your cards.
• Any numbers you can make by adding or subtracting two cards.
• Any numbers you can make by adding and subtracting with all three of the cards. Each card may be used only once in each calculation.

For example, if you roll a two, four, and ace, you can cover those numbers and also:

• 3 = 4 − 1
• 7 = 1 + 2 + 4
• What else can you find?

If you cover all the numbers, you rolled a strike, and that’s the end of your turn. If you don’t cover all the numbers, discard those cards and turn up three more for your next ball. Can you cover the remaining numbers now? If so, that’s a spare.

Your score for each turn is how many numbers you cover, with special rules for strikes and spares as explained below.

After you roll two balls, the next player takes a turn. Keep going until each player has ten turns. If the draw pile runs out of cards, reshuffle the discards to replenish it.

How to Use the Score Sheet

The rules for keeping score in bowling seem confusing until you’ve played a few games. Each larger square box on the score sheet is called a frame and represents your score for one turn. The two (or three) smaller square boxes are for keeping track of each time you roll your ball.

One complete game of bowling consists of ten turns, with a maximum score of 300 points. You might think that with ten numbers to cover in each turn, the most you could score would be 100 points, but strikes and spares get bonuses.

For each turn, write down how many numbers you covered with your first ball in the first small box, or if you got a strike, mark an X there. If you threw a second ball, mark down how many more numbers you covered in the second small box, or if you got a spare, write a slash (/). If you did not get a strike or spare, add the numbers you wrote down and put that total score at the bottom of the frame.

A spare earns one bonus ball, and a strike earns two, which means you can’t finish scoring your frame yet. On your next turn, the balls you throw will count not only for their own frame but also as bonus points on your strike or spare. After you’ve thrown your next ball (or two balls, for a strike), add ten for the strike or spare plus the value of the bonus(es) and write in that total at the bottom of the unfinished frame.

Notice that the bonus balls get counted twice, once as part of the strike or spare and once for their own frame. And if you throw three strikes in a row, the third one will be counted three times:

• As the second bonus throw in the first strike frame.
• As the first bonus throw on the second strike.
• And finally as part of its own frame, along with its own bonus balls.

When you get to the last frame, you will see three small boxes. That’s because any players lucky enough to throw a strike or a spare still get their bonus balls. If you don’t get a strike or spare, ignore that third little box.

Finally, add up all the points from all ten frames to make your total score for the game.