Grades 1 and up.
Zero Hero is a fun game to play to practice mental maths skills, addition, and subtraction. It can be played as a single-player game or a multiplayer one. Find the print and google slides version of the game at the end of the post.
Material
- One side 6 dice.
- Print out of the game board. (pdf provided)
- place markers, one for each player
- Paper and pencils to note down some numbers.
The goal is to be the first one to reach to the middle of the maze to the Zero Hero. There are three levels to pass.
The players take turns rolling the dice. They start from the outer circle/oval. They roll the dice and start from that number (numbers repeat ) and they can move in any direction around the oval. Every time they roll they can add or subtract each number they land on and try to get to zero. When they get zero they can move to the next inner oval.
Example
You roll 5 at your first turn and you start from number 5 (choose any of the 5 in the purple oval). At your next turn you roll a 2 so you decide to move two spaces down/right and you get to 7. You can add 5+7=12 or you can subtract 7-5=2 (your goal is to get zero). Let’s say you decide to subtract and now you have 2 (write down your last number each time). At your next turn, you get lucky and roll 4 so you can move to number 2. 2-2=0 Now you can move to the next inner blue oval. You may choose to add your numbers and subtract a greater number at a next turn.
The game offers good practice of addition and subtraction and helps players improve their mental math skills. Provide manipulatives (counters, blocks, beans, pebbles) for students that need them to add and subtract.
The oval paths have different orders of numbers 1-10. In the first (outer) the numbers are in order, in the second the numbers are separated even and odd and in the last one the numbers are mixed up with 11 and 12 added.
Strategy
The players can decide which direction to move and choose to add or subtract. This gives them the opportunity for planning.
Find the print file and the google slides version below.
We hope you find this game useful. Please like and subscribe. Happy playing and happy teaching.