Early Math  /  Equipartitioning  /  Week 3: Lesson 8  /  Activity

Drink Up Card Game

 

Equipartitioning
Hands-On

Children share ice cubes between cups.

A preschool child in a gray sweatshirt reaches for the Drink Up Card Game materials on the table in front of him. A boy in a grey sweatshirt sits at a table and puts paper ice cube cards into plastic cups as a girl in a white sweater watches.

Show children the game cards, the cups, and the “ice cubes.”

Tell them to select one of each type of game card, take the number of cups and ice cubes shown on the cards, and then try to share the ice cubes equally among the cups.

 

Materials


Materials used in Drink Up Card Game.
 
Materials PDF
  • 5 clear plastic cups
  • Cups Cards (PDF)
  • Ice Cube Cards (PDF)
  • Individual Ice Cubes (PDF)
    Alternative: Use small blocks or other tokens on hand for the ice cubes.
  • Cardstock or plain paper
  • Scissors

Preparation

  1. Print (on cardstock if possible) and cut out the cards and, if using, the paper ice cubes. Laminate, if desired.
  2. Gather all of the materials. Set them out on the activity table. The decks of Cup Cards and Ice Cube Cards can be face up or face down.
 

Directions


  1. Tell the children that the goal of the game is to share the “ice cubes” equally among the cups. Point out each material. Explain that they will draw from the two decks of cards to see how many cups and ice cubes to use during their turn.
  2. Demonstrate the game by talking through each step as you do it.
    • Take a Cup Card, count the number of cups shown, and take that many plastic cups. Then take an Ice Cube Card, count the number of ice cubes shown, and take that many “ice cubes.”
    • Next, share the ice cubes equally among the cups. Count and announce how many ice cubes went into each cup.
    • Ask the other players if they all agree that the ice cubes are shared equally. If they do not, count the ice cubes in each cup again.
    • At the end of the turn, remove the ice cubes from the cups and place them back on the table. Put the Ice Cube Card and the Cup Card at the bottom of the decks.
  3. Now have the children take turns. Alternatively, they can work collaboratively to fill the cups with equal numbers of ice cubes.
  4. You can reduce the challenge level or speed up the game play by using only low-number Ice Cube Cards.

Note: With some combinations of Cup and Ice Cube cards, a player may have leftover ice cubes, or some cups may have extra ice cubes. Ask the children why they think the ice cubes could not be shared equally among the cups, and how many additional ice cubes they need. When this problem arises, the player should take additional ice cubes until all cups have the same number of cubes. The other players may help with this. Validate the alternative strategies the children come up with to resolve unequal sharing.


Length of Play

10–15 min.

Group Size

Small Group (2–4 players)

In the Schedule

Learning Centers


 
Vocabulary
  • share
  • divide
  • equal
  • too many
  • not enough
  • number names
 
Learning Goals
  • Divide a collection of objects into equal groups
  • Understand what it means to share equally
  • Compare collections of objects, and identify which has more and by how many
  • Learn or reinforce number names and numerals
  • Count a collection of objects